Rocket City 5K — F45-49: Martin Defends in the Huntsville Cold

• Kerriann Martin (age 49, Opelika, AL) wins the F45-49 age group in 25:06 (8:05/mi) — eight seconds slower than her 8th-place women's finish here in 2024 (24:58), but this time she takes the top step.
• Tight podium chase: 2nd through 4th — Hannah Gross (26:38), Summer Pedersen (26:46), and Amy Cosgrove (26:49) — were separated by just 11 seconds across three places.
• Biggest gap of the day: Tammy Reynolds in 5th (29:10) ran over two minutes back from Cosgrove in 4th, marking the clearest break in the field.
• 29 finishers braved 29°F and a 16 mph wind in the F45-49 age group, with Christie Rothwell rounding out the top 10 in 33:14 (10:42/mi).

Kerriann Martin came back to Huntsville knowing exactly what this course asks. A year ago she crossed the line in 24:58 and placed 8th among all women. On Saturday, with temperatures at freezing and a stiff wind cutting across the course, she ran 25:06 — just eight seconds off that mark — and this time it was good enough to win her age group outright. At 49 and averaging 8:05 per mile in those conditions, that's a result worth noting.

Behind her, the race for the podium was genuinely gripping. Hannah Gross (2nd, 26:38), Summer Pedersen (3rd, 26:46), and Amy Cosgrove (4th, 26:49) ran within 11 seconds of each other over 3.1 miles in the cold — a real three-way battle that wasn't settled until late. Pedersen edged Cosgrove by just three seconds for the final podium spot, while Gross held off both with a 8:34/mi effort that was clearly the stronger run of the trio.

Tammy Reynolds in 5th (29:10, 9:23/mi) finished more than two minutes behind Cosgrove, and Trina Bainum (6th, 29:57) and Laura Pieper (7th, 30:09) followed in close order just under and just over the 30-minute mark. The back half of the top 10 stretched out further, with Christie Rothwell closing it in 33:14. All 29 finishers who toed the line in those frigid conditions earned their result today.