Wednesday, February 24, 2010

24 February 2010 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 24 February 2010. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:


This is a listing of upcoming races within 100 miles of Tallahassee, Florida, roughly the area in the map below. If a race isn't listed, I probably haven't heard of it, so post a comment and let me know about it.

Map

27 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Schools Stomping Out Type 2 Diabetes 5K. 8:00am ET. Pavilion 13, Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, FL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Jason Graham, 850-590-6309.
  • Home Run Spring 5K. 9:00am ET. In front of Florida State University's Tully Gym, Chieftain Way at Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Kate Russi info@fsuhabitat.org or 904-233-1581.
  • Cougar Roll and Stroll 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Elcan-King Elementary School, 725 Louise Street, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Jamye Hathcoat jhathcoat@dcboe.com or Amber Esquivel aesquivel@dcboe.com
  • Pump It Up 5K. 8:00am ET. Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 10405 NW Theo Jacobs Way, Bristol, Florida 32321. Online registration at active.com.
  • American Cancer Society Relay For Life 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com. Dawn Sullivant, dawnsunriserealty@yahoo.com or 850-209-2157.
6 MARCH 2010
  • Thomasville Road Baptist Church 5K, 10K & 1 Mile Fun Run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5 km and 10 km. Thomasville Road Baptist Church, 3131 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309. USATF certified courses FL09036EBM (5K) and FL09035EBM (10K). Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • 4th annual Snickers® Marathon® Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:00 am ET. Veteran's Park, Front Street, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified course GA07003WC (Marathon), GA07002WC (half-Marathon). Event web site. Online registration at active.com. info@SNICKERSmarathonenergybarmarathon.com
13 MARCH 2010
  • Shamrock Scurry 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am one mile / 8:30am 5K. Killearn United Methodist Church, 2800 Shamrock South, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Online registration at active.com. Connie Clark, rclarke54@comcast.net or 850-933-2429.
  • Havana Springtime 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. First Presbyterian Church, 213 1st Street NE, Havana, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Cindy Snowden csnowden@bellsouth.net or 850-264-4355, Rita Love rflove55@hotmail.com or 850-539-6900.
  • 32nd Annual Winston Howell 10,000 Meter Road Race. 9:00am CT. National Guard Armory, Highway 52 and 167, Hartford, AL 36344. USATF certified course #AL96005JD. Event web site. Cary Hatcher at (334) 588-2343 or (334) 944-7115 or hatch@alaweb.com, Mike Kinman at (334) 684-9818 or (334) 588-2211 or mikek@fnbhartford.com
  • Run for Babies 10K/5K. 8:30am CT. Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Fit for Life 5K and Fun Run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET fun run. Springhill Christmas Tree Farm 795 Woodhull Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Online registration at active.com. magsbridges@yahoo.com.
  • Torreya State Park 5K. 9:00 am ET. Torreya State Park, 2576 NW Torreya Park Road, Bristol, FL 32321. Online registration at active.com. Susan Chafin (850) 643-2415.
  • Azalea Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5K. Valdosta State University Recreation Center, 1500 Sustella Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia 31698. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Sirocus Barnes, sirocus.barnes@mchsi.com or 229-333-1861.
14 MARCH 2010
  • Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranches, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1500m kids run. 7:30am ET. Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch, 1813 Cecil Webb Place, Boys Ranch, FL 32060. Event web page. Entry form. Online registration at active.com. Chris Carusone, 941-799-7184.
20 MARCH 2010
  • Ability 1st 5K. 10:00am ET. Myers Park, 913 Myers Park Drive,Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. Online registration at active.com. Judith Barrett, 850-575-9621
  • Sneads Project Graduation 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park on Lake Seminole, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Don't Run With Scissors 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Sallas Mahone Elementary 3686 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. Paul Brown, 229-333-8530.
  • Caring Hands, Caring Heart 5K. 8:00 am CT. Middlebrook Park, Banfill Avenue, Bonifay, FL 32425. Event web page.
  • Second annual Pilot 5K for Brain-Related Disorders. 7:00am CT. Frank Brown Park, 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • St. Patty's Day 5K, 10K, and one-mile fun run. 9:00am CT. Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Center, Building 4605 Andrews Avenue, Fort Rucker, Alabama. 334-255-3794.
21 MARCH 2010
  • Cody Climb 8K. 9:00am ET. Capital Circle SE and Shumard Oaks Boulevard (Southwood area), Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. hwills@gmail.com
27 MARCH 2010
  • 35th annual Springtime 10K, Publix 5K & Fun Station 1-Miler. 8:00am ET. Leon County Courthouse, 301 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Event web site. USATF certified course FL96048DL (10 km). Judy Alexander, jalexander98@comcast.net or 850-383-1361.
  • 'Dosta Dash 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 10K and 5K, 9:30am ET one mile. Toombs Street and Jackson Street, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Get Active, 229-219-0010
3 APRIL 2010
  • Red Hills Triathlon (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). 7:30am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Junior Service League of Panama City 5K Rabbit Race and ½-mile Bunny Hop. 8:00am CT. Panama City Marina Civic Center, 8 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32401. Event web page. Race flyer. Registration form. Online registration at active.com. jmam33@bellsouth.net
10 APRIL 2010
  • 36th annual Palace Saloon 5 km. 8:00am ET. James Messer Fields Park, Jackson Bluff Road and Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. USATF certified course FL99027DL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Herb Wills, hwills@gmail.com
  • Darton College Go Global 5K and one-mile fun run. 9:00am ET 5K / 8:30am ET one mile. Darton College Tennis Pavilion, Darton College, Albany, Georgia 31707. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. David Mann, david.mann@darton.edu or 229-317-6588.
  • "Five-A-Day" 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Beth Battle (334) 794-5000 ext. 7393.
17 APRIL 2010
  • Autism 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET one mile / 9:00am ET 5K. Southwood Town Center, Merchants Row Boulevard and Ivy Green Trail, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Entry form and flyer. Veronica Jones veronica.jones@med.fsu.edu or 850-488-3514.
  • Spring Fling 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET. Bainbridge Country Club, 312 Country Club Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. April Aldridge or Stephanie Poitevint at springflingrun@gmail.com
  • National Mayhaw Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Colquitt Freewill Baptist Church 319 Grow Street, Colquitt, Georgia. Entry form. Dr. Russ Henley 229-758-8500 or Anthony Cobb 229-758-3316.
24 APRIL 2010
  • 33rd Annual Rose City Run 10K and one mile kids' run. 8:00 am ET 10K / 9:30 am ET one mile. North Broad Street and Monroe Street, Thomsaville, GA. USATF certified course GA92011WN (10K). Event web site.
  • Education For Life 5K. 8:00am ET. Florida State University's Mike Long Track, Chieftain Way and Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  • Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Larry Dykes, 334-792-602.
  • Run for Autism 5K. 8:00am CT. Pier Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
1 MAY 2010
  • Ninth annual Tallahassee Tails & Trails 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Tallahassee-Leon County Animal Service Center, 1125 Easterwood Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Second Annual Moultrie Technical College Classic 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 7:30am ET 5K and 10K / 9:00am ET one mile. Moultrie Technical College, 800 Veterans Parkway North, Moultrie, Georgia 31788. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. mDarbie Avera, davera@moultrietech.edu or 229-891-7000.
22 MAY 2010
  • Barefoot 5K. 8:00am CT. Compass Lake In The Hills, 645 Compass Lake Drive, Alford, Florida 32420. Event web page. Online registration at active.com. mary@runningmoms.org or edna@runningmoms.org
31 MAY 2010
  • 4th annual Memorial Day 5K Night Race. 7:00 pm ET. Boulevard Park, East Evans Street and South Boulevard Drive, Bainbridge, GA 39819. Entry form and flyer. Mandi O'Mara 229-248-2230 or omara@dcboe.com
23 OCTOBER 2010
  • “Running for the bay!” Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. 7:00am ET. Apalachicola, Florida. Race web site. Online registration at active.com.
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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Luke May and Kirsten Hagen make their case at Race Judicata

