Rocket City Half Marathon: Pam Willmore rules the F70-74 field

• Pam Willmore won the F70-74 age group in 2:47:58 (12:49/mi), finishing more than 24 minutes clear of second place.
• Elizabeth Moore (73, Panama City) took second in 3:12:52, holding off Teresa Chandler (74, Birmingham) by just under 8 minutes.
• Teresa Chandler and Lynn Corson — both 74 — rounded out the four-woman field, separated by 22:21.
• All four women gained or held ground in the women's field over the final stretch from 10K to the finish.

Four women toed the line in the F70-74 age group on a mild December morning in Huntsville — 59°F and overcast, about as forgiving as Alabama in December gets. Pam Willmore, 71, made the most of it. Her 2:47:58 was the dominant performance of the group, a 12:49-per-mile effort that put her across the line with a margin of more than 24 minutes over the rest of the field. There was no drama at the front — Willmore owned this race from start to finish.

The real contest played out behind her. Elizabeth Moore, 73, made the trip from Panama City and earned second in 3:12:52. Teresa Chandler, 74 out of Birmingham, was third in 3:20:49 — less than eight minutes back. Both women picked up places in the women's field over the closing half of the race, Moore moving from 227th to 225th and Chandler from 232nd to 231st, small but meaningful gains that show neither was coasting to the line.

Lynn Corson, also 74, completed the group in 3:43:10 — a 17:01-per-mile pace that still got her to the finish line in Cincinnati colors, a long way from home. She, too, edged forward in the women's standings over the final segment. Four starters, four finishers, and a clean sweep for the F70-74 age group on a cool Huntsville afternoon.