Rocket City 5K: Brunick dominates M45-49 with a sub-23 effort

• Daniel Brunick won M45-49 in 22:42 (7:18/mi), more than a minute clear of the field.
• Jon Teisher (23:43) and Michael Holder (24:02) claimed 2nd and 3rd, separated by just 19 seconds.
• Brandon Chockley finished 4th in 24:24 — the four podium finishers all broke 24:30.
• 18 men completed the M45-49 race across a spread of more than 26 minutes from first to last.

Daniel Brunick made the M45-49 race look straightforward from the start. The Meridianville, AL native crossed in 22:42 at a 7:18/mi clip — a full minute and one second ahead of the second-place finisher. In a 5K, that kind of gap is decisive, not lucky.

Behind him, Jon Teisher made the trip from Old Colorado City, CO count, running 23:43 to hold off Michael Holder of Montgomery by 19 seconds. Chockley (Beaverton, OR) rounded out a tight top four at 24:24, meaning the four podium-plus contenders were all within a 1:42 window. Jeff Warren in 5th (26:07) was the last man under 27 minutes, leaving a clear separation between the front pack and the rest of the field.

The back half of the 18-man group spread out considerably. Jason Deem, racing on his home turf in Huntsville, checked in 9th at 29:03, while Jack Volpi (34:06) and Kerry Bentley (35:35) anchored the middle tier. Nathan Wallace closed out the M45-49 group in 49:01 — nearly double Brunick's winning time — a reminder of just how wide a range of paces can share the same starting line on a cool December morning in Huntsville.