Rocket City 10K: Ella Spangenberg leads an all-teen F0-14 sweep

• Ella Spangenberg took 1st in F0-14 in 49:58 at an 8:02/mi pace — the fastest of the three finishers by more than two minutes.
• Erica Sandlin claimed 2nd in 52:17 (8:25/mi), finishing just 2:19 behind Spangenberg.
• Roxie Ogle, the youngest in the group at 11, completed the course in 1:39:02 — a 15:56/mi pace — to take 3rd.
• Three finishers, three different hometowns: Franklin, TN; Huntsville, AL; and Gatlinburg, TN.

Ella Spangenberg, 14, from Franklin, Tennessee, claimed the top spot in F0-14 with a 49:58 finish — a steady 8:02 per mile on a mild December morning in Huntsville. With overcast skies and a light 9 mph breeze, conditions were about as cooperative as a December race day gets, and Spangenberg made the most of it.

Erica Sandlin, running on home turf in Huntsville, pushed hard for 2nd, crossing in 52:17. The 2:19 gap between her and Spangenberg represents a meaningful but not insurmountable margin — roughly a quarter mile at their respective paces — making this a competitive finish between the top two.

Roxie Ogle, just 11 years old and traveling from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, rounded out the group in 1:39:02. Her 15:56/mi pace tells a different story than the front two — this was a completion effort rather than a race for position — but finishing a 10K at age 11 is its own achievement. All three finishers were 14 or younger, making this one of the younger age groups on the course.