A year after finishing runner-up in the 2009 Race Judicata 5K, Luke May returned to win the 2010 race, covering the course in 17:34. In the women's division Kirsten Hagen got her first win on the Tallahassee roads for 2010, finishing as top women at 19:20 and fourth overall. The 14th annual event was run on the Florida State University campus on Sunday morning, 21 February 2010, starting and finishing near the FSU College of Law.

The race started more than a few minutes after the scheduled starting time of 9:00am. Early in the run Luke May, Thomas Barton, and Nathan Paulich went to the front of the field. By the end of the first mile, though, Paulich fell back, no longer able to hang with May and Barton. May continued to push the pace and dropped Barton on the second mile. May ran the rest of race alone, his winning time of 17:34 well over a minute faster than his 18:51 on the same course last year. Barton hung on to finish second, over 300 meters back in 18:25. Paulich was third in 18:46. Behind them Kirsten Hagen had dominated the women's competition, leading from the very outset. Molly Drake, the women's runner-up, finished over half-a-mile behind Hagen, running 23:12 for 12th overall. Hagen is a former Florida State University distance runner (2005-2009). Drake ran cross country at Maclay School (c/o 2002).

64 runners finished the 2010 Race Judicata 5K. The 14th annual event was hosted by the FSU Women’s Law Symposium as a benefit for Refuge House, a shelter for battered women.

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Lee and Rosen Flash to the Front

176 runners left Woodville, Florida's J. Lewis Hall Park to run the 22nd annual Flash 12K on the chilly morning of 20 February 2010. The first to return to the park and the finish line was Daniel Lee, a narrow victor over Maclay assistant coach Stephen Cox, 41:57 to 41:59. The top woman was Sheryl Rosen, who finished 11th overall in 47:12, over 300 meters ahead of her nearest female challenger, Lisa Johnson.

By the end of the first kilometer, a group of six runners had seized the lead--Daniel Lee, Stephen Cox, Vince Molosky, Tony Guillen, defending champion Jay Wallace, and Gary Droze. The six proceeded to run away from the field. After three kilometers, Wallace could no longer hold the pace set by the leaders and fell out of the group. At four kilometers Droze decided that he'd had enough for the morning and dropped out of the race. That left Lee, Cox, Molosky, and Guillen, pursued by an ever more distant Wallace. Through ten kilometers four leaders ran together as a tight group, sharing the lead, no runner able to break away from the other three. Then on the eleventh kilometer Cox and Lee opened a gap. Guillen fell back. Molosky tried to give chase but failed. The race belonged to one of Lee or Cox now--it was a battle of surge and counter-surge as they fought for the title. At the final turn into the park, though, Lee had won a few steps on Cox, and that was enough to get him across the finish line first. Molosky held on to finish third in 42:29, while Guillen was fourth and first master in 42:36.

