Rocket City Half Marathon: Kleinhagen dominates the F0-14 age group

• Alison Kleinhagen won the F0-14 age group in 1:43:16 (7:53/mi), finishing 9th among all women at the line.
• Kleinhagen posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the 8M→Finish stretch, surging from 12th to 9th among women in the final miles.
• Meredith Walker claimed 2nd in 2:11:18 (10:01/mi), gaining 19 spots among women over the course of the race to finish 122nd among women.
• A gap of 27:58 separated Kleinhagen from Debra Smith (2:44:16, 12:32/mi), who rounded out the three-finisher age group in 3rd.

Three 14-year-olds toed the line at Rocket City's half marathon on a mild December morning in Huntsville, and Alison Kleinhagen of Blue Springs, Missouri made the outcome look straightforward from start to finish. Her 1:43:16 at 7:53 per mile wasn't just a dominant age-group win — it placed her 9th among all women in the race, a remarkable showing in a field far beyond her age group.

The final 8 miles told the clearest story of Kleinhagen's race. She posted the 6th-fastest women's split on that 8M→Finish segment, climbing from 12th to 9th among women as the miles mounted. That kind of late-race strength — moving forward while others faded — defined her afternoon.

Meredith Walker, racing on home soil in Huntsville, earned a solid 2nd place in 2:11:18. She, too, found her legs in the back half, gaining 19 positions among women to finish 122nd among women. The 28-minute gap back to Kleinhagen was wide, but Walker's positive momentum in the closing miles gave her a strong result to build on. Debra Smith of Boonville, Indiana completed the age group in 2:44:16, finishing 331st among women at a 12:32/mi pace — steady to the end in a three-finisher field where simply finishing a 13.1-mile race at 14 years old is worth noting.