Rocket City 5K: Carla Gosline Owns the F50-54 Field

• Carla Gosline won the F50-54 age group in 30:32 — a 9:50/mi pace that put nearly 1:17 of daylight between her and 2nd place.
• Wendy Huskey and Neelam Singh rounded out the podium at 31:49 and 32:44, with Rita Volpi just 18 seconds further back in 4th at 33:02.
• A tight battle at 5th and 6th: Loretta Moses (34:54) and Julie Croushorn (34:55) — separated by a single second.
• 26 women finished in the F50-54 age group, spread across a range from 30:32 to well past the 53-minute mark.

Carla Gosline, 54, from Arab, Alabama, delivered the most commanding performance in the F50-54 field on a mild December morning in Huntsville. Her 30:32 — clicking along at 9:50 per mile — was a clear statement, and no one came close to answering it. Wendy Huskey of Madison gave chase in 31:49, but the gap was established and never in doubt.

Behind Huskey, Neelam Singh (32:44) and Rita Volpi (33:02) made the top four a genuinely competitive cluster — just 55 seconds separating 2nd through 4th. Singh edged Volpi by 18 seconds, a margin that reflects a real race within the race for that third step on the podium.

The most dramatic moment further down the leaderboard came at 5th and 6th, where Loretta Moses of Huntsville and Julie Croushorn of Birmingham finished in 34:54 and 34:55 respectively. One second — that's all that stood between them after 3.1 miles. Stephanie Burkins followed in 7th at 35:28, keeping the top seven packed within five minutes of the winner.

The field spread considerably through the middle and back, with Khanh Bailey rounding out the top eight in 36:38 before a notable gap to 9th-place Anitaben Patel at 42:56. All 26 finishers earned their medal on a breezy, overcast afternoon — but it was Gosline who made the F50-54 race look like her home turf.