Kelly and Caltová win an extra-long half marathon at the Red Nose Run

From 2011 to 2016, the Thomasville, Georgia Junior Service League hosted an annual 5K road race, the Red Nose Run. From 2012 to 2014 the event also included a half-marathon. By 2017 the Junior Service League was thinking of bringing back the half marathon, and in September they held and online opinion poll to see if there was any support for the idea. The opinions that mattered, though, were those of the 61 athletes who actually showed up at Thomas University on Saturday morning, 16 December 2017, and ran the half-marathon at the seventh annual Red Nose Run. Lake Park, Georgia athlete Ryan Kelly was the fastest of those 61, winning the race in 1:31:54. Kateřina Caltová, a Czech Republic athlete currently residing in Tallahassee, Florida, was the first woman in the race, placing third overall in 1:37:15.


The half-marathon course at the Red Nose Run is USATF-certified, but that only guarantees accuracy if the race follows the certified route. When the Thomasville 13.1-mile race was first run in 2012, the runners were directed to turn around early on Metcalf Road, making the race about a mile short. Another mishap marred the 2017 revival of the half-marathon. This time, less than half a mile from the starting line at Thomas University, the runners turned right onto Gordon Avenue instead of left.


"We ran past the course monitor who was cheering us on down the wrong road," reported Ryan Kelly.


The leaders had run more than three-quarters of a mile before Kelly realized what had happened. By the time he got the field turned around, even the slowest runners had gone a quarter-mile in the wrong direction before doubling back. Once back on the right course, Kelly went on to win the half marathon in 1:31:54. It wasn't as fast as the 1:23:18 winning time Kelly had posted at the 2013 Red Nose Run, but in 2014 he hadn't run close to fourteen miles. Tallahassee, Florida's Jack McDermott was the first master runner in the race, placing second overall in 1:36:38. Garret Padgham of Crawfordville, Florida was the third male finisher and fourth overall in 1:42:01.


Kateřina Caltová, the women's champion, also didn't come close to her best time for a half marathon, but the Florida State University student's 1:37:15 was most likely her best time for whatever distance she ended up running that day. Laura McDermott of Tallahassee was the women's runner-up, placing sixth overall in 1:43:56. Valdosta, Georgia athlete Sandra Griffin was the first woman master and third female finisher, 1:45:46.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Red Nose Run Half Marathon

1. 1:31:53.76, Ryan Kelly (M, 39) Lake Park, GA
2. 1:36:37.76, Jack McDermott (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:42:00.68, Garrett Padgham (M, 34) Crawfordville, FL
4. 1:43:37.82, Dan Scott (M, 43) Thomasville, GA
5. 1:44:49.93, Alec Munger (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
6. 1:49:08.06, Gareth Pyle (M, 38) Thomasville, GA
7. 1:50:47.58, Duane Joiner (M, 41) Ochlocknee, GA
8. 1:50:49.36, Nic Plenge (M, 40) Thomasville, GA
9. 1:52:24.96, Philip Sura (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:53:11.37, Cruz Pozo (M, 11) Thomasville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2017 Red Nose Run Half Marathon

1. 1:37:14.45, Kateřina Caltová (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
2. 1:43:55.15, Laura McDermott (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:45:45.78, Sandra Griffin (F, 50) Valdosta, GA
4. 1:52:25.41, Emma Szwarc (F, 15) Thomasville, GA
5. 1:53:39.57, Nancy Stedman (F, 56) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:57:09.70, Melissa Raffensperger (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:59:01.13, Shea Walker (F, 38) Valdosta, GA
8. 1:59:26.57, Grace Kennedy (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
9. 2:00:46.98, Kim Munger (F, 46) Valdosta, GA
10. 2:01:09.64, Merry Emily Downing (F, 26) Marietta, GA

The 5K runners set out at the same time from the same starting line as the half marathoners, so their race was also too long by varying amounts. Anthony Derroo was first in the more-than-five-kilometers race, edging Ryan Kennedy of Tallahassee 23:21 to 23:22. In spite of the extra distance, Anna James of Thomasville was first in the women's standings for the second year in a row, placing third overall in 24:17.


