Josh Henson of Georgia and Jaimie Carolan of Tennessee won the Rocket City Back Half-Marathon titles Sunday at the Von Braun Center.
Carolan, 30, of Franklin, was 18th overall and finished in 1:38:24 to claim the women’s crown. Naomi Sullivan, 41, of Tallassee, Ala., was second (20th) in 1:38:54. Check those times — half a second separated the top women. Ginny Patterson, 41, of Lebanon, Tenn., was third in 1:41:49.
Henson, 22, of Sharpsburg, won the men’s title in a time of 1:22:16. He bested Brian Lewis, 36, of Birmingham, who crossed in 1:23:32, and Chris Brewer, 38, of Birmingham, who finished in 1:24:57.
More than 650 runners finished the race.
Race organizers decided this year to offer two half-marathons, one for the front part of the course and one for the back half. Each had its special quirks along the route. More than 650 runners finished the event. The Rocket City Marathon Back Half Marathon started at the University of Alabama Huntsville. Runners merged with the marathon runners to go through the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Huntsville Botanical Garden before returning to downtown, around Big Spring Park and the Tinsel Trail, and into the VBC.
See the results of the Rocket City Back Half Marathon here.
The RCM Mural 5K and RCM 10K events were held Saturday morning.
All of the marathon weekend races and activites are a Huntsville Track Club event. Sponsors include Huntsville Sports Commission, The City of Huntsville, Fleet Feet, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, SportsMed, Mission DRiven Research, Progress Bank, Publix, Ray Pearman Lincoln, Therapy South, Costco, Straight to Ale, Hops ‘n Guac, Marco’s Pizza, Panera Bread, Nomadic Roots Nutrition, Axient, McCluskey Construction, Mobile Communications America and Avion.
FOR MORE PHOTOS – Visit the TVO gallery and check out the marathon and miscellaneous images from Sunday’s action.
