F15-19: Monica Lady runs away from the field in Huntsville's frozen marathon

• Monica Lady wins in 3:28:34 (7:57/mi), climbing from 69th to 32nd among women over the course of the race — the strongest finish in the F15-19 field.
• 21:52 separates 1st and 2nd: Ella Langford's 3:50:26 was a clear runner-up but never threatened Lady's lead in the final miles.
• Close battle for 3rd: Nora Conway (3:57:04) edged Emilia Accardi (4:23:30) by nearly 26 minutes — but the real drama was Conway holding off a late fade to claim the final podium spot.
• Three finishers crossed in a three-second window: Lily Shah (5:43:32), Lucy Zhang (5:43:33), and Meredith Walker (5:43:36) finished 8th, 9th, and 10th — separated by just four seconds across the board.

With the temperature locked at 29°F and a 16 mph wind cutting through Huntsville, the 13 finishers in the F15-19 age group faced a genuinely brutal morning. Monica Lady, 18, from Toney, AL, made it look manageable. She entered the women's field around 69th place at the 10K mark and spent the rest of the race methodically picking people off, reaching 32nd among women by the finish — posting the 18th-fastest women's split from the 20-mile mark to the line. A 7:57/mi average over 26.2 miles in those conditions is a performance that demands attention.

Ella Langford, also 18 and running on home soil in Huntsville, was a comfortable second at 3:50:26. She ran a steady race, moving from 119th to 83rd among women and closing with the 54th-fastest women's split over the final stretch. Nora Conway, 17, traveled from Nashville and earned third in 3:57:04 — her 78th-fastest women's closing split reflecting a gritty hold through the back half after sitting as low as 122nd among women at the halfway mark.

The back of the field delivered its own memorable moment. Lily Shah, Lucy Zhang, and Meredith Walker — all from Huntsville — crossed within four seconds of each other after more than five and a half hours of racing, finishing 8th, 9th, and 10th respectively. At 15 years old, Meredith Walker was the youngest finisher in the group. Katherine Carlisle rounded out the field in 6:58:42, completing a 13-finisher group that ranged from 3:28 to nearly 7:00 — a testament to how wide the F15-19 experience can run.