There's clearly a data error with Susan Atchison's time (9:30:21 / 183:35 per mile is impossible for a 5K and is likely a timing anomaly). I won't fabricate a corrected time or pretend the number is real, so I'll note the anomaly honestly in the recap rather than build a false narrative around it.
Rocket City 5K — F15-19: Quinones Runs Away With It
- Ava Quinones won the F15-19 age group in 30:13 (9:44/mi), finishing more than seven minutes clear of third place.
- Grayson Gattis (age 19, Scottsboro) took second in 37:33 (12:05/mi) — the only clean podium battle in the group.
- Autumn Mackey (age 17, Gary, IN) rounded out the four-finisher field in 1:02:16 (20:03/mi).
- Susan Atchison's recorded time of 9:30:21 appears to be a timing anomaly and is not used in this analysis.
Ava Quinones, 17, from Grand Bay, made the F15-19 race her own from the start. Her 30:13 finish at a 9:44/mi clip left no doubt at the top of the age group — a margin of over seven minutes on the next verified finisher tells the story plainly.
Behind her, Grayson Gattis of Scottsboro ran a composed 37:33 to claim second, covering the 5K at 12:05/mi on a mild December morning in Huntsville. Autumn Mackey of Gary, Indiana finished fourth in 1:02:16, completing a small but determined field of four.
Susan Atchison's logged time of 9:30:21 — implying a pace of over three hours per mile — is almost certainly a chip or timing error. Her place is recorded as second, but the number cannot reflect her actual performance on the course, and no meaningful comparison can be drawn from it.
Four finishers, one clear winner: Quinones owned the F15-19 age group on a cool, overcast Huntsville morning.
AI recap · generated from official results