In the women's competition Rosen and Johnson went to the front early and ran together through four kilometers. After that, though, Rosen took command of the race. By the end of six kilometers Rosen led Johnson by 50 meters, a gap that she continued to widen. Rosen went on to win top woman honors, while Johnson had to settle for runner-up, finishing 16th overall in 48:25. The third woman finisher and top woman master was Thomasville's Mary Anne Grayson, who crossed the line 30th overall in 51:51.

For the second year the Flash also included a 6K event, won by Ben Kail in 24:43. Runner-up Tad David was the top master in 25:05. Rachel Phipps was the first woman across the line, eighth overall in 31:35. The top woman master was Alyson Hornby-Prichard, the 21st finisher in 34:48.

After 21 years of race direction by Joe Dexter, Mark Priddy took his first turn at directing the race this year. The Flash 12K was originally run near Chaires in eastern Leon County, but has since moved to a course on the northernmost section of the Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Rail Trail, which is about as flat as anyplace you'll ever find to run. The race is named after the DC Comics character "the Flash" (the 1960s and later version who wore a red bodysuit and not the 1940s version who wore a helmet like the FTD man). Time-Warners' lawyers still haven't contacted the Gulf Winds Track Club about the name, a good thing for all parties concerned.


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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

17 February 2010 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 17 February 2010. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:


This is a listing of upcoming races within 100 miles of Tallahassee, Florida, roughly the area in the map below. If a race isn't listed, I probably haven't heard of it, so post a comment and let me know about it.

