Rocket City Marathon Back Half — F70-74: Booms leads wire to wire

• Liz Booms won the F70-74 group in 2:54:17 (13:18/mi), finishing more than 16 minutes clear of second place.
• Elizabeth Moore held her position steadily through the second half, crossing in 3:10:27 to claim second.
• Jackie Hobbs, 72, actually gained ground in the women's field over the final stretch (381st among women at 10K, 375th at the finish), taking third in 3:21:50.
• Kathy Bethke also moved up in the women's field late, finishing fourth in 3:36:50 — a gap of just over 15 minutes back of Hobbs.

Four women from four different corners of the country — Michigan, Florida, Washington, and North Carolina — gathered in Huntsville on a muggy December morning (56°F, 98% humidity, with an 8 mph wind that offered little real relief) to run the Back Half Marathon. In the F70-74 group, Liz Booms of Ubly, MI set the tone early and never let go, averaging 13:18 per mile to win by a commanding margin.

Booms' lead over Elizabeth Moore of Panama City, FL stretched to 16 minutes and 10 seconds at the line — a decisive victory in a small but competitive age group. Moore was the picture of consistency, holding exactly the same position in the women's field from the 10K checkpoint to the finish, crossing in 3:10:27 at 14:32/mi.

Behind Moore, the race's most interesting late movement belonged to Jackie Hobbs of Seattle. At 72 the oldest finisher in the group, Hobbs picked off runners in the closing miles, moving up six spots in the women's field between the 10K mark and the finish to take third in 3:21:50. Kathy Bethke of Cary, NC similarly edged forward in the women's field over that same stretch, rounding out the group in 3:36:50. Four starters, four finishers — a clean sweep in tough conditions.