Rocket City 5K: Libby Runs Away from the M55-59 Field in the Cold

• Eric Libby wins in 25:25 (8:11/mi), finishing more than two minutes clear of the field on a brutal 29°F morning in Huntsville.
• Larken Reese claims 2nd in 27:27 (8:50/mi), a full 2:02 behind Libby but a solid 1:57 ahead of 3rd.
• Lenny Chartier rounds out the podium in 29:24 (9:28/mi), with Todd Shaklee (4th, 30:53) and Daniel Allen (5th, 31:04) making it a tight race for 4th and 5th.
• 21 men finished in the M55-59 group, with times ranging from 25:25 to beyond 46:41.

With temperatures locked at 29°F and a 16 mph wind cutting across Huntsville, the M55-59 group toed the line in genuinely tough conditions — and Eric Libby, 59 years old and racing in his own backyard out of Madison, AL, treated it like a training run. His 25:25 at 8:11/mi was a statement performance, putting two full minutes between himself and everyone else before the finish line came into view. That kind of margin doesn't happen by accident in a 5K.

Larken Reese (Stockbridge, GA) made the trip worthwhile with a strong 2nd-place effort in 27:27, running 8:50/mi to hold off Lenny Chartier (Kingsport, TN) by nearly two minutes. Chartier's 29:24 at 9:28/mi was good enough for 3rd, and the gap he held over 4th was comfortable — Todd Shaklee (Arvada, CO) crossed in 30:53 at 9:56/mi.

The race for 5th through 8th was where things got genuinely interesting. Daniel Allen (Hermitage, TN) and Wayne Davis (Canton, GA) both finished in 31:04, with Allen edging Davis by the finest of margins for 5th place. George Dove (Owens Cross Roads, AL) was right behind in 7th at 31:14, and Forrest Bridges (Jefferson, GA) rounded out the top eight in 31:45 — four men separated by just 41 seconds across those spots.

From Matthew Weiss (9th, 34:36) through David Kirby (20th, 46:41), the back half of the M55-59 field spread out across the course, with each finisher earning their result on a cold December morning that demanded something extra from everyone who showed up.