Map

20 FEBRUARY 2010
  • 22nd annual Flash 12 km / 6 km. 8:13am ET. J Lewis Hall, Sr. Park, 7575 Old Woodville Road, Woodville, FL 32310. USATF certified 12K course #FL05007DL. Entry form and flyer. Mark Priddy, MarkPriddy@msn.com or 850-668-4907.
  • 8th Annual Holy Nativity Episcopal School 5 km run and one-mile fun run. 8:00am CT. Holy Nativity Episcopal School upper campus, 205 Hamilton Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401. Online registration at active.com. 850-747-0060.
  • Darton College Kickin' Cavalier 5K and one-mile fun run. 4:00pm ET one mile / 4:30pm ET 5K. Darton College Tennis Complex, Darton College, 2400 Gillionville Rd, Albany, GA 31707. 229-317-6914.
  • Pine Grove Baptist Church Greenway Trail Run 8K. 9:00am ET. Old Train Depot, Main Street, Trenton, Florida. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. jdouglas04@ufl.edu or 352-463-2151.
  • Bay Haven Family 5K and fun run. 8:00am CT. A. L. Kinsaul Park, 1146 W 5th St, Lynn Haven, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Art of Surviving 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Hahira Elementary School, 350 Claudia Drive, Hahira, Georgia 31632. Entry form and flyer. Kristy Johnson kjohnson@lowndes.k12.ga.us or Leslie Whiddon
    lwhiddon@lowndes.k12.ga.us
21 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Race Judicata 5K. 8:00am ET. Florida State University College of Law, 425 W. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. USATF certified course FL02044DL. Rachel Johnson (racheljohnson@comcast.net or 850-509-5287) or Sarah Tolle (sktolle@gmail.com or 850-284-5200).
  • Hope For Haiti 5K. 2:00pm CT. Citizens Lodge Park, 4577 Lodge Drive, Marianna, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
27 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Schools Stomping Out Type 2 Diabetes 5K. 8:00am ET. Pavilion 13, Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, FL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Jason Graham, 850-590-6309.
  • Home Run Spring 5K. 9:00am ET. In front of Florida State University's Tully Gym, Chieftain Way at Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Kate Russi info@fsuhabitat.org or 904-233-1581.
  • Cougar Roll and Stroll 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Elcan-King Elementary School, 725 Louise Street, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Jamye Hathcoat jhathcoat@dcboe.com or Amber Esquivel aesquivel@dcboe.com
  • Pump It Up 5K. 8:00am ET. Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 10405 NW Theo Jacobs Way, Bristol, Florida 32321. Online registration at active.com.
  • American Cancer Society Relay For Life 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com. Dawn Sullivant, dawnsunriserealty@yahoo.com or 850-209-2157.
6 MARCH 2010
  • Thomasville Road Baptist Church 5K, 10K & 1 Mile Fun Run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5 km and 10 km. Thomasville Road Baptist Church, 3131 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309. USATF certified courses FL09036EBM (5K) and FL09035EBM (10K). Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • 4th annual Snickers® Marathon® Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:00 am ET. Veteran's Park, Front Street, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified course GA07003WC (Marathon), GA07002WC (half-Marathon). Event web site. Online registration at active.com. info@SNICKERSmarathonenergybarmarathon.com
13 MARCH 2010
  • Shamrock Scurry 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am one mile / 8:30am 5K. Killearn United Methodist Church, 2800 Shamrock South, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Online registration at active.com. Connie Clark, rclarke54@comcast.net or 850-933-2429.
  • Havana Springtime 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. First Presbyterian Church, 213 1st Street NE, Havana, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Cindy Snowden csnowden@bellsouth.net or 850-264-4355, Rita Love rflove55@hotmail.com or 850-539-6900.
  • 32nd Annual Winston Howell 10,000 Meter Road Race. 9:00am CT. National Guard Armory, Highway 52 and 167, Hartford, AL 36344. USATF certified course #AL96005JD. Event web site. Cary Hatcher at (334) 588-2343 or (334) 944-7115 or hatch@alaweb.com, Mike Kinman at (334) 684-9818 or (334) 588-2211 or mikek@fnbhartford.com
  • Run for Babies 10K/5K. 8:30am CT. Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Fit for Life 5K and Fun Run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET fun run. Springhill Christmas Tree Farm 795 Woodhull Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Online registration at active.com. magsbridges@yahoo.com.
  • Torreya State Park 5K. 9:00 am ET. Torreya State Park, 2576 NW Torreya Park Road, Bristol, FL 32321. Online registration at active.com. Susan Chafin (850) 643-2415.
  • Azalea Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5K. Valdosta State University Recreation Center, 1500 Sustella Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia 31698. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Sirocus Barnes, sirocus.barnes@mchsi.com or 229-333-1861.
14 MARCH 2010
  • Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranches, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1500m kids run. 7:30am ET. Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch, 1813 Cecil Webb Place, Boys Ranch, FL 32060. Event web page. Entry form. Online registration at active.com. Chris Carusone, 941-799-7184.
20 MARCH 2010
  • Ability 1st 5K. 10:00am ET. Myers Park, 913 Myers Park Drive,Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. Online registration at active.com. Judith Barrett, 850-575-9621
  • Sneads Project Graduation 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park on Lake Seminole, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Don't Run With Scissors 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Sallas Mahone Elementary 3686 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. Paul Brown, 229-333-8530.
  • Caring Hands, Caring Heart 5K. 8:00 am CT. Middlebrook Park, Banfill Avenue, Bonifay, FL 32425. Event web page.
  • Second annual Pilot 5K for Brain-Related Disorders. 7:00am CT. Frank Brown Park, 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • St. Patty's Day 5K, 10K, and one-mile fun run. 9:00am CT. Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Center, Building 4605 Andrews Avenue, Fort Rucker, Alabama. 334-255-3794.
21 MARCH 2010
  • Cody Climb 8K. 9:00am ET. Capital Circle SE and Shumard Oaks Boulevard (Southwood area), Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. hwills@gmail.com
27 MARCH 2010
  • 35th annual Springtime 10K, Publix 5K & Fun Station 1-Miler. 8:00am ET. Leon County Courthouse, 301 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Event web site. USATF certified course FL96048DL (10 km). Judy Alexander, jalexander98@comcast.net or 850-383-1361.
  • 'Dosta Dash 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 10K and 5K, 9:30am ET one mile. Toombs Street and Jackson Street, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Get Active, 229-219-0010
3 APRIL 2010
  • Red Hills Triathlon (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). 7:30am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Junior Service League of Panama City 5K Rabbit Race and ½-mile Bunny Hop. 8:00am CT. Panama City Marina Civic Center, 8 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32401. Event web page. Race flyer. Registration form. Online registration at active.com. jmam33@bellsouth.net
10 APRIL 2010
  • 36th annual Palace Saloon 5 km. 8:00am ET. James Messer Fields Park, Jackson Bluff Road and Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. USATF certified course FL99027DL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Herb Wills, hwills@gmail.com
  • Darton College Go Global 5K and one-mile fun run. 9:00am ET 5K / 8:30am ET one mile. Darton College Tennis Pavilion, Darton College, Albany, Georgia 31707. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. David Mann, david.mann@darton.edu or 229-317-6588.
  • "Five-A-Day" 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Beth Battle (334) 794-5000 ext. 7393.
17 APRIL 2010
  • Autism 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET one mile / 9:00am ET 5K. Southwood Town Center, Merchants Row Boulevard and Ivy Green Trail, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Entry form and flyer. Veronica Jones veronica.jones@med.fsu.edu or 850-488-3514.
  • Spring Fling 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET. Bainbridge Country Club, 312 Country Club Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. April Aldridge or Stephanie Poitevint at springflingrun@gmail.com
  • National Mayhaw Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Colquitt Freewill Baptist Church 319 Grow Street, Colquitt, Georgia. Entry form. Dr. Russ Henley 229-758-8500 or Anthony Cobb 229-758-3316.
24 APRIL 2010
  • 33rd Annual Rose City Run 10K and one mile kids' run. 8:00 am ET 10K / 9:30 am ET one mile. North Broad Street and Monroe Street, Thomsaville, GA. USATF certified course GA92011WN (10K). Event web site.
  • Education For Life 5K. 8:00am ET. Florida State University's Mike Long Track, Chieftain Way and Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  • Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Larry Dykes, 334-792-602.
  • Run for Autism 5K. 8:00am CT. Pier Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
1 MAY 2010
  • Ninth annual Tallahassee Tails & Trails 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Tallahassee-Leon County Animal Service Center, 1125 Easterwood Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Second Annual Moultrie Technical College Classic 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 7:30am ET 5K and 10K / 9:00am ET one mile. Moultrie Technical College, 800 Veterans Parkway North, Moultrie, Georgia 31788. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. Darbie Avera, davera@moultrietech.edu or 229-891-7000.
23 OCTOBER 2010
  • “Running for the bay!” Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. 7:00am ET. Apalachicola, Florida. Race web site. Online registration at active.com.
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Monday, February 15, 2010

"Oldest?" I think not!

