M55-59 5K: Van Duser Runs Away from the Field in Huntsville

• John Van Duser won the M55-59 group in 21:37 (6:57/mi) — more than 1:24 ahead of runner-up Tim Patton.
• Patton's 23:01 was a clear second, but the real drama came further back: Ronald Childress and Gene Hartsfield finished 4th and 5th separated by just one second (28:54 vs. 28:55).
• The M55-59 field spread wide: from Van Duser's 6:57/mi to Terry Greer's 18:35/mi, a range of nearly 36 minutes across 19 finishers.
• Six of the top ten finishers hailed from the Huntsville/Madison, AL area, making it a strong home showing on a mild December morning.

John Van Duser, 59, came to Huntsville and made it look easy. His 21:37 — a 6:57-per-mile clip — was the kind of performance that has everyone else running their own race. He crossed more than a minute and a half ahead of Tim Patton of Rocky River, OH, who ran a solid 23:01 (7:25/mi) for a comfortable second. After those two, there was a significant gap before Marc Wendleton claimed third in 28:00, putting real daylight between the podium and the rest of the M55-59 field.

The sharpest battle of the day played out for 4th place. Ronald Childress of Madison, AL and Gene Hartsfield of Athens, AL were locked together through the finish, crossing in 28:54 and 28:55 respectively — one tick of the clock separating them after 3.1 miles. Childress held on for 4th, but Hartsfield will know exactly where those final seconds went.

Behind them, the field fanned out steadily through the back half of the results. Wendell Ohern and Thomas Keller were next across in the 31-minute range, followed by a cluster of runners between 32 and 34 minutes. Terry Greer of Byhalia, MS closed out the M55-59 group in 57:43 — a reminder that on a cool December morning in Alabama, finishing 3.1 miles is the point, whatever the pace.