Lake and Rosen collect more Rose City titles

During the Thomasville, Georgia Rose Festival, on Friday the streets belong to the Rose parade. On Saturday morning, though, the streets belong to the Rose City Run 10K--which means that they belong to Chris Lake. Lake won the annual 6.2-mile race for the third straight year on Saturday, April 28, demolishing the field with a 32:59. Sheryl Rosen won the women's division with a 36:51, the fastest time run by a woman at Rose City since 2001.


The Rose City Run is a race of traditions. The course hasn't changed for 35 years, and the runners always gather near the Big Oak after the race. You can expect to hear the band playing near the four-mile mark, and to find a local disc jockey half a mile from the finish line exhorting runners to overextend themselves on the climb up "Heartbreak Hill." Dr. Jim Story's final instructions to the runners have become traditional. "I'll call, 'On you marks, get set,' and when the gun fires you go. And if the gun doesn't fire, you go anyway."


Each year the runners can depend on hearing Coach Charlie Ward, Sr., calling out splits at the three-mile mark. This year Coach Ward's watch failed and a runner loaned him one on the fly. The Rose City Run protects its traditions.


Chris Lake's titles threaten to become a tradition. The University of Florida medical student took the lead right after the start, with Brian Tackett just off his shoulder for much of the first mile. Before the start of the second mile, though, Tackett could no longer stay with Lake. Leon High School cross-country runner Will Henderson took over the second position, chasing Lake from a distance. Lake steadily pulled away from Henderson, though, and by the four-mile mark had a lead of about 200 yards. Lake ultimately won by over a quarter mile, beating Henderson to the finish line 32:59 to 34:23. Two of Henderson's cross-country teammates at Leon, Zach Buccholz and Jarod Hoffman, took the next two places in 35:25 and 36:27. Tackett, Lake's early challenger, ended the race fifth in 36:28.


While Chris Lake started his Rose City Run career in 2010 with a win, Sheryl Rosen's history at Thomasville's premier race started back in 2006. Since then, Rosen won the women's division in 2007 and took the runner-up spot three times, including a second-place finish to Amy Hines in 2010. Both Hines and Rosen lined up in 2012. Hines led the women's field through the first half of the race, in spite of stopping to tie her shoe on the first mile. Early in the fourth mile, on Pinetree Boulevard, Rosen took over. Rosen may have looked back during the final half of the race, but she didn't have to as she built up a lead of almost 300 yards while putting up a winning time of 36:51. It was the Rose City Run's fastest winning time for a woman since 2001, when Sarah Docter-Williams took the women's title in 36:22. Behind Rosen, Hines placed second in 37:51, and Leon High School cross-country runner Autumn Wable was third in 41:35. Thomasville's Mary Anne Grayson ran 41:59 to finish as the first woman master and fourth woman overall.


Top Ten Men, 2012 Rose City Run 10K

1. 32:59 ~ Chris Lake
2. 34:23 ~ Will Henderson
3. 35:25 ~ Zach Buchholz
4. 36:27 ~ Jarod Hoffman
5. 36:28 ~ Brian Tackett
6. 36:39 ~ Connor Stevens
7. 36:40 ~ Raley Beggs
8. 36:49 ~ Kyle Buchholz
9. 36:59 ~ Keith Howell
10. 37:25 ~ Peter Kaus

Top Ten Women, 2012 Rose City Run 10K

1. 36:51 ~ Sheryl Rosen
2. 37:51 ~ Amy Hines
3. 41:35 ~ Autumn Wable
4. 41:59 ~ Mary Anne Grayson
5. 43:50 ~ Melissa Thompson
6. 44:01 ~ Molly Rodrigues
7. 44:27 ~ Cora Atkinson
8. 46:00 ~Taylor Benton
9. 46:02 ~ Paula O'Neill
10. 46:08 ~ Rachel Smith
11. 46:08 ~ Jessica Parker

Rose City Run 10K Champions, 1978-2012
Date	Men	Women
29 April 1978	31:25, Gary Slayton	36:45, Janice Hochstein
28 April 1979	31:47, Mike Rasper	37:49, Janice Hochstein
26 April 1980	31:18, George West	38:14, Colleen Joiner
25 April 1981	30:21, Mabry McCray	40:26, Nicole Batchelder
1982	30:33, Ernie McKee	38:31, Nicole Batchelder
1983	30:47, Noel Shuman	34:57, Darien Andreu
1984	33:05, Gary Slayton	37:51, Barbara Balzer
27 April 1985	32:36, Rick Miller	37:41, Barbara Balzer
26 April 1986	32:05, Rick Miller	37:35, Janice Hochstein
1987	29:57, Herb Wills	37:39, Karen MacHarg
1988	31:55, Jessie Close	37:59, Karen MacHarg
1989	31:39, Jessie Close	36:49, Karen MacHarg
1990	31:56, Jessie Close	37:04, Karen MacHarg
1991	31:15, Jessie Close	38:33, Vikki Saga
1992	33:04, Trent Smith	37:48, Vikki Saga
24 April 1993	31:28, Gary Droze	38:24, Vikki Saga
23 April 1994	30:19, Robin Rogers	37:37, Lisa Herman
29 April 1995	31:52, Jessie Close	35:37, Suzanne Rigg
27 Aprl 1996	32:18, Jessie Close	39:37, Carrie Weyant
26 April 1997	32:29, Brian Erb	36:40, Sarah Docter-Williams
25 April 1998	31:58, Alan Black	36:07, Sarah Docter-Williams
24 April 1999	32:21, Alan Black	37:14, Sarah Docter-Williams
29 April 2000	34:15, Sean Daniels	35:20, Anna Pichrtova
28 April 2001	32:05, Paul Spangler	36:22, Sarah Docter-Williams
27 April 2002	30:53, Alan Black	39:35, Jane Johnson
26 April 2003	31:58, Matt Kalinski	41:53, Julie Carico
25 April 2004	33:44, Jessie Close	39:52, Kate Remillard
23 April 2005	33:44, Jessie Close	37:08, Sarah Docter-Williams
29 April 2006	34:32, Jessie Close	38:38, Barbara Jarnagin
28 April 2007	31:21, Alan Black	39:02, Sheryl Rosen
26 April 2008	33:10, Malcolm Campbell	37:40, Donna Garcia
25 April 2009	32:34, Nathaniel Haskins	41:38, Mary Anne Grayson
24 April 2010	32:51, Chris Lake	37:42, Amy Hines
23 April 2011	32:46, Chris Lake	38:58, Donna Garcia
28 April 2012	32:51, Chris Lake	36:51, Sheryl Rosen

Links

• Complete results of the 2012 Rose City Run 10K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2012/Rose%20City%2010K%202012.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2012 Rose City Run 10K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101837739137883.3326618.5215641&l=13d43e9a95
  
  
• Jamie Story's photos of the 2012 Rose City Run 10K
  https://plus.google.com/photos/108424521899453335521/albums/5736874437647544753
  
  
• Video, Heartbreak Hill disc jockey at the 2012 Rose City Run 10K
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHt1ZM4GORQ
  
  
• 2011 story, "Lake and Garcia go for two at Rose City"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/04/rose-city-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Lake and Hines beat the storm at Rose City"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/04/rose-city-2010.html
  
  
• Find the next Rose City Run on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1