Nazareth over Mazziotta by a nose at the Trent Trot 5K

After running nearly in tandem for two miles of the 3.1-mile race, Matt Nazareth edged Jake Mazziotta 17:26 to 17:30, winning the Trent Trot 5K on a chilly Saturday morning, 23 January 2016. Katie Sherron took the women's title, placing seventeenth overall in 19:36. 554 athletes finished the seventh annual race, which started and finished at Roberts Elementary School, just north of Tallahassee, Florida.


Farther north in the nation, races and even indoor track meets were being canceled in the face of severe winter weather. More than two feet of snow was falling in the District of Columbia. Tallahassee, meanwhile, was experiencing what passes for winter in North Florida. Sure, it was cool, cloudy, and windy. The Chamber of Commerce would have suppressed the weather report for the day if they could. Nevertheless, no one was closing down roads or businesses. Life and the Trent Trot 5K went on as normal. Not that it was pleasant.

"I didn't realize it was 25 degrees with wind chill," said Matt Nazareth. "I lost feeling in everything after about a mile."


The actual air temperature was in the 30s when the race started somewhat after 8:30 AM. Hunter Phillips led early but was swiftly overtaken by Nazareth, a first-year student at Tallahassee Community College. While Phillips fell back, Maclay School distance runner Jake Mazziotta pulled even with Nazareth.


"That was a lot of fun," said Nazareth. "We were trading places after the first mile."

Back and forth it went, Nazareth leading, then Mazziotta, then Nazareth again. Finally, with the finish line in sight, Nazareth took the lead for good. Nazareth was first across the line in 17:26, with Mazziotta finishing a moment later in 17:30. Zach DeVeau overtook Gary Droze during the second half of the race to move into third place, where he finished in 17:41. Droze, the Maclay School cross country coach, was the top master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 17:58.


Montford Middle School is right next to Roberts Elementary. Caitlin Wilkey is an eighth-grader on the Montford cross country team, so it wasn't surprising to see her at Roberts for the Trent Trot 5K. Wilkey was also the fifth-fastest girl in the Leon County cross country championship, so it wasn't surprising to see her leading the women's field in the Trent Trot 5K. Before the first half of the race was over, though, Florida State University economics professor Katie Sherron caught Wilkey.


"At the mile mark," recalled Sherron.

After that the race belonged to Sherron, who opened a gap of more than 100 meters on Wilkey on the way to a 19:36 win. It was Sherron's third appearance in the race, but her first Trent Trot victory. Wilkey took second in the women's standings, finishing 26th overall in 20:10. Brittney Barnes was the third woman across the line, 28th overall in 20:17. Laura Reina was the top woman master in the Trent Trot, the seventh female finisher and 49th overall in 22:29.


Proceeds of the Trent Trot 5K go to the Trent's Touch Foundation to support local families living with childhood cancer. The foundation and the race are named for Trent McElroy, a Roberts Elementary fourth-grader who died of cancer in 2013. Chip timing of the race was provided by Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Trent Trot 5K

1. 17:25.25 ~ Matt Nazareth (M, 19)
2. 17:29.30 ~ Jake Mazziotta (M, 17)
3. 17:40.50 ~ Zach DeVeau (M, 28)
4. 17:57.52 ~ Gary Droze (M, 54)
5. 18:10.29 ~ Grady Smith (M, 39)
6. 18:15.36 ~ Ryan Truchelut (M, 30)
7. 18:21.45 ~ Mike Martinez (M, 50)
8. 18:33.47 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 47)
9. 18:40.74 ~ Hunter Phillips (M, 21)
10. 18:53.94 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 38)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Trent Trot 5K

1. 19:35.33 ~ Katie Sherron (F, 34)
2. 20:09.46 ~ Caitlin Wilkey (F, 13)
3. 20:16.18 ~ Brittney Barnes (F, 28)
4. 21:42.58 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
5. 21:56.37 ~ Laura McDermott (F, 36)
6. 22:19.33 ~ Katie Sack (F, 24)
7. 22:28.50 ~ Laura Reina (F, 51)
8. 22:42.49 ~ Emma Spencer (F, 34)
9. 22:48.08 ~ Ruffian Tyner (F, 40)
10. 23:15.78 ~ Paula O'Neill (F, 54)