Glancing at the Road Runners Club of America's Club Running magazine for Fall/Winter 2009, I noticed Brooke Nelson's report on the RRCA National 5K Championship. What caught my eye was the description of Anniston, Alabama's Woodstock 5K as "one of the oldest footraces in the south." Now, "one of the oldest" isn't very specific. I don't know how any older races there have to be before your race isn't one of the oldest, but in Nelson's book it must be quite a few. Limiting myself to road races (after all, this was in a Road Runners Club of America publication), from where I am writing in Tallahassee, Florida, there are several races senior to the Woodstock 5K. Last month was the 33rd annual Gulf Winds Track Club 30K. Just over a week ago the 36th annual Tallahassee Marathon was run. In March the 35th annual Springtime 10K will be run in downtown Tallahassee, and in April the 36th annual Palace Saloon 5K takes place near Florida State University. At the end of April the 33rd annual Rose City Run 10K is scheduled just up highway 319 in Thomasville, Georgia. Later in the year, the Boston mini-Marathon (not to be confused with another race of similar name) will celebrate its 31st running. Tallahassee will host its 35th annual Turkey Trot and 31st annual Ultradistance Classic in 2010. I make no claims that these are the "oldest footraces in the south." I'm just pointing out that without doing any research I can find a heap of events older than a sprightly 29 years.

How many years away from being the oldest is the Woodstock 5K? We'd first have to know which race was the oldest in the south before we could answer. But a rather large 10K, the Peachtree Road Race, was first run in 1970, over a decade before the inaugural Wooodstock 5K in 1981. Meanwhile, Peachtree is not even the oldest road race in Atlanta--the Atlanta Marathon was first run in 1963 (one of the ten oldest marathons in the United States according to the Atlanta Track Club). That's old enough to be the Woodstock 5K's father. There may or may not be an older road race in the south, but the Atlanta Marathon already puts the Woodstock 5K an entire generation away from being eldest. Can it still be "one of the oldest?"

Looking for the oldest road race in the south may be totally irrelevant in looking for the oldest footrace in the south. For years any event at the venerable Tuskegee Relays (founded 1927) would have been much older than the road races I've mentioned. The same is still true for the Florida Relays. Just about any state's high school cross-country championship is going to be over halfway to the end of its first century.

I'm not knocking the Woodstock 5K, which is a fine event. Indeed, it was named RRCA's 2007 Road Race of the Year. I raced in Anniston in the spring of 2009, and I was impressed with the amount and quality of preparation the Anniston Runners Club had already made to host a national championship. My problem is with journalists who carelessly fling about phrases like "one of the oldest footraces in the south."

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Saturday, February 13, 2010

It's Lake and Hines for all the cookies!

Chris Lake almost immediately leapt to the front of a field of over 400 runners, and continued to lead all the way to the finish line at the "Run For The Cookies" 5K on 13 February 2010. Lakes winning time in the 18th annual event was 16:27. Stanley Linton and Trevor Touchton chased Lake early, but by the end of the first mile they had been overtaken by Stephen Cox, who went on to finish second in 16:45. Touchton hung on to finish third in 17:33, while Linton faded to fifth in 18:57, just ahead of the top male master (over 40) runner, Tim Unger, who was sixth overall in 19:08.


Meanwhile, Amy Hines was moving up through the field to finish as the top woman, fourth overall in 18:11. Hines finished almost 600 meters ahead of her nearest challenger for women's honors, Mary Anne Grayson of Thomasville, Georgia. Grayson was the top woman master (over 40) runner, crossing the line in 20:35.


The "Run For The Cookies" 5K is a benefit for the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle. Since 1993 the event has been directed by Jeanne O'Kon and Tom Perkins. Entrants in the 5K each get a box of Girl Scout cookies, and the age group awards are boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Weather for the 2010 event was cold and clear. 433 runners finished the 5K, somewhat lower than the 2009 tally of 550 finishers.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Run for the cookies, but look out for those Samoas

Tallahassee's annual "Run For The Cookies" 5K is tomorrow (Saturday, 12 February 2010) at 9:00am, starting from Tallahassee Community College. In addition to the usual raceday T-shirt, each entrant gets a box of Girl Scout cookies. The race was founded in 1993 by Jeanne O'Kon and Tom Perkins, who just might have been a bit desparate from trying to unload all of their daughter's Girls Scout cookies. It was a good enough idea that the race has not only been around for eighteen years, but has been imitated by the "Thin Mint Sprint" 5K races in various cities.

Surely, running five kilometers entitles you to eat a box of cookies, right?

Well, let's look at a box of Samoas, one of the two most popular cookies sold by the Girl Scouts of America. Actually, "popular" is a weak word to use for Samoas. They are addictive. NATO should be dropping cargo containers full of Samoas into the rugged borderlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan; after three months a unit of marines could go in with handtrucks and wheel the obese Jihadis to justice. But glancing at the nutritional information on a box of Samoas we see that the serving size is two cookies (yeah, right), and that there are seven servings in a box and 150 Calories per serving. That makes 14 cookies in the box at 75 Calories per cookie for a total of 1050 Calories.

