Rocket City 5K — F25-29: Dellert edges Redmond in a tight finish

• Eliza Dellert won the F25-29 age group in 28:59 (9:20/mi), holding off Molly Redmond by just 9 seconds.
• Kelsi Long rounded out the podium in 30:31, a full 1:23 back of Redmond but clear of the rest of the field.
• A sharp gap separated the top three from the pack: 4th-place Kelly Hussey (33:19) trailed Long by nearly 2:48.
• 4th and 5th were separated by only 3 seconds — Hussey (33:19) just ahead of Laura Minton Garton (33:22).

Sixteen women lined up for the F25-29 5K in Huntsville on a muggy December morning — 70°F, 76% humidity, and a 17 mph wind that made the effort feel anything but seasonal. At the front, Eliza Dellert of Cullman controlled the race, crossing in 28:59 at a 9:20/mi clip. Molly Redmond of Irondale pushed her all the way, finishing just 9 seconds behind in 29:08 — close enough to keep it interesting, but Dellert never let go of the lead.

Kelsi Long of Huntsville secured 3rd in 30:31, running a solid 9:49/mi to finish comfortably clear of the chasing pack. After Long, the race broke into a second cluster: Kelly Hussey (Dothan) and Laura Minton Garton (Rainbow City) were nearly inseparable, separated by just 3 seconds across 3.1 miles — Hussey 4th in 33:19, Garton 5th in 33:22. Sara Hammond and Bethany Nichols, both Huntsville locals, followed in 6th and 7th.

Further back, a group of six runners — from Maranda Wright (44:40) through Sarah Moses (44:41) to Taylor Walding and Sarah Herrell — ran in a tight cluster around the 44–45 minute range, with just 28 seconds separating those four finishers. Kaitlyn Huaroto of Coral Springs, Florida, was the final finisher in 58:04, completing the 16-woman field. On a warm, windy day that had no business feeling like December, Dellert's wire-to-wire win was the story.