Rocket City 5K — F70-74: Tibbetts Dominates in the December Cold

• Jane Tibbetts won the F70-74 group in 38:01 (12:14/mi), finishing more than nine minutes clear of the field.
• Reita Los claimed 2nd in 47:20 (15:14/mi), holding off Mercy Lomax (3rd, 51:49) by over four minutes.
• Vickie Valentine (4th, 52:56) and Mercy Lomax (3rd, 51:49) were separated by just 67 seconds — the tightest gap of the day in this group.
• All five women finished a 5K in 29°F with 16 mph winds — no small feat at any age, let alone in the 70-74 bracket.

Five women toed the line in the F70-74 age group on a frigid Huntsville morning — 29°F, clear skies, and a biting 16 mph wind — and Jane Tibbetts of Palm Coast, FL made it look like a different race entirely. Her 38:01 finish at a 12:14/mi pace put more than nine minutes between her and the rest of the field, a margin that speaks for itself.

Behind Tibbetts, Reita Los of Raeford, NC ran a composed 47:20 (15:14/mi) to claim 2nd place, crossing well clear of the local contingent. Huntsville's own Mercy Lomax finished 3rd in 51:49 (16:41/mi), with Vickie Valentine of Mason, OH close behind in 4th at 52:56 (17:02/mi) — a gap of just 67 seconds between them after more than 50 minutes of racing in the cold.

Edwina Musante of Eva, AL rounded out the group in 5th, finishing in 57:51 at an 18:37/mi pace. With the wind chill and frozen temperatures, every finisher here earned their result the hard way. Tibbetts was simply in a class of her own on the day.