The 180 athletes competing in the third annual Education For Life 5K on the morning of 21 April 2012 never got much of a chance to experience the loneliness of the long-distance runner. Every where they ran on the 3.1-mile course through the Florida State University campus, students cheered them. You couldn't run far before another group of students was clapping and shouting encouragement. Most of the groups were residents of one of the houses of the Southern Scholarship Foundation, the major sponsor and beneficiary of the race. As it turns out, their enthusiasm wasn't necessarily spontaneous.
"The houses are competing for a spirit award," explained race director and Southern Scholarship Foundation president Mickey Moore. "First prize is a 55" television for the winning house."
Whatever the motivation of the cheering squads, the runners appreciated their presence that Saturday morning.
The race started and finished in front of the College of Medicine on West Call Street. Former Cocoa High distance runner Arron DeSena got out fast, building up a lead of about 100 yards by the end of the first mile. During the second mile, Peter Kaus moved into second place and started to close the gap on DeSena. But DeSena stepped on the gas during the last mile to win going away, 18:05 to 18:38. Race director Mickey Moore moved up through the field during the second half of the race to place third in 18:46, finishing as the first master runner. The defending champion, Ben Wenger, outkicked Steven Firmin for fourth place, 18:58 to 18:59.
Master runner Paula O'Neill was leading the women near the end of the first mile, but Sarah Collie, another master runner, was only thirty yards back. Collie grabbed the lead from O'Neill during the second mile and never had to look back after that. Dominating the women's competition in the second half of the race, Collie crossed the finish line in 21:32, winning by over 160 yards. O'Neill finished runner-up in 22:12.
Top Ten Men, 2012 Education For Life 5K
18:05 ~ Arron DeSena (M, 18)- 18:38 ~ Peter Kaus (M, 28)
- 18:46 ~ Mickey Moore (M, 42)
- 18:58 ~ Ben Wenger (M,
- 18:59 ~ Steven Firmin (M, 20)
- 19:40 ~ Camilo Ordonez (M, 33)
- 19:55 ~ Michael LaBossiere (M, 45)
- 20:01 ~ Andrew Smyth (M, 25)
- 20:53 ~ Volodymyr Zharkov (M, 47)
- 20:54 ~ Stanislav Abramenko (M, 21)
Top Ten Women, 2012 Education For Life 5K
21:32 ~ Sarah Collie (F, 44)- 22:12 ~ Paula O'Neill (F,50)
- 22:54 ~ Michelle Tigue (F, 23)
- 23:08 ~ Jessica Parker (F, 29)
- 23:40 ~ Abby McClenahan (F, 21)
- 24:00 ~ Amanda Morden (F, 24)
- 24:06 ~ Raychel Gray (F, 17)
- 24:32 ~ Floridel Jimenez (F, 21)
- 25:09 ~ Elizabeth Squires (F, 32)
- 25:41 ~ Connie Clarke (F, 50)
| Education For Life 5K champions, 2010-2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women |
| 24 April 2010 | 18:18, Brian Corbin | 21:01, Maegan McCarthy |
| 10 April 2011 | 19:17, Ben Wenger | 21:57, Allison Williams |
| 21 April 2012 | 18:05, Aaron DeSena | 21:32, Sarah Collie |
Links
- Complete results of the 2012 Education For Life 5K at gulfwinds.org
http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2012/Education%20for%20Life%202012.asp - More photos of the 2012 Education For Life 5K
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101803670606493.3322408.5215641&l=db8ae06c04 - Fred Deckert's photos of the 2012 Education For Life 5K
https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/Education12 - Video: BPW House cheers the runners on during the race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ULyeCwmY3E - 2011 story, "Winger and Williams wallop the field at Education For Life 5K"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/04/education-for-life-2011.html - 2010 story, "Kudos for Corbin and McCarthy at 'Education For Life' 5K"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/04/education-for-life-2010.html - Upcoming races in the Tallahassee region, with and without cheerleaders
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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