Rocket City 5K: Carota Owns the M35-39 Field

• Peter Carota (Philadelphia, PA) won the M35-39 group in 25:13 — a 8:07/mi pace that put 1:34 of clear air between him and runner-up Michael Carroll.
• Carroll (26:47) and Brandon Posey (28:04) rounded out the podium, with Posey another 1:17 back — a tidy, well-spaced top three.
• The middle of the field compressed tightly: Ryan Sottolano (37:50), Gene Desanti (37:52), and Will Nevin (37:52) finished within two seconds of each other across positions 6th through 8th.
• Ten men finished in the M35-39 group, spanning a range from Carota's 25:13 to Ted Zagel's 1:02:11.

Peter Carota made the trip from Philadelphia count. Running 8:07 per mile on a warm, breezy December morning — 70°F with 17 mph winds and humidity pushing 76% — he crossed first in the M35-39 group by a margin that was never really in doubt. Huntsville's Michael Carroll gave chase at 8:37/mi but couldn't close the gap, finishing a solid second in 26:47.

Brandon Posey (Smyrna, GA) claimed third in 28:04, holding off David Meyer (Concord, IL), who came home fourth in 29:09. After that, a significant gap opened before Christopher Allison (Madison, AL) crossed in 35:14 in fifth — more than six minutes behind Posey — suggesting the race effectively split into two distinct clusters once the top four pulled away.

The most dramatic moment of the day may have come at the back of that second cluster. Sottolano, Desanti, and Nevin — all Huntsville locals — finished 6th, 7th, and 8th in a span of just two seconds: 37:50, 37:52, and 37:52. The places are distinct, meaning Desanti edged Nevin by the slimmest of margins despite the identical displayed times. Caleb Farrier rounded out the field in 9th before Ted Zagel closed things out in 10th, finishing in just over an hour on a tough weather day.