F0-14 10K: Sandlin takes the win in a two-girl battle through the Huntsville cold

• Erica Sandlin won the F0-14 age group in 51:30 (8:17/mi), the fastest of the two finishers.
• Khloe Mack was 59 seconds back in 52:29 (8:27/mi) — a margin of roughly one second per mile across the full 6.2.
• Both athletes are 14 years old, making this an evenly matched generational showdown from start to finish.
• Racing conditions were demanding: 29°F and a 16 mph wind in Huntsville made every mile feel harder than the clock suggests.

Two 14-year-olds from neighboring Alabama towns lined up on a frigid December morning and ran the entire Rocket City 10K within a minute of each other — that's the story of the F0-14 age group. Erica Sandlin of Huntsville crossed in 51:30, holding an 8:17-per-mile average through conditions that would give most adults pause.

Khloe Mack of Union Grove gave chase the whole way, finishing in 52:29 at 8:27/mi. The 59-second gap sounds comfortable on paper, but stretched over 6.2 miles it's less than ten seconds per mile — a margin that could evaporate with one bad stretch or one strong surge. Mack never let Sandlin fully escape; she just couldn't quite close the door.

Credit both athletes for simply showing up and racing hard in 29-degree air with a 16 mph wind biting at every step. Sub-53 minutes for a 10K at age 14, in those conditions, is a performance worth noting on its own terms. Sandlin takes the win, Mack takes the push that made it competitive.