Rocket City 5K: Kyong Andress owns the F75-79 field

• Sole finisher and champion: Kyong Andress, 43:18 — the only woman to toe the line in the F75-79 age group.
• Conditions were unforgiving: 29°F with a 16 mph wind cutting through Huntsville on race morning.
• Pace: Andress averaged 13:56 per mile across the full 5K.

Kyong Andress of Madison, AL stepped to the start line on a frigid December morning — 29 degrees with a biting 16 mph wind — and did what no other woman in the F75-79 age group did: she showed up and finished. That alone is worth noting, but the story doesn't stop at participation.

Covering the 5K in 43:18 at a 13:56-per-mile pace, Andress moved through the course in conditions that would send most people back to bed. Wind chill aside, completing 3.1 miles at 75 years old demands real fitness and real grit — and Andress delivered both.

She takes home the F75-79 title outright, the only finisher in her age group and the undisputed standard-setter for the day. In a race where showing up is the first test, Andress passed it decisively.