Cody Pezent and Ashley Coleman win Moultrie's Race of the South

Saturday, 17 September 2016, was the morning of the Moultrie, Georgia YMCA's fourteenth annual Race Of The South. The numbering is a little bit tricky. The event has been held each year from 2003 onward, so that makes fourteen races. Of course, that's only if you don't count the seventeen races from 1980 to 1996, Moultrie's original Race Of The South series. The YMCA, though, decided that a seven-year hiatus was a good enough reason to start counting over, so the 31st Race Of The South was the fourteenth annual.


Go ahead and check the arithmetic. I'll wait.


No one needed higher math to determine that Cody Pezent won the 2016 Race Of The South 10K, though. Crossing the finish line with a lead of more than 200 meters, Pezent ran the 6.2-mile course in 43:15. Paulino Cruz of Moultrie, the 2013 Race Of The South champion, was runner-up in 44:13, and Moultrie's Julio Perez was third in 45:11. Another Moultrie athlete, Patrick Bius, was the fastest master runner in the 10K, placing sixth overall in 49:56.


Ashley Coleman of Decatur, Georgia took the women's title, placing tenth overall in 51:00. Tifton, Georgia's Traci Newton was the first woman master and second female finisher, coming in twelfth overall in 52:02. Another Tifton master runner, Gina Purvis, was third in the women's standings and fourteenth overall in 53:13.


47 athletes finished the 2016 Race Of The South 10K.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Race of the South 10K

1. 43:15 ~ Cody Pezent (M, 15) Adel, GA
2. 44:13 ~ Paulino Cruz (M, 28) Moultrie, GA
3. 45:11 ~ Julio Perez (M, 25) Moultrie, GA
4. 45:15 ~ Mark Niday (M, 32) Moultrie, GA
5. 46:47 ~ Joey Bozeman (M, 37) Moultrie, GA
6. 49:56 ~ Patrick Bius (M, 42) Moultrie, GA
7. 50:02 ~ Justin Baker (M, 37) Moultrie, GA
8. 50:16 ~ John Coleman (M, 34) Decatur, GA
9. 50:30 ~ John Hall (M, 46) Tifton, GA
10. 51:06 ~ Steven Johnson (M, 39) Norman Park, GA

Top Ten Women, 2016 Race of the South 10K

1. 51:00 ~ Ashley Coleman (F, 31) Decatur, GA
2. 52:02 ~ Traci Newton (F, 40) Tifton, GA
3. 53:13 ~ Gina Purvis (F, 57) Tifton, GA
4. 54:19 ~ Pollyanna Bass (F, 44) Pavo, GA
5. 55:10 ~ Angela Pezent (F, 42) Adel, GA
6. 56:06 ~ Melanie Hall (F, 43) Tifton, GA
7. 56:28 ~ Nena Chancy (F, 43) Tifton, GA
8. 56:55 ~ Cindy Marzen (F, 46) Tifton, GA
9. 57:21 ~ Whitney Pilgram (F, 28) Moultrie, GA
10. 57:55 ~ Mary Gonzalez (F, 27) Moultrie, GA

Thomasville, Georgia master runner Chad Johnson won the 5K at the Race Of The South, running the 3.1 miles through the Moultrie streets in 20:21. Moultrie runner Kat Posey was second in 21:12, and Matt Marston of Moultrie was third in 21:24.


On the women's side, Beverly Johnson of Thomasville had won the 5K in 2014 and 2015. However, Moultrie's Rebecca Toman foiled Johnson's attempt at a third straight title, outkicking the Thomasville runner 24:57 to 24 Toman and Johnson were eleventh and twelfth overall, while the thirteenth spot went to Colquitt County Cross Country alumna Yasmin Moctezuma, third in the women's standings in 25:55. Moultrie's Judi Burnette was the top woman master and fourth female finisher, fourteenth overall in 26:09.


44 athletes finished the 2016 Race Of The South 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Race of the South 5K

1. 20:21 ~ Chad Johnson (M, 45) Thomasville, GA
2. 21:12 ~ Kat Posey (M, 37) Moultrie, GA
3. 21:24 ~ Matt Marston (M, 32) Moultrie, GA
4. 21:31 ~ Chris Stroh (M, 46) Thomasville, GA
5. 21:47 ~ Daniel DeMott (M, 15) Moultrie, GA
6. 23:17 ~ Sam Marion (M, 31) Moultrie, GA
7. 23:47 ~ Rolando Rosales (M, 38) Moultrie, GA
8. 23:54 ~ Bill Harrison (M, 35) Moultrie, GA
9. 23:56 ~ Bryce Mathis (M, 16) Moultrie, GA
10. 24:30 ~ Bret Owens (M, 47) Boston, GA

