Rocket City 5K — F55-59: Lisa Ray Runs Away With It in the Cold

• Lisa Ray, 55, wins in 26:45 (8:37/mi) — more than two minutes clear of the field in a 30-woman F55-59 group.
• Tight podium chase: Vicki Curran (2nd, 28:49) and Cathy Mickelsen (3rd, 29:14) were separated by just 25 seconds, with Leah Gallant (4th, 29:42) another 28 seconds back.
• Lisa Hughey rounds out the top five in 31:39 (10:11/mi), opening a nearly two-minute gap to 6th place Tracy Cross (33:20).
• 29°F and 16 mph winds made for a bracing race-day in Huntsville — conditions that put every second earned in sharper relief.

With 29°F temperatures and a stiff wind cutting across Huntsville, the F55-59 field of 30 women toed the line for one of the colder editions of the Rocket City 5K. Lisa Ray, 55, from Brownsburg, Indiana, wasted no time making her mark. Her 26:45 finish at an 8:37/mi clip wasn't just a win — it was a statement, putting more than two full minutes between herself and the rest of the field.

Behind Ray, the real drama played out in the battle for the podium. Vicki Curran of Melbourne, Florida ran 28:49 (9:17/mi) to claim second, while Cathy Mickelsen of Robertsdale, Alabama pushed hard to hold third in 29:14 (9:25/mi) — a gap of just 25 seconds between them. Leah Gallant of Signal Mountain, Tennessee was right there too, finishing fourth in 29:42 at 9:34/mi, meaning the 2nd-through-4th spots were settled within 53 seconds of each other. That's a genuine three-way fight for the podium in frigid conditions.

Lisa Hughey, 59, from Dalton, Georgia, wrapped up the top five in 31:39 — a notably strong effort from the oldest member of that group — before the field spread out further through the 30s and 40s. Tracy Cross (6th, 33:20), Lynda Schnedl (7th, 33:58), and Nicole Arbour (8th, 34:24) kept it competitive in the middle of the pack, while Stacy Cantrell of Huntsville ran her home course to a 10th-place finish in 36:11. In all, 20 named finishers and 10 more beyond them braved the cold — every one of them earning their finish on a day that demanded it.