Rocket City 5K: Bradley dominates M70-74 in bitter cold

• Brian Bradley (1st, 25:46) ran an 8:18/mi pace to finish more than seven and a half minutes clear of the field — the dominant performance of the M70-74 group.
• Terry Abbott (2nd, 33:18) and Victor Taylor (3rd, 34:14) battled for the podium, separated by just 56 seconds at the line.
• Edward Musante (4th, 41:03) and William Benyo (5th, 41:48) ran nearly in lockstep, finishing 45 seconds apart after a tight race within the middle of the field.
• Eight men from across Alabama and beyond — Huntsville to Cleveland, TN to Raeford, NC — toed the line at 29°F with a 16 mph wind cutting through downtown Huntsville.

Brian Bradley made this one look straightforward from the start. The 72-year-old Huntsville local crossed in 25:46 at an 8:18/mi clip — a full 7:32 ahead of second place. In a field of eight men aged 70–74 racing in genuinely harsh conditions, that kind of margin isn't a victory so much as a statement. On a morning when the wind chill made every step harder, Bradley simply ran away from the competition.

Behind him, Terry Abbott (33:18, 10:43/mi) and Victor Taylor (34:14, 11:01/mi) put together a proper battle for the silver and bronze. Abbott, representing Harvest, AL, held off Taylor of Woodville by 56 seconds — a meaningful gap earned over just 3.1 miles in the cold. Both men ran at a notably different pace than Bradley, but their duel was the most compelling sub-plot of the morning.

The middle of the pack produced its own close contest. Edward Musante (4th, 41:03) and William Benyo (5th, 41:48) were separated by only 45 seconds, running at 13:13 and 13:27 per mile respectively. Allan Elliott (6th, 43:43) and William Riley (7th, 45:17) followed, with Jim Los of Raeford, NC rounding out the group in 8th at 47:20. All eight men deserve credit for showing up and competing at 29 degrees — finishing is its own achievement on a day like this.