Rocket City Marathon 5K — M60-64: Tamez Dominates in Tough Conditions

• Gerard Tamez won the M60-64 group in 20:53 — a 6:43/mi pace that put nearly 15½ minutes between him and 2nd place.
• Harvey Enns (36:21) edged Troy Hammond (39:03) for 2nd, with a gap of 2 minutes and 42 seconds separating them.
• Alan Johnston completed the four-man field in 55:18, running a 17:48/mi pace across the 3.1 miles.

With 70°F heat, 76% humidity, and a 17 mph wind rolling through Huntsville on December 9th, the M60-64 group faced conditions that felt more like late summer than early winter — and the times reflect it. Four men toed the line; four men finished, which is the whole story right there.

Gerard Tamez of New Market, AL made this one look almost unfair. His 6:43/mi pace at age 62 was in a different race entirely from the rest of the field. The 15-minute-28-second margin over Harvey Enns isn't a gap — it's a statement. By the time Tamez was crossing the finish line, Enns still had roughly a mile and a half to run.

The real contest for the podium played out between Enns (age 63, Dayton, OH) and Troy Hammond (age 60, Madison, AL). Enns held 2nd with an 11:42/mi pace, while Hammond ran 12:34/mi — close enough that the 2:42 final margin kept it interesting through the back half of the course. Hammond, the youngest of the four at 60, couldn't quite reel in the Ohioan.

Alan Johnston, running his hometown race in Huntsville, brought it home in 55:18 — a 17:48/mi pace that suggests a tough afternoon in those warm, windy conditions. He finished the field out, and finishing is the only requirement that matters.