Clift and Cox catch wins at the Fishnet 5K

Racing up hill and down around the Tallahassee campus of Florida State University, Bill Clift won the Tallahassee Rollergirls' second annual Fishnet 5K on Saturday morning, 30 August 2014. Clift covered the 3.1-mile course in 16:46, finishing just ahead of fellow Capital City Runners athlete Roger Schmidt. Schmidt finished runner-up in 17:01. Michael Martinez took top master honors in the race, placing fifth overall in 18:46. Tallahassee's Renee Cox successfully defended her 2013 Fishnet 5K women's title taking the first female's spot in 20:55, fast enough for ninth overall. Tallahassee's Paula O'Neill was the women's runner-up and top woman master, finishing 16th overall in 22:59. Nearly 150 athletes completed the race.


"I went out pretty hard," Clift recalled after the race.


He did indeed, charging to the front of the field almost immediately after the start. Crossing Landis Green, as the runners came up on 800 meters, Clift was the clear leader, with Jeff Hoh a few steps back in second. Clift was still leading when the runners hit the 1600-meter mark, near the crest of Gallows Hill, but Hoh had fallen back and Roger Schmidt had taken over the second position. Brian Manry had moved up to third, so Capital City Runners athletes held the top three places.


Over the remaining distance, Clift and Schmidt cruised away from the rest of the field, taking the first two places for Capital City Runners in 16:46 and 17:01. During the second half of the race Paul Guyas overtook Brian Manry, taking third in 18:00 and breaking the Capital City Runners monopoly on the top places. Manry was fourth in 18:17, and Tallahassee master runner Michael Martinez fifth in 18:46. A fading Jeff Hoh was sixth in 19:29, but he was the first finisher wearing fishnet stockings.


As in the previous year's Fishnet 5K, Renee Cox was just the fastest woman in the race, finishing nearly half a kilometer ahead of the next female racer. 20:55 wasn't quite as fast as she had run in the 2013 Fishnet 5K, but Cox still led the women's field from the start and never had to look back. Behind Cox, Tallahassee master runner Paula O'Neill got an early grip on the second woman's spot. The third position, however, was in constant contention. Late in the race, though, Sara Niehaus darted ahead to take third in the women's standings, placing 23rd overall in 24:00.


Top Ten Men, Tallahassee Rollergirls' 2014 Fishnet 5K

1. 16:45.21 ~ Bill Clift
2. 17:00.31 ~ Roger Schmidt
3. 17:59.38 ~ Paul Guyas
4. 18:16.23 ~ Brian Manry
5. 18:45.38 ~ Michael Martinez
6. 19:28.33 ~ Jeff Hoh
7. 19:43.26 ~ Duane Evans
8. 20:29.47 ~ Will Carico
9. 21:17.96 ~ Mark Tombrink
10. 21:18.72 ~ Mike La Bossiere

Top Ten Women, Tallahassee Rollergirls' 2014 Fishnet 5K

1. 20:54.67 ~ Renee Cox (F, 27)
2. 22:58.82 ~ Paula O'Neill (F, 53)
3. 23:59.54 ~ Sara Niehaus
4. 24:11.10 ~ Melanie Leitman (F, 30)
5. 24:19.94 ~ Martha Bademan (F, 30)
6. 24:23.60 ~ Hope Hoffman
7. 27:44.36 ~ Liovani M Nazario (F, 40)
8. 27:46.41 ~ Katie Taibl (F, 23)
9. 27:56.91 ~ Soheyla Mahdavian (F, 30)
10. 28:03.37 ~ Yessica
11. 28:45.60 ~ Debbie Peters (F, 53)

Links

• Complete results of the Tallahassee Rollergirls' 2014 Fishnet 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2014/Fishnet%202014.asp
  
  
• More photos of the Tallahassee Rollergirls' 2014 Fishnet 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10104999745841103.1073742005.5215641&l=f2c485bb85
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the Tallahassee Rollergirls' 2014 Fishnet 5K
  https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Fishnet14
  
  
• 2013 story, "Koon and Cox fly to Fishnet 5K firsts"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/08/fishnet-2013.html
  
  
• "Round and round, roll round and round..."
  http://youtu.be/hD7UqK2GZko
  
  
• Skate over here to see the Trouble Afoot! calendar of upcoming races
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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