Monday, March 15, 2010

Wallace and Busby Scurry to Wins

Jay Wallace broke away from Tony Guillen at the halfway point of the Shamrock Scurry 5K, going on to win in 17:25, while Guillen finished runner-up at 17:54. Master runners ruled the day--Wallace and Guillen were both masters, and in fact all but one of the top seven runners fell into that 40-and-over category. Youth still held the advantage in the women's competition though, as Anna Busby edged out Thomasville master Mary Anne Grayson for the win, 21:03 to 21:09. Nearly 500 runners completed the 13 March 2010 run through the streets of Tallahassee's Killearn Estates.

Starting slightly later than the scheduled 8:30am race time, the runners headed north from Killearn United Methodist Church, down Shamrock Street. "Down" is actually quite descriptive, as the runners descended a hundred feet before turning off of Shamrock onto Edenderry Drive. That turn was not quite halfway through the race, and from there the runners had to climb back up to the church. Guillen and Wallace reached the turn running side by side, well ahead of the rest of the field. Then the uphills started and Wallace began to pull away. By three kilometers Wallace had a lead on Guillen, a lead he continued to increase, crossing the line over 130 meters ahead of Guillen. The rest of the field was another half a kilometer behind, led by Steve Barraco in third at 19:54. Former Leon High School (c/o 2008) distance runner Anna Busby didn't enjoy quite as large a margin in the women's race, but still finished about 20 meters ahead of Mary Anne Grayson.

The 2010 race marked the return of the Shamrock Scurry to the Tallahassee racing schedule after a two-year hiatus. In fact, this is at least the second time that the race has returned from the dead. This time, though, the Scurry returned to its original starting location near Killearn United Methodist Church, and a version of its original course. KUMC hosted the race and did an excellent job of getting the word out, as evidenced by the 700 runners who showed up to finish either the five-kilometer race or the one-mile fun run. Volunteers were at each intersection on the course, their safety efforts supplemented by traffic barricades. And there was a pancake breakfast afterwards. I suppose that you could complain about the weather, but you'd have to find someone else who doesn't care for cool air and clear skies to listen to you.

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4 comments:

  1. Looks like a great turn out. That's surprising considering it hasn't been run in two years. I look forward to running it next year if it doesn't conflict with the Gate River Run. By the way, Coors served 80,000 free beers after that 15k race Saturday.

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  2. I'm afraid that there's always going to be a conflict. It's a busy weekend. Each year, the FAMU Relays, the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Shamrock Scurry, and the River Run all fall on the same weekend. As does the McGuire's St. Patrick's Day 5K in Pensacola, which has often been my event of choice. I usually go with Seth and Ace, who drink 80,000 free beers after the race. The post-race refreshments also include a very dangerous green mixed drink. Try one, but then stick with the beer.

    Herb.

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  3. This is great, Herb! I love the Terminator comment on the album & some of your captions crack me up. Great photos...what in the world was the guy with the stroller doing on the starting line???!!!??? Thanks for taking & sharing the pics & writing the blog, Herb...always enjoyable viewing/reading!
    judy

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  4. Thanks, Judy! As for the gentleman pushing the baby stroller, if you'll look at this photo...

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=58747747&l=dbd55d3180&id=5215641

    ...you'll see that after four kilometers he was still rolling along in about seventh place. So he was moving fast enough to start up front, altho' opinions differ on whether or not strollers belong on the course in a crowded road race.

    Herb.

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