Masters Women at Rocket City: Weems Dominates in the Heat

• Ami Weems won the Masters Women race in 1:36:50 (7:23/mi), finishing 4th among all women — more than six minutes clear of the field.
• Kathleen Johnston, age 64, claimed 6th in 1:50:37 — one of the most impressive performances in the field given her age range.
• Places 8 and 9 — Amber Cheeves (1:51:33) and Anne Harbarger (1:51:33) — finished in the same clock time, with timing deciding the order.
• Places 10 and 11 — Tina Tucker (1:52:06) and Kathy Beales (1:52:07) — were separated by a single second.

Racing in 70°F humidity with a 17 mph wind, the Masters Women field of 99 delivered a commanding performance at the top. Ami Weems of Birmingham set the tone from the gun, holding 4th among all women through both the opening 10K and the back half, never wavering. Her 7:23/mi average tells the story plainly — she was in a different gear. On the 10K-to-finish stretch, she posted the 5th-fastest women's split in the entire field, meaning she wasn't just managing a lead, she was still racing hard to the line.

Behind Weems, Kathryn Dahir of Nashville ran a composed 1:42:58 (7:51/mi) for 2nd, holding 9th among all women wire to wire and posting the 9th-fastest women's closing split. Lynsey Tibbs of Birmingham took 3rd in 1:45:36, actually gaining one spot among all women on the back half — moving from 11th to 10th — with the 12th-fastest women's closing split. Colleen Cross, who traveled from Seattle, finished 4th in 1:46:16 and likewise moved up a spot among all women on that same stretch, posting the 11th-fastest women's closing split to edge ahead of Tibbs in the standings.

The race's tightest drama unfolded in the middle of the pack. Cheeves and Harbarger crossed in the same displayed time of 1:51:33, with timing resolving 8th and 9th respectively — a gap measured in fractions. One minute later, Tucker (1:52:06) and Beales (1:52:07) staged their own photo-finish battle for 10th and 11th. Meanwhile, Kathleen Johnston's 6th-place finish at age 64 — running 1:50:37 in oppressive conditions — stands as one of the quiet highlights of the entire Masters Women race.