Rocket City 10K: Jim Los owns the M70-74 field in frigid Huntsville

• Jim Los wins the M70-74 age group in 1:08:27, averaging 11:01/mi through bitter 29°F conditions.
• George Prude, the hometown runner from Huntsville, finishes 2nd in 1:39:23 — a margin of 30 minutes 56 seconds separating the two.
• Both finishers are 72 years old, making this one of the more age-evenly matched matchups of the day — just not a close one on the clock.

With only two men toeing the line in the M70-74 age group, the Rocket City 10K still demanded something real from both of them: a 29°F morning, 16 mph winds, and open roads in Huntsville, Alabama. Jim Los, making the trip down from Raeford, NC, handled those conditions decisively, clicking off an 11:01/mi pace to cross in 1:08:27 and claim the age-group win outright.

George Prude, racing on home turf in Huntsville, finished in 1:39:23 at a 15:60/mi pace — a considerably more measured effort than Los's, with the gap between them stretching to nearly 31 minutes by the finish line. On a cold, windy December morning, simply getting to the finish line in your 70s is a statement in itself, and Prude did exactly that.

Los takes the win and the age-group title, but both men deserve credit for lining up when the temperature barely crept above freezing. Two 72-year-olds, one finish line — Los got there first, and got there fast.