Megan Lehr posted a Top 10 record finish and Owen Bradley captured overall honors in the 25th Recover from the Holidays 50K on Dec. 31 at John Hunt Park.
Lehr, 41, of Huntsville, sped to a 4:25 finish to take runner-up honors. That time is fifth-best on the women’s side for the race, which began in 1995. Lehr was just six seconds off the fourth-place record.
Bradley, 44, of Birmingham, won the race in 4:13. Dylan Glass, 31, of Gurley, was third overall (2nd male) in 4:30, and Adrian Gonzales, 45, of Albertville, was fourth (3rd) in 4:36.
Perla Nunez, 42, of Huntsville, was second behind Lehr (15th overall) with a PR of 5:19. Mica Anderson, 30, of Huntsville, was right behind for third (16th) in 5:20.
Seventy-six runners finished the event, an old school ultra with no frills or pomp. The 3.1-mile grass-path route at John Hunt Park provides consistency for the 10 laps. A handful of runners come to do a few laps and drop out, merely enjoying the morning with family or friends. Conditions were chilly but sunny for the morning, similar to the 2022 event.
Interestingly enough, only eight finishers were age 29 or younger and only one was younger than 20. The majority of the field skews older; 15 finishers were age 50 and older. Barry Ege of Hanceville, at age 71, was the oldest finisher, in 5:12. With age comes persistence, consistency and wisdom, no?
Recover is the final local event of the year, put on by Huntsville Track Club and always held Dec. 31. The club’s next official events are the Mountain Mist 50k on Jan. 27 and Winter Winds 2 & 4 Mile Road Races on Feb. 11.
See all of the results from the Recover from the Holidays 50k here.
