Martinez and Yinger prevail at Prefontaine 5K

Half a hundred runners gathered outside of Tallahassee at the Silver Lake Recreation Area of the Apalachicola National Forest on Saturday morning, 24 September 2011, for the 36th annual edition of the Salute To Prefontaine 5K. When the running was over, Tallahassee master runner Michael Martinez had crossed the line first in 19:08, about 70 meters ahead of runner-up Roger Schmidt. It was the second cross-country running match-up for Martinez and Schmidt in a month; four weeks earlier they had finished ninth and tenth at the Miller Landing Madness 8K, where they were only five seconds apart.


The fastest woman in the field was Olivia Swedberg Yinger of Tallahassee, who raced the five kilometers through the sand and palmettos in 22:31, placing 10th overall. Yinger finished nearly 100 meters ahead of the second place woman, Tallahassee's Brook Pace (11th, 23:04). Just seven days after directing the 2011 Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival, Lisa Unger claimed the top woman master spot in the race, coming in 26th overall at 28:36 as the race's fourth woman finisher.


Each year since Steve Prefontaine's death in 1975, the Gulf Winds Track Club has staged the Salute To Prefontaine 5K as a tribute to the Oregon distance runner. A variety of race directors have changed the course frequently over the years, but it has always been in the Apalachicola National Forest. This may change in the future; the race's permit with the Forest Service runs out in 2011. Whatever happens, this race has already endured twelve years longer than Prefontaine himself.


Results, 2011 Salute to Prefontaine 5K

1. 19:08 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 45) Tallahassee, FL
2. 19:23 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 20) Tallahassee, FL
3. 19:40 ~ Jack McDermott (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
4. 20:26 ~ Timothy Yinger (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
5. 21:22 ~ Mike La Bossiere (M, 45) Tallahassee, FL
6. 21:35 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 37) Tallahassee, FL
7. 21:58 ~ Jerry McDaniel (M, 57) Monticello, FL
8. 22:12 ~ Cason Ragland (M, 17) Carrboro, NC
9. 22:24 ~ Eric Henry (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
10. 22:31 ~ Olivia Swedberg Yinger (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
11. 23:04 ~ Brook Pace (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
12. 23:17 ~ Jason Wright (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
13. 24:14 ~ Mike Baker (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
14. 24:23 ~ Ashley Daily (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
15. 24:36 ~ David Landis (M, 52) Tallahassee, FL
16. 25:07 ~ Ryan Fitzgerald (M, 32) Tallahassee, FL
17. 25:07 ~ Buddy Levins (M, 58) Tallahassee, FL
18. 25:20 ~ Michael Culligan (M, 37) Tallahassee, FL
19. 25:42 ~ Jim Moran (M, 53) Tallahassee, FL
20. 25:54 ~ Kyle Rogers (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
21. 25:55 ~ Robert Champlin (M, 41) Tallahassee, FL
22. 26:44 ~ Hal Davis (M, 55) Tallahassee, FL
23. 27:23 ~ Jonathan Otano (M, 19) Tallahassee, FL
24. 27:42 ~ David Darst (M, 68) Tallahassee, FL
25. 28:07 ~ Ryan Cosson (M, 27) Crawfordville, FL
26. 28:36 ~ Lisa Unger (F, 43) Tallahassee, FL
27. 28:48 ~ Tim Brewton (M, 56) Tallahassee, FL
28. 29:21 ~ Steve Haskell (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
29. 29:21 ~ Stephanie Senior (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
30. 29:29 ~ Carlos Zapata (M, 66) Tallahassee, FL
31. 29:31 ~ Monya Newmyer (F, 50) Tallahassee, FL
32. 29:51 ~ John Morrill (M, 59) Tallahassee, FL
33. 29:53 ~ Maria Matheu (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
34. 29:55 ~ Clint Watkins (M, 68) Tallahassee, FL
35. 30:21 ~ Mark Priddy (M, 56) Tallahassee, FL
36. 30:33 ~ Birgit Maier-Katkin (F, 49) Tallahassee, FL
37. 30:58 ~ David Doll (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
38. 32:45 ~ Brian Conklin (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
39. 33:37 ~ Randy Dumm (M, 55) Tallahassee, FL
40. 33:42 ~ Fran McLean (F, 53) Tallahassee, FL
41. 34:07 ~ Julie Coiro (F, 27) Tallahassee, FL
42. 34:46 ~ Kate Mac Fall (F, 40) Tallahassee, FL
43. 35:38 ~ Linda Levins (F, 58) Tallahassee, FL
44. 36:47 ~ Sean Flanagan (M, 44) Tallahassee, FL
45. 38:50 ~ Trina Baker (F, 30) Havana, FL
46. 39:44 ~ Busarakam Fitzgerald (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
47. 39:52 ~ Jennifer Jacques (F, 26) Tallahassee, FL
48. 42:25 ~ Susan Tobin (F, 54) Tallahassee, FL
49. 42:31 ~ Andrea Reese (F, 31) Tallahassee, FL
50. 45:13 ~ Brandi Nelms (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL

Recent winners of the Salute to Prefontaine 5K 1997-2011
Date	Men	Women
27 September 1997	Bill Crooks (18:50)	Julie Clark (23:07)
1998	Paul Hoover (19:26)	Peggy Simpson (24:44)
5 September 1999	Gary Droze (17:56)	Brandi Rook (24:13)
30 September 2000	Gary Droze (17:49)	Allie Hunter (22:17)
29 September 2001	Scott Poindexter (19:37)	Allie Hunter (22:17)
5 October 2002	David Yon (22:17)	Yvonne Gsteiger (25:47)
27 September 2003	Shawn Patterson (18:35)	Angela Dempsey (23:49)
25 September 2004	Gary Droze (17:43)	Seeley Lovett (22:46)
24 September 2005	Gary Droze (18:13)	Jane Johnson (24:06)
23 September 2006	Gary Droze (17:24)	Stephanie Liles (19:59)
29 September 2007	Chris Gregory (17:29)	Micah Adriani (20:26)
27 September 2008	Daniel Lee (18:16)	Kati Gosnell (21:10)
26 September 2009	Joel Piotrowski (20:28)	Micah Adriani (21:20)
25 September 2010	Jay Wallace (18:53)	Kelly Stevens (22:17)
24 September 2011	Michael Martinez (19:08)	Olivia Swedberg Yinger (22:31)

Links:

• 2010 story, "Wallace and Stevens tear up the trails at 'Salute to Prefontaine'"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/prefontaine-2010.html
  
  
• Find your next race, road or trail, in the Tallahassee region
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1