Rocket City Half Marathon M35-39: Heiser Dominates in the Cold

• Andrew Heiser (1st, 1:18:11, 5:58/mi) won the M35-39 age group by a commanding 13 minutes and 51 seconds over runner-up Jason Devore.
• Jason Devore (2nd, 1:32:02) and Daichi Hagita (3rd, 1:35:29) were separated by 3:27, with Dalton Walsh (4th, 1:36:38) and Brandt Frye (5th, 1:36:47) finishing just 9 seconds apart in a tight battle for fourth.
• Geoffrey Heidelberger (10th, 1:50:17) and Francisco Silos (11th, 1:50:19) crossed just two seconds apart — the places decided by a sliver of a margin.
• Brandt Frye faded on the back half, dropping six spots among the men from 6.8M to the finish while running the 70th-fastest split on that segment — giving Walsh the clear edge in their duel for 4th.

Andrew Heiser made the 29°F Huntsville morning look comfortable. The 35-year-old from Nashville ran 5:58 per mile across 13.1 miles to claim the M35-39 title, and his performance resonated well beyond the age group — he moved through the men's field with authority, posting the 11th-fastest split among the men on the second half of the course. His winning margin of nearly 14 minutes over Devore was not a close race at the top; it was a statement.

Behind him, Jason Devore (2nd, 1:32:02, 7:01/mi) and Daichi Hagita (3rd, 1:35:29, 7:17/mi) ran their own solid races to lock up the podium. The real drama unfolded one step below: Dalton Walsh (4th, 1:36:38, 7:22/mi) and Brandt Frye (5th, 1:36:47, 7:23/mi) were virtually inseparable on the clock, but the story of how they got there differed. Frye faded over the final 6.8 miles, sliding back six places in the men's field on that stretch. Walsh held steadier, and those gained seconds were enough to take fourth.

Further back, the battle for 10th produced one of the day's tightest finishes: Geoffrey Heidelberger of Huntsville (10th, 1:50:17) edged Francisco Silos of San Luis Potosí (11th, 1:50:19) by just two seconds. In all, 76 men finished in the M35-39 age group on a sharp, clear, and windy December morning — the kind of conditions that reward those who came prepared.