Droze and Barz fly to firsts at Fallen Heroes 5K

After two miles of racing, Gary Droze broke contact with Stanley Linton, going on to a 17:14 win the third annual Fallen Heroes 5K in Maclay Gardens on 13 August 2011. Linton finished as runner up in 17:44. Tiffany Barz won the women's competition, placing 16th overall in 21:38. 232 athletes finished the 3.1-mile race.


Soon after the race started from the Lake Hall recreation area, Maclay School coach Gary Droze was out in front. Approaching the end of the first kilometer, Droze was shadowed by Montford Middle School cross-country alumnus Hunter Scott, but Scott was no match for the old coach. Midway through the second kilometer Scott had fallen off the pace and was passed by Wakulla High's Stanley Linton, who pursued Droze more persistently. It was not until the fourth kilometer, where the course climbed away from the Lake Overstreet trails and back up to the pavement, that Droze no longer heard Linton's footsteps behind him. Droze added to his lead over the last kilometer, eventually finishing half a minute up on Linton, 17:14 to 17:44. Droze was also the fastest master runner in the race. Scott was third in 19:28, staying ahead of a closing Eric Miller (4th, 19:37).


Tiffany Barz paced the women through the first kilometer, with Ashley Daily a few steps back and Marietta Colberg-Hall not much farther behind. Barz pulled away mid-race, though, and the race was all hers with a kilometer to go. Barz returned to Lake Hall and the finish line in 21:38, almost a minute ahead of runner-up Colberg-Hall (20th, 22:35). Colberg-Hall had passed Daily on the fourth kilometer. Daily (24th, 22:57) held off Susan Williams (26th, 23:00) for fourth. The fifth woman in, Fran McLean, was the fastest woman master in the field, finishing 30th overall in 23:34.


The 2011 edition of the Fallen Heroes 5K had 232 recorded finishers, the most in the three-year history of the race. The event is staged annually by the north Florida chapter of Operation One Voice.


Top Ten Men, 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K

1. 17:14 Gary Droze (M, 50) Tallahassee, FL
2. 17:44 Stanley Linton (M, 17) Crawfordville, FL
3. 19:28 Hunter Scott (M, 15) Tallahassee, FL
4. 19:37 Eric Miller (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
5. 19:50 Evan Francis (M, 14) Tallahassee, FL
6. 19:52 James Holben (M, 37) Lee, FL
7. 19:54 Doug Covert (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
8. 19:56 Dan Anderson (M, 48) Perry, FL
9. 20:15 Zach Weston (M, 23) Tallahassee, FL
10. 20:36 Dr. Michael LaBossiere (M, 45) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K

1. 21:38 Tiffany Barz (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
2. 22:35 Marietta Colberg-Hall (F, 39) Tallahassee, FL
3. 22:57 Ashley Daily (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
4. 23:00 Susan Williams (F, 27) Tallahassee, FL
   
5. 23:34 Fran McLean (F, 53) Tallahassee, FL
   
6. 24:00 Andrea Duffy (F, 34) Monticello, FL
   
7. 24:12 Katie Howard (F, 20) Tallahassee, FL
   
8. 24:54 Sandra Canada (F, 48) Woodville, FL
   
9. 24:57 Karima Anderson (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
   
10. 25:06 Jillian Heddaeus (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
    

Winners of the Fallen Heroes 5K, 2009-2011
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
13 August 2011	17:14 Gary Droze	21:38 Tiffany Barz	232
4 September 2010	18:27 Robert Abellera	23:50 Karima Anderson	140
1 August 2009	17:02 Christian Minor	22:07 Olivia Swedberg	164

Links:

• Complete results of the 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2011/Operation%20One%20Voice%202011.html
  
  
• More photos of the 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K (Part 1)
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100961320108643.3191263.5215641&l=d22953c181
  
  
• More photos of the 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K (Part 2)
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100961351066603.3191276.5215641&l=661d1bde39
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2011 Fallen Heroes 5K
  https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/Heroes11
  
  
• 2010 story, "Abellera and Anderson prevail at Fallen Heroes 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/fallen-heroes-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "2009 Fallen Heroes Run, Tallahassee, Florida"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/08/2009-fallen-heroes-run-tallahassee.html
  
  
• North Florida Chapter, Operation One Voice
  http://home.comcast.net/~oovtally/site/?/home/
  
  
• Use the Trouble Afoot! calendar to help plan your fall racing schedule!
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1