Two southwest Georgia road racing institutions, the Gnat Days 5K and the Rose City 10K, were just six days apart this year. You couldn't call them twin races, though. Almost everything the Gnat Days race has, the Rose City Run seems to have more. Gnat Days is 3.1 miles long, Rose City is 6.2 miles long. Camilla, home of Gnat Days, is well into the south part of Georgia, less than 40 miles from the Florida border. Thomasville, home of the Rose City Run, is 30 miles farther south than Camilla. 124 athletes finished this year's Gnat Days 5K on 2 May 2014. 463 finished this year's Rose City 10K on 26 April 2014. Gnat Days is an old race, going back to 1988. Rose City is older, going back to 1978.Still, Camilla has the gnats, cloud-like swarms of them. Thomasville makes no claims on Camilla's gnats.
Arnoldo De Jesus of Albany, Georgia, had raced in the 2014 Rose City Run, and he was in Camilla for the 27th annual Gnat Days just six days later. Apparently De Jesus was recovered and ready to compete; he won the Friday evening 5K in Camilla in 18:32. De Jesus was one of several athletes who ran both races. For instance, runner-up Elena Oslund had finished second in the women's standings in the Rose City 10K this spring. In the Gnat Days 5K, Oslund won the women's title in 18:50.Leesburg, Georgia, runner Dennis Moore hadn't been in Thomasville, but he was certainly in Camilla. Moore was third overall in 19:12, claiming the top master spot in the Gnat Days 5K. Albany master runner Kurt Anthony was fourth in 19:46. A Rose City Run veteran came out on top in a close race for fifth--Thomasville's Gareth Pyle ran 19:53 to edge out Camilla's Michael McGahee (6th, 19:55) and Thomasville's Chad Johnson (7th, 19:57).
Thomasville master runner Mary Anne Grayson, a three-time women's champ in the Gnat Days 5K, was the women's runner-up, placing 10th overall in 20:45.
Top Ten Men, 2014 Gnat Days 5K
- 18:31.40 ~ Arnoldo DeJesus (M, 28) Albany, GA
- 19:11.64 ~ Dennis Moore (M, 45) Leesburg, GA
- 19:45.15 ~ Kurt Anthony (M, 48) Albany, GA
- 19:52.57 ~ Gareth Pyle (M, 35) Thomasville, GA
- 19:54.11 ~ Michael McGahee (M, 36) Camilla, GA
- 19:56.58 ~ Chad Johnson (M, 43) Thomasville, GA
- 20:02.79 ~ Phillip Morris (M, 48) Pelham, GA
- 20:27.83 ~ Dennis Fuchs (M, 44) Albany, GA
- 20:46.66 ~ Jeff Urbanski (M, 51) Warner Robins, GA
- 21:21.44 ~ Daniel DeMott (M, 13) Moultrie, GA
Top Ten Women, 2014 Gnat Days 5K
- 18:49.88 ~ Elena Oslund (F, 21) Albany, GA
- 20:44.37 ~ Mary Anne Grayson (F, 48) Thomasville, GA
- 21:28.67 ~ Janet Urbanski (F, 44) Warner Robins, GA
- 24:40.41 ~ Jennifer Bendewish (F, 39) Cairo, GA
- 24:54.73 ~ Jill Hope (F, 33) Camilla, G
- 27:19.25 ~ Blair Pollock (F, 9) Vada, GA
- 27:32.05 ~ Ashley Maxwell (F, 32) Leesburg, GA
- 27:36.25 ~ Buffy Keene (F, 44) Donalsonville, GA
- 27:38.40 ~ Jennifer Wisham (F, 35) Camilla, GA
- 27:40.04 ~ Trish Brinkley (F, 37) Meigs, GA
| Gnat Days 5K Champions, 2005 - 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women |
| 2 May 2014 | 18:32, Arnoldo DeJesus | 18:50, Elena Oslund |
| 3 May 2013 | 19:06, James Taylor | 24:33, Ashtin Banks |
| 4 May 2012 | 17:51, Stephen Robbins | 19:47, Mary Anne Grayson |
| 6 May 2011 | 17:35, Masked Avenger | 23:53, Jenna Willingham |
| 30 April 2010 | 17:36, Kyle Harris | 19:59, Mary Anne Grayson |
| 1 May 2009 | 17:39, Nathan Norton | 19:51, Mary Anne Grayson |
| 2 May 2008 | 18:12, Todd Smoot | 22:35, Diane Johnson |
| 4 May 2007 | 16:59, Todd Smoot | 22:49, Diane Johnson |
| 5 May 2006 | 17:27, Clint Watkins | 22:02, Lori Rawlings |
| 6 May 2005 | 17:06, Dr. Robert Feldman | 21:12, Debbie Wittmer |
| 1 May 2004 | ||
| 3 May 2003 | ||
| 14 May 1994 | ||
| 12 June 1993 | ||
| 13 June 1992 | ||
| 8 June 1991 | 15:33, Louis Floyd | 18:20, Vikki Saga |
| 9 June 1990 | ||
| 10 June 1989* | ||
| 11 June 1988** | John Tuttle (14:14.7) | Carla Borovicka (16:28) |
Links
- Complete results of the 2014 Gnat Days 5K
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hc_hSEY2Y7bQrva5mFUswSn0l2RmINhEfgAM9TSTYD4/pubhtml
- 2013 story, "No flies on Taylor or Banks in Camilla"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/05/gnat-days-2013.html
- 2012 story, "Robbins and Grayson beat the swarm in Camilla"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/05/gnat-days-2012.html
- 2011 story, "Avenger and Willingham in a cloud of...gnats"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/05/gnat-2011.html
- Find races not requiring insect repellent on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
No comments:
Post a Comment