Trent Trot 5K winners, 2009 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
17 October 2009	17:29, Tony Guillen	22:22, Cora Atkinson	148
29 January 2011	19:13, Cole Tessier	20:48, Laura Hanlon	199
28 January 2012	17:00, Trevor Touchton	20:19, Laura Hanlon	208
19 January 2013	16:10, Stanley Linton	19:36, Micah Adriani	268
25 January 2014	17:53, Peter Kaus	19:16, Lisa Johnson	206
24 January 2015	16:19, Chris Lake	18:49, Seeley Gutierrez	574
23 January 2016	17:26, Matt Nazareth	19:36, Katie Sherron	554
From 2009 to 2014 the race was named the Red Fox Trot 5K

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Trent%20Trot%202016.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10107138573418493.1073742165.5215641&l=d0ccfd3b0d
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K
  
  • 5K: https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/TrentTrot5K_16
  • Mile : https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/TrentTrotMile_16
  
  
• 2015 story, “Lake and Gutierrez take the Trent Trot at a gallop”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/01/red-fox-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “A win for Kaus and a record for Johnson at the Red Fox Trot”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/01/red-fox-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Records fall at fourth Red Fox Trot 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/01/red-fox-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Touchton and Hanlon set Red Fox records”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/02/red-fox-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Tessier and Hanlon fox the field in the Red Fox Trot 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-fox-trot-2011.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL11132EBM for the Trent Trot 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL11132EBM
  
  
• Locate your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1598

Speedy Sickle Cell 5K runs for Nazareth and Barnes

On a rainy Saturday morning, 12 September 2015, Matt Nazareth won the 34th annual Sickle Cell 5K in Tallahassee, Florida, posting a 17:24 on the wet streets around the Jake Gaither Community Center. Gary Droze was fastest master runner in the race, finishing runner-up in 17:30. Brittney Barnes was the first female finisher, placing fourth overall in 20:10, and Nancy Stedman was the top woman master, eighth overall in 23:12.


The 2015 Sickle Cell 5K will probably be remembered as the year that it rained. The first showers started well before the race and continued until well after the last athlete crossed the finish line. Some of the runners were distressed by the weather. Others stayed away because of the conditions. Winner Matt Nazareth wasn't one of them.


"I like running in the rain, especially road racing," said Nazareth. "It's like when Rod Dixon won the New York Marathon in the rain."


That race was in 1983, well before 18-year-old Matt Nazareth was born. The history of the sport continues to inspire.


Nazareth set the early pace in the race, closely trailed by Maclay School cross country coach Gary Droze and 15-year-old Aaron Jones. By the halfway point Jones had lost contact with the leaders. Droze, a four-time winner of the Sickle Cell 5K, was just six seconds behind Nazareth, but couldn't close that gap during the second half of the race.


"It wasn't as close as it looked," said Droze. "He looked back once, saw me, and picked it up."


Nazareth was still six seconds ahead at the finish line, winning the race in 17:24 with Droze second in 17:30. Jones placed third in 19:20, much faster than the the 20:22 that had earned him seventh place in the 2014 Sickle Cell race.


Nazareth was happy enough with his performance. "It's my first race of the season. I just wanted to see where I was at."


The season is cross country season, of course. Nazareth is a first-year student at Tallahassee Community College, a school where you won't find a cross country team, but Nazareth races unattached. The next event on his calendar is the Quail Trail 5K cross country run on 19 September 2015 at Pebble Hill Plantation near Thomasville, Georgia. Nazareth also trains with cross country in mind.


"In Orlando I always trained on golf course," said Nazareth. "I do all my runs now at Apalachee Regional Park so I get to run the Wall every day."


