McDermott and McDermott are top dogs at this half marathon

A high ridge runs through Piney Z Plantation. Heritage Park Boulevard, half a mile long, crosses this ridge. There's a paved, multi-use trail along the street, so pedestrians and cyclists can enjoy, free from traffic, the hellacious up- and downhill as they go from the shores of Lake Lafayette to Connor Boulevard (or vice versa). More than a few race directors have looked at that hill and wondered how to incorporate it as part of a race course. Dana Stetson didn't bother with incorporating and stopped wondering; he made the hill the course. Out-and-back, with a circuit of the Lafayette Heritage Park parking area at the Lake Lafayette end of the course made about a 1.3-mile loop. And if you do that ten times, that's close enough to half a marathon. Now many people might have noticed a distance like that and done nothing about it. I myself have made note of the fact that 22 times around the Governor's Square Mall parking lot is a marathon. But Stetson took ten times out-and-back (or up-and-down-and-up-and-down) Heritage Park Boulevard and put the "Mike-the-Dog Half-Marathon from Hell" on it. You have to admire that (even if you'd never want to run the race).


And so the "Half-Marathon from Hell" started on Sunday morning, 5 September 2010. The field was strictly limited to twenty runners, but there were only nine takers. The nine set out under overcast skies and unseasonably not-quite-as-hot temperatures, and were almost immediately making a steep climb to the top of Piney Z. Jack McDermott took the lead from the start and held it to the end, lapping the field and winning the race in 1:37:26. Michael Kennett and Jeff Bryan started off together, but Kennett took sole possession of the second spot early on. The two of them lapped everyone else but Jack and took the second and third spots in 1:50:33 and 1:54:53. Behind them, Laura McDermott had started off conservatively, but came on strong the last few loops to pass first Tim Brewton (6th, 2:17:06) and then Bobby York (5th, 2:14:11) to finish fourth overall and the first woman in 2:13:30. Paula Smith was the top woman master, placing seventh overall in 2:41:35.


The "Mike-the-Dog Half-Marathon from Hell" was not large, but it wasn't even the smallest road race in town this year. Nor is size everything. After all, do people scoff because only eight athletes line up for the Olympic final in the 100-meter dash? And the race benefits Cauzican Animal Rescue, which is almost enough reason to run back-and-forth (or up-and-down-and-up-and-down) ten times on Heritage Park Boulevard.


Almost.

Mike-the-Dog's Half-Marathon Thru Hell Tallahassee, Florida 5 September 2010 PLACE ATHLETE S AGE CITY ST TIME ===== =========================== = === ================ == ======= 1. Jack McDermott M 41 Tallahassee FL 1:37:26 2. Michael Kennett M 36 Tallahassee FL 1:50:33 3. Jeff Bryan M 42 Tallahassee FL 1:54:53 4. Laura McDermott F 30 Tallahassee FL 2:13:30 5. Bobby York M 46 Tallahassee FL 2:14:11 6. Tim Brewton M 55 Tallahassee FL 2:17:06 7. Paula Smith F 56 Tallahassee FL 2:41:35 8. Dana Stetson M 53 Tallahassee FL 2:43:49 9. Katelyn Lynch F 26 Tallahassee FL 2:43:49

Links:

• Photos of the 2010 Mike-the-Dog Half-Marathon thru Hell
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2942002&id=5215641&l=02a641553f
  
  
• Cauzican Animal Rescue
  http://cauzican.org/
  
  
• Find your next racing opportunity in the Tallahassee area
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1