Smoking runs at the Sizzler for Schmidt and Fackler

They say it's lonely at the top, and that was certainly true for the top of the race results of the 18th annual St. George Island Sizzler 5K. Roger Smith of Capital City Runners ran 17:05 to win the race by over a minute, isolated from the next runner by more than 300 meters. At least he was only a local call away from the field and not long distance.


The race wasn't nearly as lonely for two high school senior cross country runners, Wakulla's Bryce Cole and Leon's Joshua Stapleton. Cole and Stapleton were in a close fight for second, but Cole prevailed 18:11 to 18:18. Tallahassee distance runner Joel Piotrowski was the top master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 18:29.


The weather may have discouraged some runners from venturing to the Sizzler. The Saturday afternoon of the race, 8 August 2015, heavy rain fell on the island. Still, 181 athletes showed up to finish the race, and their faith was rewarded when the rain had ceased by the 7:00 PM starting time. Additionally the rain had kept the temperatures down--a simmer instead of the usual sizzle. No one could describe it as cool, but the conditions were as good for running as you could expect on the Florida coast in August.


"It was one of the least hot Sizzlers I can remember," commented Bill Lott, a volunteer on the finish line crew.


Jacksonville's Katie Fackler took advantage of those conditions and burned a 18:53, winning the women's title and finishing seventh overall. It wasn't the women's record for the Sizzler, but it was the fastest since Kara Newell set the record of 18:39 in 2006 and the third best time ever run by a woman in the race. Ahna Buntrock, a cross country runner at Washington University in St. Louis, took second on the women's side, placing nineteenth overall in 20:49. Third in the women's standings went to Wakulla cross country runner Haleigh Martin (25th, 22:21), and fourth to Emmy Buntrock (26th, 22:36), a senior cross country runner on the Dover-Eyota High squad in Eyota, Minnesota. Lynn Varner was the first woman master and eighth female finisher, 36th overall in 24:13.


As always, the St. George Island Sizzler was a production of the Tate's Hell Track Club, which race director Hobson Fulmer insists is a real club--in much the same way that my father used to insist that hoop snakes were a real animal. Proceeds of the race go to benefit the Franklin County Humane Society. Chip timing of the race was provided by Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee, Florida.


Top Ten Men, 2015 St. George Island Sizzler 5K

1. 17:05 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
2. 18:11 ~ Bryce Cole (M, 17)
3. 18:18 ~ Joshua Stapleton (M, 17)
4. 18:29 ~ Joel Piotrowski (M, 45)
5. 18:44 ~ Frank Denes (M, 29)
6. 18:48 ~ Scott Gordon (M, 32)
7. 19:08 ~ Ryan Skyler (M, 25)
8. 19:15 ~ Danten Wood (M, 15)
9. 19:23 ~ Lane Williams (M, 19)
10. 19:43 ~ Philip Sura (M, 45)

Top Ten Women, 2015 St. George Island Sizzler 5K

1. 18:53 ~ Katie Fackler (F, 32) Jacksonville, FL
2. 20:49 ~ Ahna Buntrock (F, 20)
3. 22:21 ~ Haleigh Martin (F, 16)
4. 22:36 ~ Emmy Buntrock (F, 17)
5. 23:03 ~ Anne Coxe (F, 27)
6. 24:06 ~ Sarah F Denes (F, 27)
7. 24:07 ~ Julia Rose Travis (F, 17)
8. 24:13 ~ Lynn Varner (F, 50)
9. 24:29 ~ Mia Varner (F, 17)
10. 25:00 ~ Alyssa Langston (F, 14)

St. George Island Sizzler 5K Champions, 1997 - 2015
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
21 June 1997	17:36, Tim Unger	21:40, Julie Clark	34
13 June 1998	16:09, Gary Droze	22:53, Donna Finney	69
12 June 1999	17:05, Tim Unger	19:24, Summer Calder	61
10 June 2000	16:07, Gary Droze	21:18, Julie Clark	34
2001	No race held
15 June 2002	15:46, Lee Willis	18:43, Luanne Coulter	53
21 June 2003	16:44, Caleb Carmichael	20:45, Jane Johnson	95
12 June 2004	16:42, Caleb Carmichael	19:48, Kara Newell	77
18 June 2005	16:02, Alex Miletich	20:53, Angela Dempsey	142
24 June 2006	17:24, Robert Beazley	18:39, Kara Newell	169
23 June 2007	17:02, Jasen Fulghum	20:41, Jane Johnson	106
28 June 2008	16:44, Tripp Southerland	19:11, Stephanie Liles	175
27 June 2009	16:53, John Robida	19:47, Kelsey Scheitlin	214
26 June 2010	19:06, Carl Nordhielm	22:06, Nancy Stedman	147
25 June 2011	17:06, Brandon Hough	22:44, Nicole Reichenbach	218
11 August 2012	16:25, Vince Molosky	21:58, Polina Bondarenko	280
10 August 2013	16:16, Caleb Carmichael	20:28, Renee Cox	318
9 August 2014	18:02, Carl Nordhielm	20:25, Polina Bondarenko	222
8 August 2015	17:05, Roger Schmidt	18:53, Katie Fackler	181
The 1997 race was called the Summer Island 5K.

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 St George Island Sizzler 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2015/Sizzler%202015.asp
  
  
• 2014 story, “Second time in first place for Nordhielm and Bondarenko in the Sizzler 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/08/sizzler-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Carmichael and Cox seize Sizzler 5K titles”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/08/sizzler-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Heated competition from Molosky and Bondarenko at the Sizzler”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/08/sizzler-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Hough and Reichenbach grab Sizzler wins on St George”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/06/sizzler-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Sizzler runners beat BP to St. George Island”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/06/sizzler-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Back to the Beach--Robida Wins 2009 Summer Sizzler 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-to-beach-robida-wins-2009-summer.html
  
  
• St George Island Sizzler
  http://www.stgeorgeislandsizzler.com/
  
  
• 2014 St. George Island Sizzler 5K course certification map FL13045EBM
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL13045EBM
  
  
• Upcoming races in the Tallahassee region, both inland and on the coast
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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