Rocket City 5K — F65-69: Elliott Dominates in the Cold

• Kathy Elliott, 69, wins in 35:19 at an 11:22/mi pace — nearly three minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Julie Zingarelli takes 2nd in 38:02, a comfortable gap ahead of 3rd-place Andrea Cochran (43:54).
• Andrea Cochran and Vicki Sue Merry ran the tightest battle of the day, separated by just 47 seconds at 3rd and 4th (43:54 vs. 44:41).
• Barbara Leiser and Jamie Sizemore finished 7th and 8th just 18 seconds apart — 52:37 and 52:55 — while Tammy Landry and Ann Marie Bond closed out 11th and 12th within 21 seconds of each other (58:21 and 58:42).

Twelve women toed the line in Huntsville on a sharp December morning — 29°F, a 16 mph wind cutting across the course — and Kathy Elliott, the oldest in the F65-69 field at 69, made it look like she didn't feel a degree of it. Her winning 35:19 at 11:22/mi was a statement run, putting 2:43 between herself and every other finisher before the rest of the field had barely settled in.

Julie Zingarelli, racing in her home city of Huntsville, claimed 2nd in 38:02 — a solid 12:15/mi pace that left her well clear of the battle unfolding behind her. That battle belonged to Andrea Cochran and Vicki Sue Merry, both 68, who ran the most competitive duel of the afternoon. Cochran held 3rd in 43:54, with Merry just 47 seconds back in 44:41 — tight enough to keep both women honest all the way to the finish.

Marsha Kennedy (5th, 47:48) and Lee Collins (6th, 49:28) each navigated the frigid conditions to finish inside 50 minutes, while Barbara Leiser and Jamie Sizemore waged their own quiet contest for 7th and 8th, separated by a mere 18 seconds. At the back of the field, Rose Hall (9th, 54:02), Cindy Moeller (10th, 56:25), Tammy Landry (11th, 58:21), and Ann Marie Bond (12th, 58:42) all crossed the line — no small feat in a wind chill that had no business being ignored.