Top Ten Women, 2016 Race of the South 5K

1. 24:57 ~ Rebecca Toman (F, 34) Moultrie, GA
2. 24:58 ~ Beverly Johnson (F, 38) Thomasville, GA
3. 25:55 ~ Yasmin Moctezuma (F, 18) Moultrie, GA
4. 26:09 ~ Judi Burnette (F, 46) Moultrie, GA
5. 27:27 ~ Heather Grantham (F, 29) Moultrie, GA
6. 28:02 ~ Nicki Underwood (F, 36) Norman Park, GA
7. 30:31 ~ Chloe Tillman (F, 10) Moultrie, GA
8. 30:33 ~ Celeste Owens (F, 8) Boston, GA
9. 30:34 ~ Wendy Owens (F, 45) Boston, GA
10. 31:39 ~ Stella Wingate (F, 34) Moultrie, GA

Known winners of Moultrie's Race of the South
Date	Race	Men	Women	Finishers
22 March 1980	10K	32:33, Gary Slayton	45:25, Becky Grubbs	200+
1981	10K
20 March 1982	10K	34:58, Rusty Jones
16 April 1983	10K	31:32, Adam Pinkston	41:37, Diane Rivering
14 April 1984	10K	31:33, Rick Miller
13 April 1985	10K	31:59, Jeff Milliman
19 April 1986	10K	33:39, Danny Daniels	38:16, Janice Hochstein
11 April 1987	10K	31:26, Greg Thompson	38:39, Janice Hochstein
16 April 1988	10K	Jessie Close
15 April 1989	10K
21 April 1990	10K	Louis Floyd
20 April 1991	10K	Louis Floyd
18 April 1992	10K	35:08, Paul Wilder
10 April 1993	10K
16 April 1994	10K
22 April 1995	10K	James Lee
1996	10K	James Lee
No race held, 1997-2002
6 September 2003	10K	39:42, Imie Mark	45:26, Cindy Barkley	73
	5K
2004	10K	40:31, Imie Mark	44:23, Amy Sharon	45
	5K
17 September 2005	10K	39:37, Ian Cooper	50:08, Tracy McClure	37
	5K			20
16 September 2006	10K	37:58, Todd Smoot	48:37, Shelby Levy	57
	5K	21:45, Travis Walker
15 September 2007	10K	37:33, Todd Smoot	47:02, Judy Alexander	39
	5K	23:51, Donald Fairbanks	26:04, Charmaine Johnson	23
20 September 2008	10K	38:28, Heath Lamb	45:21, Kristen Kinsley
	5K	19:24, Craig Dabdoub	18:29, Amy Paine
19 September 2009	10K	John Seppala	Amy Hines
	5K	Jason Ewing	22:04, Allison Peters
18 September 2010	10K	41:29, Ben Hoover	50:07, Dawn Montooth	32
	5K	20:18, Landon Rehberg	23:12, Kim Luque	57
17 September 2011	10K	40:00, Mark McLeod	50:03, Thesdee Randon
	5K	18:59, Steven Johnson	22:31, Searra Johnson
15 September 2012	10K	39:44, Matt Kuhns	46:24, Laura Lofton Weldon	58
	5K	17:22, Jorge Villalobos	22:35, Elizabeth Funderburk	121
21 September 2013	10K	40:45, Paulino Cruz	50:00, Nancy Marto	50
	5K	19:07, Steven Johnson	25:19, Tiffany Smith	78
20 September 2014	10K	43:36, Paulino Cruz	42:48, Amy Hines	38
	5K	20:28, Steven Johnson	23:36, Beverly Hamilton	56
19 September 2015	10K	39:01, Daniel Butzin	52:52, Mary Galambos	32
	5K	18:40, Steven Johnson	22:44, Beverly Hamilton	49
17 September 2016	10K	43:15, Cody Pezent	51:00, Ashley Coleman	47
	5K	20:21, Chad Johnson	24:57, Rebecca Toman	44
Prior to its revival in 2003, the Race of the South was held annually from 1980 to 1996. I'd deeply appreciate results from any of the years missing from the above table!

Links

• Complete results of the Moultrie YMCA's 2016 Race of the South
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AK_2g7HuaGj_WQ5tfU-5P-5u009GmRNmKmW1sAIWKbY/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Butzin and Galambos hit the road to rule the streets in Moultrie”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/race-of-south-2015.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Cruz and Marto headline the Moultrie YMCA's 11th annual Race Of The South 10K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/race-of-south-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Runaway wins for Kuhns, Weldon at Race Of The South 10K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/10/race-of-south-2012.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Hoover and Montooth win the Race of the South 10K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/race-of-south-2010.html
  
  
• Upcoming races in Moultrie and elsewhere in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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