Boys 14-and-Under 10K: Beene edges Ingram in a tight finish

• Jackson Beene won the M0-14 age group in 1:03:53 (10:17/mi), edging runner-up Hunter Ingram by just 15 seconds.
• All three finishers are 13 years old, making this one of the most age-matched groups on the course.
• Charlie Clark rounded out the podium in 1:14:32, finishing nearly 10:40 behind the top two.

Three 13-year-olds from the Huntsville area showed up to the Rocket City Marathon 10K on a mild December morning — 59°F, overcast, with a light breeze — and put on a genuinely competitive race at the front. Jackson Beene of Gurley crossed the line in 1:03:53, running 10:17 per mile, but Hunter Ingram of Madison was right on his heels the whole way, finishing in 1:04:08 at a 10:19/mi clip. Fifteen seconds separated them after 6.2 miles — a margin that tells you this one was contested the entire way.

Ingram's pace was nearly identical to Beene's, and the gap never ballooned into something comfortable for either of them. Beene held on for the win, but Ingram gave him no room to breathe. Their fellow Gurley native Charlie Clark ran a solid 1:14:32 to claim third, finishing about ten and a half minutes back — a gap that reflects a different race experience altogether, but a completed 10K at 13 years old is worth noting on its own terms.

In a group of just three, every place mattered, and the top two made sure it was earned. Beene takes the age group title, Ingram the silver, and Clark the bronze — three young runners from North Alabama wrapping up 2024 with a December road race.