The 45th running of the Cotton Row Run provided high drama as Ethan Reyes of Shelbyville, Tenn., edged out local favorite Josh Whitehead of Madison by four seconds to take top honors in the 5K event.
Whitehead also competed in the 10K event, where he placed seventh with a time of 35:22.
Of the 1,522 runners registered for the 5K, 1,289 finished the event.
Cotton Row Run 10K
Ryan Ford of Boone, N.C., took first in the Cotton Row Run’s 10K event with a time of 29:04, more than two minutes better than second-place Sam Chelanga of Fayetteville, N.C., who posted a finish time of 31:05.
Ford ran at Westminster Christian in Huntsville and now lives in North Carolina. Ford finished 10th in this year’s Boston Marathon, crossing in a sizzling 2:08. He was the third American male in the Top 10. His time was 10th-fastest in U.S. history.
The 10K runners had a flat first half through neighborhoods, past Maple Hill Cemetery and onto Owens Drive before climbing Mountainwood in the third mile. After a little Toll Gate toodle, Mile Four arrives when bombing down Bankhead, which takes runners into Historic Huntsville, downtown and past the memorial of flags heading to the finish. The final turn at the Huntsville Museum of Art offers a downhill dash to the raucous finish line.
Of the 1,786 runners registered for the 10K, 1,549 finished the event.
See the 10K results here and 5K results here.
