Rocket City 10K: Don Hillis Dominates the M65-69 Field

• Don Hillis won the M65-69 group in 53:01 — an 8:32/mi pace that put him nearly 3:39 clear of second place.
• John Turner claimed second in 56:40 (9:07/mi), holding a comfortable margin over third.
• Mark Johnson finished third in 1:04:33, more than 7:50 behind Turner but well clear of fourth.
• The spread from 1st to 4th across the four M65-69 finishers spanned 18:26 — a wide range of effort on a mild December morning.

Four men lined up in the M65-69 group on a 59°F overcast morning in Huntsville, and Don Hillis, 68, made quick work of the field. His 53:01 finish at 8:32 per mile wasn't just a win — it was a statement. Nearly three and a half minutes separated him from the next finisher, a gap that speaks to how thoroughly he controlled the race from the front.

John Turner, 67, out of Canton, Georgia, took second in 56:40. Running 9:07 per mile, Turner held a solid and comfortable cushion over the rest of the group. His margin over third place — more than seven and a half minutes — suggests this was a race where he ran his own race without much pressure from behind.

Mark Johnson, 67, the hometown finisher from Huntsville, crossed in 1:04:33 to claim third, while Richard Richardson, 68, of Owens Cross Roads, rounded out the group in 1:11:27. The 18-plus-minute spread from Hillis to Richardson tells the story of a group where the gaps were decisive rather than dramatic — no frantic chases, no photo finishes, just four men grinding out a December 10K on their own terms.