Nathaniel Pierce rounded the corner of the Hillwood Baptist Church parking lot and motored toward the finish line of the 48th Huntsville Half Marathon, alone on the final tenth amid fans cheering and cowbells clanging.
Pierce, 40, crossed in 1:19, earning his first Huntsville Half title and continuing a fine year in competition. He has been on a roll this year in the podium spotlight, including winning:
— his third straight Lobsterfest 5K title on Nov. 7
— the Rocketman Triathlon on Aug. 30
— Huntsville Sprint Tri on Aug. 8
— Wet Dog Triathlon on July 11 with the fastest time in six years
— his fourth straight Heel & Crank duathlon on June 6
Pierce is registered for the Rocket City Marathon on Dec. 13. That gives him a shot at winning the city’s three oldest continuous races in the same year. With Saturday’s win he now has a first, second and third in the last three years.
Emma Hardman, 30, of Huntsville, finished in 1:27 to claim top honors in the women’s division and continue a super year of her own. Hardman won the Wet Dog Triathlon in July, and repeated as Monte Sano 15K champ in October. The latter this year was the RRCA Southern Region championship, giving her that cool title, as well.
“My expectations were to just kind of see how I felt the first half of the race and go from there,” Hardman said. “It’s pretty flat for most of the course, so I wanted to see who I was around. We had a good group that was trying to run about 1:25 so I went with them for as long as I could. It’s an awesome race and a lot of fun.
“I was running with my husband (Hunter) and another old friend of mine, so we were just kind of out here for a beautiful day. Our first child is on the way and the doctor told me I can run but to keep a conversation pace. So as long as I feel like I can chat a little bit and push a little bit, I’m good.
“I paced a friend for this half a few years ago but never have raced it and this is our first time competing in it. It’s awesome, and a great course for a PR along with the super aid stations along the way with a lot of hype. That’s a lot of fun.”
Chilly Start
With shivers and smiles, the sold-out field of more than 700 took off from Hillwood Baptist at 8 a.m. in sleeves, gloves and beanies. Temps were in the low 40s with the first cold blast of autumn arriving overnight.
The Huntsville Half Marathon is one of three races in the city approaching a half-century of competition. It is the second-oldest of the three. The oldest is the Rocket City Marathon in December. It is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Third is the Huntsville Sprint Triathlon, held for 46 years and put on by the Team Rocket Tri Club.
The Huntsville Half began with a course atop Monte Sano, following the course at the time for the beginning of the Rocket City Marathon. Runners came downhill into Five Points and Old Huntsville, and finished at Big Spring. The name, sponsors and course routes changed over the next four decades.
Official results will be posted here later when finalized.