61 athetes finished the 2017 Red Nose Run half marathon, with another 151 competeting the 5K. Both races were chip timed by Event Technical Services, Inc, of Sylvester, Georgia.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 23:20.36, Anthony Derroo (M, ??)
2. 23:21.85, Ryan Kennedy (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
3. 25:02.90, Nathaniel Bellamy (M, 15) Thomasville, GA
4. 27:26.00, Joshua May (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
5. 27:53.48, Justin Williams (M, 40)
6. 28:04.64, Colin Szwarc (M, 12) Thomasville, GA
7. 28:40.43, Chris Bracken (M, 40) Thomasville, GA
8. 28:43.90, Brian Szwarc (M, 52) Thomasville, GA
9. 28:59.32, Jim Tully (M, 71) Lamont, FL
10. 29:01.06, Bryce Murkerson (M, 15) Hawkinsville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2017 Red Nose Run 5K

1. 24:16.20, Anna James (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
2. 25:28.44, Rosalie White (F, 23) Thomasville, GA
3. 28:15.78, Donica Williams (F, 38)
4. 28:57.02, Meshea Hardeman (F, 28) Valdosta, GA
5. 29:06.67, Jodi Stuckey (F, 33) Moultrie, GA
6. 29:08.23, Anika Imhof (F, 11) Thomasville, GA
7. 29:10.97, Krista Peace (F, 26) Thomasville, GA
8. 29:23.88, Elise McPherson (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
9. 29:28.25, Keara Conrad (F, 35) Cottondale, FL
10. 29:33.83, Mary Sue Thompson (F, 35) Moultrie, GA

Thomasville, Georgia JSL Red Nose Run winners, 2011 - 2016
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
10 December 2011	5K	17:08, Stephen Robbins	19:56, Angelina Horne	272
15 December 2012	Half Marathon	73:51, Charlie Johnson	83:05, Sarah Batt	96
	5K	21:04, Charlie Lang	23:41, Lindsey Poole	349
14 December 2013	Half Marathon	83:18, Ryan Kelly	93:22, Sarah Batt	74
	5K	20:38, Charlie Lang	23:05, Angela Cipriani	237
13 December 2014	Half Marathon	90:46, Camilo Ordonez	94:15, Melissa Thompson	47
	5K	19:33, Charlie Lang	22:58, Lori Richardson	160
12 December 2015	5K	17:44, Hunter Phillips	20:00, Melissa Thompson	199
10 December 2016	5K	18:46, Conley Wilhelm	21:21, Anna James	107
16 December 2017	Half Marathon	91:54, Ryan Kelly	97:15, Kateřina Caltová	61
	5K	23:21, Anthony Derroo	24:17, Anna James	151
The 5K was the sole race contested in 2011 and 2015-2016. In 2012 the half marathon course was cut short. In 2012 - 2016 the 5K was run on USATF certified course GA12116WC. In 2013 and 2014 the half marathon was run on USATF certified course GA12117WC. In 2017 both the half marathon and 5K were long by varying amounts.

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Red Nose Run 5K at gulfwinds.org
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRKtIDF888pI7yI13-CmbEgCYn_n7uVyUmWOvkzAxOdBWGwk0Axl9sfMTbP2qaBx4Prctz-hRGfTy_O/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Thomas County harriers Wilhelm and James win the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/12/red-nose-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Phillips and Thompson win a shorter, faster Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/12/red-nose-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “A half marathon of Red Hills for Ordonez and Thompson in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/12/red-nose-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Kelly and Batt rule in the Red Nose Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/12/red-nose-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Red Nose course comes up short, but not Charlie Johnson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/red-nose-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “No Rudolph here; Robbins and Horne win Red Nose 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-nose-2011.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA12116WC, Red Nose Run 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA12116WC
  
  
• Find upcoming runs in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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