M35-39: Kigen Runs Away from a Frozen Huntsville Field

• Erick Kigen wins in 2:33:36 (5:52/mi), moving from 8th to 3rd among men overall and pulling clear of a competitive M35-39 field of 121.
• Jhason Smith finishes 2nd in 2:37:10 — 3:34 back — after fading from a fast start; David Plotkin claims 3rd in 2:39:18 with one of the strongest second halves in the group.
• Clay Murfet makes the day's most dramatic charge: from 52nd among men at the opening split all the way to 27th by the finish, posting the 21st-fastest 20M-to-finish split in the field.
• Six men finish within 80 seconds of each other between 6th and 10th place (2:49:53 to 2:52:34), making the mid-pack battle one of the tightest stretches of the morning.

With the mercury sitting at 29°F and a 16 mph wind cutting through Huntsville, Rocket City handed out a proper winter test on December 14th — and Erick Kigen answered it decisively. The 37-year-old local ran 5:52/mi from start to finish, moving steadily through the men's field from 8th at the opening checkpoint to 3rd overall by the gun. His Half-to-20M segment was particularly sharp — the 4th-fastest split among the men on that stretch — and it was there the race effectively ended for anyone chasing him.

Jhason Smith had the look of a winner early, sitting 4th among men through the half, but the back end of the course told a different story. He faded to 8th among men overall and crossed in 2:37:10 — still a fine 5:60/mi effort, good for 2nd in M35-39. David Plotkin ran the opposite race: 15th among men at the half, he steadily reeled in competitors to finish 9th overall among men in 2:39:18, posting the 10th-fastest second-half split in the field. His 6:05/mi average reflects a patient, well-executed build.

Behind the podium, Chris Nasser (4th, 2:47:28) and Clay Murfet (5th, 2:49:03) represented two very different approaches. Nasser ran a controlled, consistent race, holding roughly the same position throughout. Murfet, starting conservatively near the back, was the group's most relentless mover — his 21st-fastest 20M-to-finish split in the field turned a middling day into a top-five finish. Between 6th and 10th, Michael Crouch (2:49:53), Matt Hudson (2:50:09), Christian Schrandt (2:50:50), Nathaniel Pierce (2:51:00), and Connor Blair (2:52:34) were separated by just 2:41 — a genuine pack race playing out in the cold.