Rocket City Half Marathon F75-79: Tedesco Dominates a Tough Age Group

• Marie Tedesco, 76, won the F75-79 group in 2:43:49 (12:30/mi), finishing 38 minutes ahead of second place.
• Doris Brown, 76, claimed second in 3:21:04 — and then held off Beth Duff by nearly 31 minutes for the runner-up spot.
• Beth Duff, 75, rounded out the three-woman F75-79 field in 3:52:10 at 17:43/mi.
• Tedesco posted the 172nd-fastest women's split on the 10K-to-finish stretch, climbing from 184th to 173rd among all women in the back half of the race.

Three women toed the line in the F75-79 age group at Rocket City, and Marie Tedesco made the result look decisive from the start. Running 12:30 per mile across the full 13.1 miles on a mild December morning — 59°F with a light breeze — the Jonesborough, Tennessee 76-year-old crossed in 2:43:49, a commanding margin over the rest of her field.

What made Tedesco's performance particularly sharp was her second-half execution. On the 10K-to-finish segment she posted the 172nd-fastest split among all women in the race, actually gaining ground in the overall women's standings — moving from 184th to 173rd — at a point in the race where many runners are simply surviving. That's a meaningful surge late in a half marathon at any age.

Doris Brown of Cookeville, Tennessee — also 76 — was the only other finisher within an hour of Tedesco, crossing in 3:21:04 at 15:20/mi to secure second. Brown held her position in the women's field through the second half, a steady if quieter effort. Beth Duff, 75, making the trip from Cincinnati, Ohio, completed the group in 3:52:10, finishing her day at 17:43/mi. All three women finished a full half marathon in December, which is its own kind of statement.