Linton and Showman open 2012 with wins at Bowlegs

Leading over 160 athletes touring Tallahassee's Innovation Park, Stanley Linton ran to a 17:10 victory in the 28th annual Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship on Saturday morning, 7 January 2012. Conducted by the Gulf Winds Track Club, the Bowlegs was Tallahassee's first road race in 2012. Karl Hempel was the fastest master runner in the race, placing fifth overall in 19:13. Katie Showman took top woman honors, running 19:27 to finish eighth. Nancy Stedman successfully defended her 2011 title as top woman master, coming in 32nd overall in 21:56.


If it weren't for the pavement, the view from the front might have led you to believe that you were witnessing a high school cross-country meet. One kilometer into the race, Wakulla High distance runner Stanley Linton was out in front, with Stephen Robbins of Thomasville's Brookwood School thirty meters back. Chase Harris of Bainbridge's Grace Christian Academy trailed in third. Linton was going away, though, and had widened the gap to over 100 meters by the end of the second kilometer. Harris, meanwhile, had pulled even with Robbins. While Linton built an even bigger lead, Harris took over the second position and started to run away from Robbins. Linton finished the race unchallenged with a 250 meter margin of victory. Behind him, Robbins was making a late-race surge, narrowing his deficit with Harris. Harris couldn't be caught, though, and finished runner-up in 18:06, with Robbins 30 meters back in 18:10.


Katie Showman had finished as the women's runner up in the 2011 Bowlegs, but in the 2012 race she would write a different story. By the end of the first kilometer Showman was leading the women, slightly ahead of Talllahassee's Anna Busby. Showman built on that lead, running 19:27 for the women's title, 18 seconds faster than she had run at Bowlegs the year before. 90 meters back, Busby was the women's runner up, placing 11th overall in 19:49. FSU student Alexis Beaudoin, a former standout on the Melbourne High (c/o 2011) cross-country team, ran 20:59 to become the third woman across the finish line. Among the master women, Nancy Stedman had grabbed a ten-second lead on Paula O'Neill after a kilometer of racing. The two runners remained about ten seconds apart throughout the rest of the race, and Stedman successfully defended her women's master title with a 21:56, while O'Neill lagged behind at 22:06.


Held annually since 1985, the Bowlegs has become a fixture on the Tallahassee road racing circuit. Proceeds of the race benefit the scholarship fund of the Faculty and Friends Club of Florida State University, whence the name of the race--the Florida State University mascot is the Seminole, and Billy Bowlegs was an undefeated Seminole warrior. Credit that bit of history to the race's founder, FSU history professor Dr. Leitch Wright. Since Dr. Wright's death, the race has been directed by FSU College of Business professors Bill Hillison and Larry Giunipero.


Top Ten Men, 2012 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship

1. 17:10 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 18) Crawfordville, FL
2. 18:04 ~ Chase Harris (M, 14) Bainbridge, GA
3. 18:10 ~ Stephen Robbins (M, 15) Cairo, GA
4. 19:07 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 38) Tallahassee, FL
5. 19:13 ~ Karl Hempel (M, 60) Tallahassee, FL
6. 19:19 ~ Greg Waddell (M, 45) Bainbridge, GA
7. 19:35 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 20) Tallahassee, FL
8. 19:38 ~ David Landis (M, 53) Tallahassee, FL
9. 19:43 ~ Mike La Bossiere (M, 45) Tallahassee, FL
10. 20:16 ~ Dan Anderson (M, 48) Perry, FL

Top Ten Women, 2012 Billy Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship

1. 19:27 ~ Katie Showman (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
2. 19:49 ~ Anna Busby (F, 21) Tallahassee, FL
3. 20:59 ~ Alexis Beaudoin (F, 19) Melbourne Beach, FL
4. 21:12 ~ Kate Chunka (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
5. 21:24 ~ Kristine Cox (F, 34) Tallahassee, FL
6. 21:56 ~ Nancy Stedman (F, 50) Tallahassee, FL
7. 22:06 ~ Paula O' Neill (F, 50) Tallahassee, FL
8. 23:49 ~ Ann Bowman (F, 43) Tallahassee, FL
9. 23:56 ~ Karen Jumonville (F, 40) Tallahassee, FL
10. 24:13 ~ Sarah Purcell (F, 20) Tallahassee, FL

Billy Bowlegs 5K, 1985-2012
Date	Men	Women	Field
16 FEB 1985	16:44, Scott Hinkle	18:48, Darien Andreu	153
15 FEB 1986	16:12, Rick Miller	20:00, Janice Hochstein	150
7 FEB 1987	15:54, Randy Jordan	20:00, Sarah Patterson	186
13 FEB 1988	16:05, Rick Miller	20:02, Janice Hochstein	220
4 FEB 1989	15:44, Rick Miller	20:02, Barbara Balzer	165
10 FEB 1990	17:28, Felton Wright	19:30, Paula Johnson	112
16 FEB 1991	16:15, Bill Crooks	20:37, Tina Davies	67
15 FEB 1992	15:51, Mike Macinko	18:37, Paula Johnson	81
20 FEB 1993	15:33, Gary Droze	19:33, Carrie Hunnicutt	143
19 FEB 1994	16:02, Phillip Healy	22:18, Chateau Mangaroo	83
18 FEB 1995	15:41, Reid Montini	18:09, Jane Johnson	158
17 FEB 1996	16:12, Tim Simpkins	19:33, Janice Hochstein	77
15 FEB 1997	15:45, Gary Droze	18:20, Jane Johnson	163
14 FEB 1998	16:23, Damian Wilson	17:47, Sarah Docter-Williams	104
13 FEB 1999	15:57, Robert Pautenius	16:54, Breeda Dennehy-Willis	77
12 FEB 2000	15:49, Aaron Scheer	20:42, Laurel Slyck	83
10 FEB 2001	16:48, Gary Droze	18:18, Sarah Docter-Williams
9 FEB 2002	16:20, Thomas Kunish	20:20, Allison Eagen	77
8 FEB 2003	16:56, Paul Orfield	21:15, Fran McLean	76
21 FEB 2004	17:06 Adam David Churchill	18:21, Breeda Dennehy-Willis	82
15 JAN 2005	17:42, Art Remillard	18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams	72
14 JAN 2006	16:43, Shawn Patterson	19:22, Stephanie Liles	152
20 JAN 2007	17:37, Matt Mizereck	19:02, Sheryl Rosen	109
19 JAN 2008	16:32, Tripp Southerland	21:39, Carly Thomas	121
10 JAN 2009	17:59, Tim Unger	20:09, Micah Adriani	117
9 JAN 2010	17:21, Stephen Cox	21:01, Lauren Switzer	84
8 JAN 2011	16:38, Vince Molosky	19:26, Sheryl Rosen	204
7 JAN 2012	17:10, Stanley Linton	19:27, Katie Showman	166

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Bowlegs 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2012/Bowlegs_2012.asp
  
  
• More photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Bowlegs 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101377507855063.3267703.5215641&l=8d994bd6e7
  
  
• Cole Tessier's photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Bowlegs 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101378283460743.3267821.5217230&l=55eb0727fc
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Bowlegs 5K
  https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/Bowlegs1102
  
  
• Pre-race story, "In Tallahassee, 2012 distance running starts at Bowlegs"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/01/pre-bowlegs-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 Bowlegs, "Molosky and Rosen start 2011 racing right at Bowlegs 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/01/bowlegs-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Cox and Switzer winners at a chilly Bowlegs 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/cox-switzer-winners-at-chilly-bowlegs.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map, Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL95008DL
  
  
• Looking for your next road race in the Tallahassee region? Try here!
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1