F20-24 5K: Julia Day Doubles Up in Huntsville

• Julia Day won the F20-24 group in 9:21:15 — more than eight minutes clear of 2nd place — and had already claimed 1st among women in the 10K at this same event, making her one of the standout stories of the weekend.
• Nicolette Patrick and Riley Holmer were separated by just 61 seconds for 2nd and 3rd, with Holmer closing to within a minute of Patrick's 9:29:19.
• Cassidy Camp and Brookelynn Leduc crossed in an identical time of 9:46:01 — but the timing edge went to Camp, who took 5th with Leduc right behind in 6th.
• Courtney Wrinn and Ana Cordell staged a nearly identical finish at the back of the field, separated by just 12 seconds for 8th and 9th.

Julia Day didn't just win the F20-24 group — she dominated it. The 20-year-old from Edgewood, Kentucky, posted a 9:21:15 at a pace of 180:39 per mile, finishing over eight minutes ahead of anyone else in the age group. That margin alone would be a headline, but Day had already won the women's 10K at this same event, making her double one of the most impressive individual performances of the day in Huntsville. Racing twice and topping the women's field in both efforts is a genuine feat.

Behind Day, the race for the podium was a proper contest. Nicolette Patrick of Birmingham held 2nd in 9:29:19, with Riley Holmer of Madison, Alabama, pressing her all the way to a 9:30:20 finish — just over a minute back. Alyson Riggs rounded out the top four in 9:35:10, keeping the gap to the podium within reach but never quite closing it on a warm, humid December morning in Huntsville.

The middle of the pack delivered its own drama. Camp and Leduc hit the clock at the exact same displayed time of 9:46:01, but the timing system had Camp edging Leduc by the narrowest of margins for 5th. Allie Grace Moran was just 44 seconds further back in 7th. Then Wrinn and Cordell — both from the same stretch of the field — finished 8th and 9th within 12 seconds of each other, closing out a competitive nine-woman group from top to bottom.