Men's Half Marathon: Toland Takes the Title in a Rocket City Finish

• Peter Toland won the men's race in 1:18:32 (5:59/mi), edging James Miller by 21 seconds after running the second-fastest 10K-to-finish split among the men.
• James Miller posted the single fastest 10K-to-finish split in the men's field — yet still finished 21 seconds back, in 1:18:53, because Toland had built his lead in the first half.
• The top four men were separated by just 3:09, with Matt McMillian (1:19:15, 3rd) and Anthony Parameswaran (1:21:41, 4th) rounding out a tight podium chase.
• Antonio Garcia, 61, crossed in 1:36:10 (7:20/mi) — one of the more notable performances in a men's field of 198.

Peter Toland made his decisive move where it counted. Sitting 3rd at the 10K mark, the 26-year-old Huntsville native surged to the front and never looked back, finishing in 1:18:32 at a 5:59/mi clip. That he did it while running the second-fastest closing split in the men's field tells you the race was won on guts as much as positioning — he moved through traffic while the field was tightening.

The twist is that James Miller actually ran the fastest 10K-to-finish split of any man in the race. That's a remarkable closing effort, and it got him to 1:18:53 and 2nd place — but Toland had simply built too much of a cushion in the opening half. Miller's late charge made for a compelling finish without ever quite threatening the lead. Matt McMillian, 39, from Owens Cross Roads, held on for 3rd in 1:19:15, completing a podium where all three men finished within 43 seconds of each other.

Anthony Parameswaran had a story worth noting at 4th place. His 1:21:41 here represents a dramatic improvement over his 1:29:37 for 5th at this same race in 2023 — nearly eight minutes faster on the same course, a year later. Justin Schmidt, 43, was the top master in the field, finishing 5th in 1:23:43 (6:23/mi), with Bo Brawner rounding out the top six in 1:24:38. Back in the field, Kristofer Driggers also improved on his own 2023 mark, going from 1:37:23 to 1:35:37 for 18th.