Rocket City Marathon Back Half — F65-69: Monica Fox Runs Away With It

• Monica Fox won the F65-69 age group in 2:07:12 (9:42/mi), finishing more than 15 minutes clear of runner-up Kim McCandless.
• Fox was the strongest closer in the group, posting the 90th-fastest women's split on the 10K-to-Finish stretch — moving from 88th to 82nd among all women in the second half.
• Terri Carter was the only finisher to slip back in the women's field over the closing stretch, dropping from 188th to 207th among women on the run home.
• The F65-69 field spanned a remarkable 1:56:41 from first to last — Fox's 9:42/mi pace versus Rosalie Toren's 18:36/mi tells the full story of this group's range.

Monica Fox made this one look decisive. Running at a 9:42/mi clip through warm, windy conditions — 70°F, 17 mph wind, and 76% humidity — the Mount Pleasant, Michigan runner built a lead that only grew as the miles ticked by. Her 90th-fastest women's closing split in the field confirmed she wasn't just surviving the back half; she was genuinely racing it, climbing six spots among all women from the 10K mark to the finish line.

Behind her, Kim McCandless of Madison, Alabama held second comfortably at 2:22:47 (10:54/mi), while the battle for the final podium spot played out between Sarah Green and Terri Carter. Green crossed third in 2:34:34, with Carter just 1:41 back in fourth at 2:36:15 — but Carter's closing split told a different story. While Green held steady at 201st among women through the finish, Carter faded from 188th to 207th in the women's field over that same stretch, suggesting the warm and breezy conditions took a real toll late in her race.

Barb Hoffman rounded out the top five in 2:45:48, while Jean Lowrey and Rosalie Toren brought it home at their own pace — Toren completing the course in 4:03:53 to close out a seven-woman F65-69 group that showed just how wide the spectrum of competition can be on a challenging December afternoon in Huntsville.