Now it's hard to say how many Calories a runner uses in covering a mile. A heavy athlete thundering along at five minutes per mile might need over 100 calories for that mile, while a petite runner jogging at a much slower pace might use half of that. Let's come down in the middle so we can say that it's one cookie per mile. Five kilometers is only 3.1 miles, so the race doesn't put us close to "earning" our box of cookies. Of course, you'll put in a few miles doing a good warm-up and a post-race recovery jog, but you would still have only done six or eight cookies worth of running, short of the 14-cookie box. Better save some for later, or plan on another run in the afternoon.

It's actually good that you can run so far on so few cookies, otherwise distance runners would have to be eating continually, grazing like cows. Marathoners would have to run with camelbacks full of GU, and aid stations would have to pass out water, Gatorade, and cheeseburgers. So do the "Run For The Cookies" 5K on Saturday, but save some of your Samoas for later.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

10 February 2010 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 10 February 2010. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:


This is a listing of upcoming races within 100 miles of Tallahassee, Florida, roughly the area in the map below. If a race isn't listed, I probably haven't heard of it, so post a comment and let me know about it.

Map

13 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Run For The Cookies 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. 8:30am one mile / 9:00am 5K. Tallahassee Community College Lifetime Sports Center. USATF certified 5K course FL08011EBM. Entry form and flyer. okonj@tcc.fl.edu or 850-894-2019.
  • 2nd annual Trade Love Run 5K & 10K. 8:00am ET. Willis Park, Bainbridge, Georgia. Larissa Carpenter, BainbridgeTradeLoveRun@gmail.com
  • St. Andrew's Mardi Gras 5K. 8:00am CT. Oaks Along The Bay Park, 10th Street and Beck Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32402. Online registration at active.com. joeruns@yahoo.com or 850-774-0018 or 850-265-8439.
  • 13th annual Sweetheart Run 5K and one-mile fun run. 9:00am ET 5K / 9:45am ET one mile. Rehabilitation Services of Tifton, 1488 Old Ocilla Road, Tifton, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. Cindy Spurlin, cindyrst@yahoo.com or 229-386-5200.
  • Step Fitness Blue Grey 5K. 7:30am ET. Lake DeSoto, Lake City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
20 FEBRUARY 2010
  • 22nd annual Flash 12 km / 6 km. 8:13am ET. J Lewis Hall, Sr. Park, 7575 Old Woodville Road, Woodville, FL 32310. USATF certified 12K course #FL05007DL. Entry form and flyer. Mark Priddy, MarkPriddy@msn.com or 850-668-4907.
  • 8th Annual Holy Nativity Episcopal School 5 km run and one-mile fun run. 8:00am CT. Holy Nativity Episcopal School upper campus, 205 Hamilton Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401. Online registration at active.com. 850-747-0060.
  • Darton College Kickin' Cavalier 5K and one-mile fun run. 4:00pm ET one mile / 4:30pm ET 5K. Darton College Tennis Complex, Darton College, 2400 Gillionville Rd, Albany, GA 31707. 229-317-6914.
  • Pine Grove Baptist Church Greenway Trail Run 8K. 9:00am ET. Old Train Depot, Main Street, Trenton, Florida. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. jdouglas04@ufl.edu or 352-463-2151.
  • Bay Haven Family 5K and fun run. 8:00am CT. A. L. Kinsaul Park, 1146 W 5th St, Lynn Haven, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Art of Surviving 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Hahira Elementary School, 350 Claudia Drive, Hahira, Georgia 31632. Entry form and flyer. Kristy Johnson kjohnson@lowndes.k12.ga.us or Leslie Whiddon
    lwhiddon@lowndes.k12.ga.us
21 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Race Judicata 5K. 8:00am ET. Florida State University College of Law, 425 W. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. USATF certified course FL02044DL. Rachel Johnson (racheljohnson@comcast.net or 850-509-5287) or Sarah Tolle (sktolle@gmail.com or 850-284-5200).
  • Hope For Haiti 5K. 2:00pm CT. Citizens Lodge Park, 4577 Lodge Drive, Marianna, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
27 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Schools Stomping Out Type 2 Diabetes 5K. 8:00am ET. Pavilion 13, Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, FL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Jason Graham, 850-590-6309.
  • Home Run Spring 5K. 9:00am ET. In front of Florida State University's Tully Gym, Chieftain Way at Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Kate Russi info@fsuhabitat.org or 904-233-1581.
  • Cougar Roll and Stroll 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Elcan-King Elementary School, 725 Louise Street, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Jamye Hathcoat jhathcoat@dcboe.com or Amber Esquivel aesquivel@dcboe.com
  • Pump It Up 5K. 8:00am ET. Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 10405 NW Theo Jacobs Way, Bristol, Florida 32321. Online registration at active.com.
  • American Cancer Society Relay For Life 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com. Dawn Sullivant, dawnsunriserealty@yahoo.com or 850-209-2157.
6 MARCH 2010
  • Thomasville Road Baptist Church 5K, 10K & 1 Mile Fun Run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5 km and 10 km. Thomasville Road Baptist Church, 3131 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309. USATF certified courses FL09036EBM (5K) and FL09035EBM (10K). Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • 4th annual Snickers® Marathon® Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:00 am ET. Veteran's Park, Front Street, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified course GA07003WC (Marathon), GA07002WC (half-Marathon). Event web site. Online registration at active.com. info@SNICKERSmarathonenergybarmarathon.com
13 MARCH 2010
  • Shamrock Scurry 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am one mile / 8:30am 5K. Killearn United Methodist Church, 2800 Shamrock South, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Online registration at active.com. Connie Clark, rclarke54@comcast.net or 850-933-2429.
  • Havana Springtime 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. First Presbyterian Church, 213 1st Street NE, Havana, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Cindy Snowden csnowden@bellsouth.net or 850-264-4355, Rita Love rflove55@hotmail.com or 850-539-6900.
