Rocket City Half Marathon: Sammie Stewart leads F0-14 from front to finish

• Sammie Stewart, 13, wins the F0-14 age group in 1:50:12 (8:24/mi), finishing 19th among all women.
• Nearly 4-minute gap separates Stewart from runner-up Maya Lang (1:53:56), with Zoe Pacillo another 3:07 back in 3rd.
• Stewart's closing kick produced the 21st-fastest women's split on the 10K-to-Finish stretch — the sharpest of anyone in the F0-14 group.
• All four finishers completed a full half marathon on a cool, breezy December morning in Huntsville.

In a field of just four, Sammie Stewart made her presence felt well beyond the F0-14 age group. The 13-year-old from Guntersville ran 8:24 per mile from start to finish, moving from 22nd to 19th among all women over the second half of the race — a sign she was still hunting down competitors deep into the 13.1 miles.

Maya Lang, 14, from Collierville, Tennessee, held her ground in the women's field throughout, crossing in 1:53:56 and never slipping from her 25th-place position among women in the back half. That consistency earned her a clear second place in the age group, 3:44 behind Stewart. Zoe Pacillo, also 13 and racing in her home state of Alabama, was the most notable mover of the three leaders — climbing from 41st to 34th among women over the final stretch — to take 3rd in 1:57:03.

Ella Lee, 14, from Ooltewah, Tennessee, rounded out the group in 2:44:29, running a patient 12:33-per-mile pace to complete her half marathon. With 59°F temperatures and a steady 9 mph breeze, the conditions were reasonable for December in Huntsville, and all four athletes saw it through to the finish line.