Rocket City 10K M65-69: Whilding Wins in the Cold

• Sam Whilding (age 69) took the M65-69 title in 1:17:08 (12:25/mi), finishing more than three minutes clear of the field.
• Duane Diegel claimed 2nd in 1:20:25 (12:57/mi), holding a comfortable gap over the back half of the podium.
• Hank Lopez and John McCusker battled for 3rd and 4th, separated by just 49 seconds — Lopez finishing in 1:24:12 and McCusker in 1:25:01.
• All four men navigated a sharp 29°F morning with 16 mph winds — no small feat for a four-man M65-69 field.

With temperatures hovering at 29°F and a stiff wind cutting through Huntsville, the M65-69 group faced conditions that would test runners of any age. Sam Whilding, the oldest man in the group at 69, answered with the strongest performance, crossing in 1:17:08 at a 12:25/mi clip to claim the win by 3 minutes and 17 seconds over Duane Diegel.

Diegel, running out of Abingdon, MD, held a steady 12:57/mi to lock up 2nd place in 1:20:25 — a clear and comfortable margin over the pair behind him. The real drama in this four-man field played out for the final podium spot, where Hank Lopez of North Berwick, ME, and John McCusker of Canton, GA, ran a close contest all the way to the finish. Lopez edged it in 1:24:12 (13:33/mi) to take 3rd, with McCusker crossing 49 seconds later in 1:25:01 (13:41/mi) for 4th.

Four men, freezing temperatures, and a finish spread of just under eight minutes from first to last — the M65-69 group made the most of a cold December morning in Alabama.