  • 32nd Annual Winston Howell 10,000 Meter Road Race. 9:00am CT. National Guard Armory, Highway 52 and 167, Hartford, AL 36344. USATF certified course #AL96005JD. Event web site. Cary Hatcher at (334) 588-2343 or (334) 944-7115 or hatch@alaweb.com, Mike Kinman at (334) 684-9818 or (334) 588-2211 or mikek@fnbhartford.com
  • Run for Babies 10K/5K. 8:30am CT. Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Fit for Life 5K and Fun Run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET fun run. Springhill Christmas Tree Farm 795 Woodhull Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Online registration at active.com. magsbridges@yahoo.com.
  • Torreya State Park 5K. 9:00 am ET. Torreya State Park, 2576 NW Torreya Park Road, Bristol, FL 32321. Online registration at active.com. Susan Chafin (850) 643-2415.
  • Azalea Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET one mile / 8:30am ET 5K. Valdosta State University Recreation Center, 1500 Sustella Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia 31698. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Sirocus Barnes, sirocus.barnes@mchsi.com or 229-333-1861.
14 MARCH 2010
  • Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranches, Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1500m kids run. 7:30am ET. Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch, 1813 Cecil Webb Place, Boys Ranch, FL 32060. Event web page. Entry form. Online registration at active.com. Chris Carusone, 941-799-7184.
20 MARCH 2010
  • Ability 1st 5K. 10:00am ET. Myers Park, 913 Myers Park Drive,Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. Online registration at active.com. Judith Barrett, 850-575-9621
  • Sneads Project Graduation 5K. 7:00am CT. Sneads Park on Lake Seminole, Sneads, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Don't Run With Scissors 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:00am ET one mile. Sallas Mahone Elementary 3686 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. Paul Brown, 229-333-8530.
  • Caring Hands, Caring Heart 5K. 8:00 am CT. Middlebrook Park, Banfill Avenue, Bonifay, FL 32425. Event web page.
  • Second annual Pilot 5K for Brain-Related Disorders. 7:00am CT. Frank Brown Park, 16200 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • St. Patty's Day 5K, 10K, and one-mile fun run. 9:00am CT. Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Center, Building 4605 Andrews Avenue, Fort Rucker, Alabama. 334-255-3794.
21 MARCH 2010
  • Cody Climb 8K. 9:00am ET. Capital Circle SE and Shumard Oaks Boulevard (Southwood area), Tallahassee, Florida. Event web page. hwills@gmail.com
27 MARCH 2010
  • 35th annual Springtime 10K, Publix 5K & Fun Station 1-Miler. 8:00am ET. Leon County Courthouse, 301 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Event web site. USATF certified course FL96048DL (10 km). Judy Alexander, jalexander98@comcast.net or 850-383-1361.
  • 'Dosta Dash 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 10K and 5K, 9:30am ET one mile. Toombs Street and Jackson Street, Valdosta, Georgia. Event web page. Get Active, 229-219-0010
3 APRIL 2010
  • Red Hills Triathlon (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). 7:30am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Junior Service League of Panama City 5K Rabbit Race and ½-mile Bunny Hop. 8:00am CT. Panama City Marina Civic Center, 8 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32401. Event web page. Race flyer. Registration form. Online registration at active.com. jmam33@bellsouth.net
10 APRIL 2010
  • 36th annual Palace Saloon 5 km. 8:00am ET. James Messer Fields Park, Jackson Bluff Road and Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. USATF certified course FL99027DL. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Herb Wills, hwills@gmail.com
  • Darton College Go Global 5K and one-mile fun run. 9:00am ET 5K / 8:30am ET one mile. Darton College Tennis Pavilion, Darton College, Albany, Georgia 31707. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. David Mann, david.mann@darton.edu or 229-317-6588.
  • "Five-A-Day" 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Beth Battle (334) 794-5000 ext. 7393.
17 APRIL 2010
  • Autism 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET one mile / 9:00am ET 5K. Southwood Town Center, Merchants Row Boulevard and Ivy Green Trail, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Entry form and flyer. Veronica Jones veronica.jones@med.fsu.edu or 850-488-3514.
  • Spring Fling 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET. Bainbridge Country Club, 312 Country Club Road, Bainbridge, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. April Aldridge or Stephanie Poitevint at springflingrun@gmail.com
  • National Mayhaw Festival 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Colquitt Freewill Baptist Church 319 Grow Street, Colquitt, Georgia. Entry form. Dr. Russ Henley 229-758-8500 or Anthony Cobb 229-758-3316.
24 APRIL 2010
  • 33rd Annual Rose City Run 10K and one mile kids' run. 8:00 am ET 10K / 9:30 am ET one mile. North Broad Street and Monroe Street, Thomsaville, GA. USATF certified course GA92011WN (10K). Event web site.
  • Education For Life 5K. 8:00am ET. Florida State University's Mike Long Track, Chieftain Way and Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  • Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Run. 8:00am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Event web page. Larry Dykes, 334-792-602.
  • Run for Autism 5K. 8:00am CT. Pier Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, Panama City Beach, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
1 MAY 2010
  • Ninth annual Tallahassee Tails & Trails 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 8:30am ET. Tallahassee-Leon County Animal Service Center, 1125 Easterwood Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Second Annual Moultrie Technical College Classic 10K, 5K, and one-mile fun run. 7:30am ET 5K and 10K / 9:00am ET one mile. Moultrie Technical College, 800 Veterans Parkway North, Moultrie, Georgia 31788. Event web page. Entry form and flyer. Darbie Avera, davera@moultrietech.edu or 229-891-7000.
23 OCTOBER 2010
  • “Running for the bay!” Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. 7:00am ET. Apalachicola, Florida. Race web site. Online registration at active.com.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Playing Gunga Din at the 2010 Tallahassee Marathon

