Boys U-14 at Rocket City Marathon Half: Jude Salamone Runs Away With It

• Jude Salamone (14, Altoona) won the M0-14 age group in 1:43:15 at a 7:53/mi pace — nearly 12 minutes clear of the field.
• The gap from 1st to 2nd was 12:08; from 2nd to 3rd was another 8:54 — a spread of over 21 minutes across just three finishers.
• Salamone gained six places in the men's field on the 10K-to-Finish stretch, posting the 32nd-fastest split on that segment among the men.
• Charlie Reynolds, at just 13 years old, was the youngest in the group and completed the half marathon in 2:04:17 — a genuine accomplishment at that age.

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Three boys lined up for the M0-14 age group on a mild December morning in Huntsville — 59°F and overcast, about as cooperative as race-day weather gets — and Jude Salamone made the most of it. The 14-year-old from Altoona ran a composed 1:43:15, holding a 7:53/mi average to claim the age-group win by a margin that was never really in doubt.

What made Salamone's run particularly sharp was the back half. From the 10K mark to the finish, he moved from 40th to 34th in the men's field, posting the 32nd-fastest split on that closing stretch among all male runners. While many runners faded in the final miles, Salamone was picking people off.

Chase Larson of Guntersville ran a solid 1:55:23 (8:48/mi) for second, though he dropped a few spots in the men's field over that same closing segment — a sign that the final stretch cost him a bit. He still finished more than nine minutes ahead of the third finisher.

That third spot went to 13-year-old Charlie Reynolds of Huntsville, who crossed in 2:04:17 at a 9:29/mi pace. Reynolds was the youngest competitor in the group and, finishing a full half marathon at 13, earns his own kind of recognition regardless of place.