M60-64 Half Marathon: Garcia Runs Away With It in Huntsville

• Antonio Garcia (Miami, FL) took the M60-64 title in 1:36:10 — a 7:20/mi pace that put nearly a minute of daylight between him and 2nd place.
• Gerard Tamez (New Market, AL) was the closest challenger, finishing in 1:37:00 — just 50 seconds back at 7:24/mi.
• A significant gap separates the top two from the rest: Duane Ricketts (Cullman, AL) claimed 3rd in 1:58:26, more than 21 minutes behind Garcia.
• The field spanned nearly 1:24 from first to last, with Kevin Folette (Somerville, AL) rounding out the 10-man group in 2:59:52.

Under overcast skies and a mild 59°F in Huntsville, the M60-64 group produced a compelling two-man battle at the front before the field spread wide. Antonio Garcia, age 61 and making the trip up from Miami, set the tone early and never let up. His 7:20/mi average was the sharpest in the group, and he was still gaining ground in the back half — moving from 21st to 19th among the men on the 10K-to-finish stretch, posting the 21st-fastest men's split on that segment.

Gerard Tamez, the local New Market runner at age 63, gave Garcia the closest thing to a real contest. He also surged late, climbing from 24th to 21st among the men on that same closing stretch with the 22nd-fastest men's split on 10K-to-Finish. Fifty seconds is a meaningful margin over 13.1 miles, but Tamez made Garcia earn every step of it.

Behind them, Duane Ricketts (age 64, Cullman) and Roger Smalligan (age 63, Huntsville) ran a tight race for 3rd and 4th, separated by just under two minutes — 1:58:26 to 2:00:16. Both were still moving well late, each gaining a few places among the men on the closing segment. David Chadwick rounded out the top five in 2:06:24, while Vincent Halterman, Bill White, Robert Chernoff, Fotinos Panagakos, and Kevin Folette completed the field across a wide range of finishing times. All ten crossed the line — a full complement for the age group on a December morning in Alabama.