Going back more years than I care to remember, I've been part of a group staffing a water table during the Tallahassee Marathon. We usually had a table near the ten-mile mark, although the ten-mile mark jumped from Tram Road to Innovation Park to Dublin Downs to Killearn Estates over the years as different race directors tried out different courses. In recent years we've drawn the post at the Capital Circle (US 319) trailhead of the Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Rail Trail, which is near the eight- and the eighteen-mile marks of the out-and-back Marathon course. For the 2010 race, Tom Thomas, Lucinda Thomas, Deborah Glotzbach, Gene Glotzbach, Judi Taber, and myself volunteered to work the table. I told everyone that by arriving at 8:00am we could be ready for the lead runners.

So at 7:00am I was at "Bruegger's" buying bagels for the team. Fifteen minutes later I was on the Florida State University campus to watch the 7:30 start of the Marathon (which happened at 7:34). I carefully chose a parking spot where I wouldn't have to cross the course when I left. Everything went well, and I was able to see the leaders complete the first two kilometers before leaving for our station. I felt good about arriving at the trailhead by 7:55, until I saw that the Tom, Debbie, and Gene were already there and had set everything up. Thanks for making me look like a slacker, guys. I unloaded the bagels, cream cheese, doughnuts, juice, cola, and beer. Yes, beer. We're the marathon's self-appointed beer station. Judi showed up, and we settled down to wait for the runners.

The wheelchair athletes came through first, brushing off aid. A few minutes later the leader of the marathon, James Kiptoo Cheruiyot, passed us, chanting "No, thank you; no, thank you" in response to our cups. About five minutes later the pursuit pack arrived.

"How many are ahead of us?" called out a runner in the group.

"One!"

"And he's moving fast!" added Debbie.

After that we were busy handing out water, Gatorade, GU, and the occasional Miller Lite. Eight miles doesn't allow much time for the field to spread out, but our traffic load was easier than the earlier aid stations, which also had to serve the half-marathoners. There were a few takers for beer, but more marathoners asking us to save one for them on the way back. A New Orleans Saints fan arrived to cheer for her husband, and decided to help us out till he passed by one the way back. Eventually, the last outgoing runner passed us by and we had a short break while waiting for the first returning runner.

The wheelchair athletes rolled by silently on their way back to the finish line. Our next visitor was Cheriuyot, running swiftly, smoothly, and with a series of "No, Thank Yous" as he strode by us. If anything he was even farther ahead of his pursuers--now a pack of four runners, Orthinal Striggles, Justin Gillette, Sergey Kaledin, and Thomas Tisell. Barring a breakdown by Cheruiyot, those four marathoners were competing for second. Cheruiyot did hold on to win in 2:26:50, while Striggles was the best of the rest at 2:34:04.

Meanwhile we had an aid station to run. The returning marathoners were more spread out than on the way out, so work was less hectic. Things settled down to a rhythm.

"WATER!"

"GATORADE!"

"Cold beer," called Todd.

"WATER!"

"GATORADE!"

"Cold beer," called Todd.

One of the runners coming back was a very lost half-marathon runner. All of the half marathoners were supposed to turn around a mile before they got to us, but Elizabeth Nelson had missed the turnaround and run past our station before figuring out that she had gone too far. If you see her listed as 505th in the half-marathon at 3:10:38, keep in mind that she actually ran three-fourths of a marathon--making her the first (and only) runner to complete that distance.

The trailhead also seems to be a favorite spot for people to drop out. In 2009 Sheryl Rosen stopped at our station on the way back and asked for a ride back to Florida State. This year all David Altmaier wanted from us when he dropped out was to borrow a mobile phone. Todd McMillan obliged him. Jacque Meyer, who had dropped by the trailhead to watch the race, was less than supportive of Altmaier's decision.

"Come on," she urged, as Altmaier tried to make his phone call. "It's only seven miles to the finish. You can do it. Just seven miles!"

But Altmaier had already gone three miles farther than he wanted, and was done for the day. Some time later his ride arrived and he was gone.

Quite innocently, we asked the Saints Fan for her husband's name, which she was happy to supply to us--Evan Thomas. "There he is," she pointed out when he arrived.

"GO EVAN!" "COME ON, EVAN!" "GOOD JOB, EVAN!" "GO GET IT, EVAN!" "HOORAY, EVAN!" Evan had no idea what he had done to deserve such a rabid cheering section, but he didn't seem to mind.

As noon approached the marathoners got slower and farther apart. Eventually all 200-plus runners had gone by and it was time to pack up--and pick up all the discarded cups and phlegm-coated half-empty GU packets. Philip Munoz picked up our equipment and the party was over--till next year.

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