Rocket City 5K: Guthery Wins M50-54 in the Cold

• Daniel Guthery (age 54, Cullman) took the M50-54 title in 20:58 at a 6:45/mi clip — the sharpest pace in the age group by a clear margin.
• Chip Thigpen (age 52, Owens Cross Roads) pushed hard all the way to 21:10, just 12 seconds back — the closest gap on the entire results sheet.
• A 2:57 gap separates 3rd-place Vicente Rivera (24:07) from the top two, making the podium a tale of two races within one race.
• Brandon Keller and Sean Davis both clocked 31:24 — different places (10th and 11th) decided by the finest of margins at the line.

Twenty-three men in the M50-54 age group toed the line on a sharp December morning in Huntsville — 29°F, a 16 mph wind cutting across the course, and not a cloud in the sky to offer any mercy. In those conditions, Daniel Guthery (54, Cullman) was simply in a different gear. His 20:58 finish at 6:45/mi wasn't just a win — it was a statement, nearly a full minute clear of the field's second-fastest man.

Chip Thigpen (52, Owens Cross Roads) made it a genuine contest at the front, crossing in 21:10 and averaging 6:49/mi. Twelve seconds is a tight margin over 3.1 miles in bitter cold, and Thigpen earned every second of that runner-up spot. Vicente Rivera (53, Madison) rounded out the podium in 24:07 — a 7:46/mi effort that secured 3rd but illustrated just how dominant the top two were on the day.

From 4th onward, the field spread out steadily. Andrew Benicasa (52, Columbus, GA) finished 4th in 27:04, with Kevin Sykes (53, Huntsville) just behind in 28:00. Eric Reynolds (50, Tooele, UT) and Darius Gamble (50, Gardendale) ran together through much of the back half, finishing 6th and 7th in 29:10 and 29:28 respectively. Further back, the 10th/11th-place battle between Brandon Keller and Sean Davis — both clocking 31:24 out of McDonough, GA — came down to a photo finish, with Keller edging Davis by the thinnest of margins the clock could detect. Eddie Burkhalter (51, Piedmont) closed out the listed finishers in 40:31, with three more M50-54 runners completing the field behind him.