M75-79: Edward Soule Owns Huntsville

• Sole finisher and champion: Edward Soule, 75, completed the 5K in 57:34 — good for 1st in the M75-79 age group.
• Pace: 18:32 per mile across the full course.
• Conditions: Soule navigated 70°F heat paired with 17 mph winds and 76% humidity — a legitimately demanding morning.

Edward Soule showed up, and that was enough — and then some. The Owens Cross Roads, Alabama native was the only competitor to toe the line in the M75-79 age group at the 2023 Rocket City Marathon 5K, and he made it count, crossing the finish in 57:34.

At 18:32 per mile, Soule worked through conditions that weren't doing anyone any favors: a warm December morning with gusty 17 mph winds and thick humidity pushing 76%. For a 75-year-old logging more than three miles in that weather, finishing is the statement.

The M75-79 age group may have had just one entrant on this day, but the result belongs entirely to Soule. He entered, he ran, he finished. In a sport where showing up at 75 is itself a form of excellence, that's worth putting on the record.