The Wall isn't Tallahassee's longest hill or the steepest, but as part of the State Cross Country Meet course since 2012 it has become the most notorious. Training on it regularly makes it just that much more likely that in some future race on your way up a less famous slope, Matt Nazareth may fly by you.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Sickle Cell 5K

1. 17:23.64 ~ Matt Nazareth (M, 18)
2. 17:29.30 ~ Gary Droze (M, 54)
3. 19:19.76 ~ Aaron Jones (M, 15)
4. 21:24.78 ~ Acton Pifer (M, 23)
5. 22:05.82 ~ Michael LaBossiere (M, 49)
6. 23:01.93 ~ Samuel Cook (M, 23)
7. 23:23.86 ~ Cameron Chadsey (M, 19)
8. 23:24.89 ~ Kenneth Green (M, 13)
9. 23:28.33 ~ John Huddleston (M, 29)
10. 23:55.90 ~ Perry Ponder (M, 47)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Sickle Cell 5K

1. 20:09.18 ~ Brittney Barnes (F, 27)
2. 23:11.31 ~ Nancy Stedman (F, 53)
3. 25:21.44 ~ Emily Kaiser (F, 23)
4. 25:47.19 ~ Sara Ardila (F)
5. 26:15.44 ~ Keyaira Frost (F, 13)
6. 26:28.44 ~ Dominique Berry (F, 21)
7. 26:47.17 ~ Emma Huddleston (F, 26)
8. 26:59.92 ~ Michelle Gayle (F, 53)
9. 27:41.91 ~ Elizabeth Ichite (F, 23)
10. 27:43.93 ~ Maddison Green (F, 10)

Known Sickle Cell 5K winners, 1982 - 2015
Date	Men	Women
1982
1983
8 September 1984 *
31 August 1985
1986
19 September 1987	15:14.2, Jessie Close	17:31.8, Karen MacHarg
17 September 1988	15:12, Jessie Close	16:40, Carla Borovicka
16 September 1989	15:14, Jessie Close	19:38, Barbara Balzer
15 September 1990	16:04, Bill Crooks	18:23, Karen MacHarg
14 September 1991	15:18, Gary Droze	18:47, Vikki Saga
12 September 1992	15:07, Gary Droze	18:39, Carrie Hunnicutt
11 September 1993	15:50, Peter Kirk	21:06, Leah Bonds
10 September 1994	15:47, Andy Palmer	18:06, Jane Johnson
9 September 1995	15:51, John Otterson	19:00, Carrie Weyant
14 September 1996	15:23, Bryan Erb	17:58, Jane Johnson
13 September 1997	15:23, Gary Droze	17:40, Sara Docter-Williams
12 September 1998	16:26, Tim Simpkins	20:28, Julie Clark
11 September 1999	16:24, Robert Pautienus	19:44, Kingsley Broughton
9 September 2000	16:55, Tim Unger	17:40, Sandra Williams
8 September 2001	17:05, Tony Pearson	19:39, Renata Strakova
14 September 2002	19:15, Michael LaBossiere	24:03, Jane Cormier
13 September 2003	18:24, David Yon	22:25, Kim Likens
11 September 2004	18:32, Scott Ruplinger	22:29, Krista Killius
10 September 2005	18:28, Dan Pick	22:00, Cathleen Willy
9 September 2006	17:36, Chris Gregory	21:05, Summer Shepherd
8 September 2007	16:52, Michael Martinez	20:18, Lindsay Thomas
13 Sepember 2008	16:05, Chris Lake	19:11, Sheryl Rosen
12 September 2009	15:44, Chris Lake	22:27, Julie Clark
11 September 2010	18:36, Trey Edwards	22:13, Nancy Stedman
10 September 2011	16:29, Gary Droze	21:21, Tiffany Barz
8 September 2012	18:18, Paul Guyas	20:06
14 September 2013	?	?
13 September 2014	16:48, Roger Schmidt	22:18, Paula O'Neill
12 September 2015	17:24, Matthew Nazareth	20:10, Brittney Barnes
* Four-mile run

Links:

• Complete results of the 2015 Run For Sickle Cell 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2015/Run%20Walk%20for%20Sickle%20Cell%202015.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2015 Run For Sickle Cell 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10106681288017103.1073742120.5215641&l=869a188487
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2015 Run For Sickle Cell 5K
  https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Sickle_15
  
  
• 2014 story, “Schmidt and O'Neill snatch Sickle Cell 5K wins”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/sickle-cell-2014.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Cool air and hot times for Droze and Barz at Sickle Cell 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/09/sickle-cell-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Edwards and Stedman are the 2010 Sickle Cell 5K champions”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/sickle-cell-2010.html
  
  
• USATF Course Certification map FL12057EBM for the 2015 Sickle Cell 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL12057EBM
  
  
• Schedule your next race using the Trouble Afoot! calendar of upcoming runs
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1484