HUNTSVILLE- The 2017 Rocket City Marathon is in the local running history books. This year’s race began as one of the coldest in its history with a starting gun temperature of 26-degrees, but the 896 official finishers included 57 from Madison. Those participants from Madison were led by Josh Whitehead among males and Michele Brock the leader among female runners.

“I was running as a race pacer as part of the Fleet Feet Race Team and had a great time, though my finish time was certainly not my best time,” said Brock, the critical care nurse manager at Crestwood Medical Center and who has been running for 16 years. “Along the route of the race course the crowds along the way were always cheering us on and that gives you energy to move forward. In the local race like the Rocket City Marathon it’s always fun to see faces along the course of people you know.”

This was Brock’s 17^th marathon and third Rocket City race where she posted a time of 3-hours, 57-minutes, 30-seconds. Her personal best time in the 26-mile race distance is 3:32.

The 48-year old athlete has run marathons in 10 different states and has set a goal to run a marathon in all 50 states.

For the 39-year old Whitehead, regarded as the top runner from Madison for several years and the 2013 winner of the Rocket City Marathon, the day was not what he was hoping for as he was attempting to set a new Guinness World Record by posting the fastest marathon while wearing a three-piece suit. His finish time of 2:50:18 was six minutes slower than the current record and a disappointment to the engineer who works for NASA.

“This was by far my slowest marathon time,” said Whitehead of his time in what was his 14^th marathon race. “My stomach sort of rebelled at mile 14 and I’m not entirely sure what happened. I just knew I was going to finish one way or the other. By mile 19 I knew there was no recovery for me in the attempt to set the new world record.”

The specially made suit by Men’s Warehouse held up just as it was designed to do through the 26 mile course and his neon green shoes supplied by New Balance were also just what a runner would like to have in that type of endeavor. Whitehead said he did get warm in his running attire despite temperatures getting no higher than freezing by his finish time.

Whitehead recently ran in the half marathon in Florence in his new suit and shoes as a test run and was unaware his winning race time was 26 seconds away from the current Guinness World Record. Whitehead added, “I may try and beat that record next year.”

The youngest of those calling Madison home who participated in the 41^st annual event was 20 while the eldest was 67.