Eric Foster and Reese Miller were first to the pin at the Fairway 5K

Cross-country season means racing on golf courses.


It was never the case that every cross-country race was on a golf course, or even most races. But quite a few were. During the 1981 season I raced on golf courses in Tallahassee, Florida; Gainesville, Florida; South Bend, Indiana; and Wichita, Kansas. Someone once told me that the NCAA Cross-Country Championship was on a Monday because that was the day golf clubs closed their courses for maintenance. Nowadays, there are dedicated cross-country venues, like Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas. Or Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Or the Laverne Gibson Course in Armpit, Indiana. Even so, cross-country runners are still likely to race on a golf course one or more times a season.


So count it as a nod to that tradition that Valdosta, Georgia athletes got to race at the Stone Creek Golf Club on Saturday morning, 9 November 2024, in the inaugural TKO Fairway 5K. Valdosta's Eric Foster won the race, touring the links in 18:24. Fourteen-year-old Reese Miller of Valdosta took first in the women's division, placing seventh overall in 20:55.


David Jones of Valdosta placed second behind Foster, running 18:55. Another Valdosta athlete, Colin Prinsloo, took third in 19:09. Lowndes Middle School cross-country runner Andrew Chick, an eighth-grader, was fourth in 19:39. A few steps behind Chick, Brad Keene of Ray City was the first master runner in the race, coming in fifth overall in 19:42.


Valdosta athlete Sara Hamblin was runner-up in the women's standings, finishing twelfth overall in 23:01. Tia O'Leary of Adel, Georgia took third in the women's standings and thirteenth overall in 24:11. Tamara Martin of Valdosta was the first woman master and seventh female finisher, 24th overall in 26:30.


89 athletes finished the 2024 TKO Fairway 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2024 TKO Fairway 5K

1. 18:24, Eric Foster (M, 27) Valdosta, GA
2. 18:55, David Jones (M, 29) Valdosta, GA
3. 19:09, Colin Prinsloo (M, 38) Valdosta, GA
4. 19:39, Andrew Chick (M, 13) Hahira, GA
5. 19:42, Brad Keene (M, 43) Ray City, GA
6. 20:25, Matthew Brown (M, 38) Hahira, GA
7. 21:25, Shane Roberts (M, 53) Thomasville, GA
8. 22:52, Kendrick Valdo (M, 38) Hahira, GA
9. 23:07, Drew Taylor (M, 33) Valdosta, GA
10. 23:50, Jacob Dennis (M, 31) Valdosta, GA

Top Ten Women, 2024 TKO Fairway 5K

1. 20:55, Reese Miller (F, 14) Valdosta, GA
2. 24:01, Sara Hamblin (F, 39) Valdosta, GA
3. 24:11, Tia O’Leary (F, 36) Adel, GA
4. 24:32, Jordan DeGraray (F, 25) Valdosta, GA
5. 26:01, Taylor Ross (F, 30) Valdosta, GA
6. 26:08, Keylee Daugherty (F, 18) Valdosta, GA
7. 26:30, Tamara Martin (F, 47) Valdosta, GA
8. 26:51, Allison Tolman (F, 29) Hahira, GA
9. 27:17, Maura Ray (F, 21) Valdosta, GA
10. 27:38, Isabella Zeigler (F, 12) Valdosta, GA

Links

• Complete results of Valdosta, Georgia's 2024 TKO Fairway 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTR1C-xvTu-9DjCFXDWSQz3TAAi3DMBn_ategX8xfi1ogMb9U2_fACoeTk_O2wvE7xjKcT5Lfhyg0JP/pubhtml
  
  
• Find upcoming races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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