Sunday, July 29, 2012

Carmichael and Holt lead the stampede at Critter Run

2012 Critter RunSince the inception of the race in 1986, Dothan, Alabama's Critter Run 5K has become a summer distance running fixture in the southeast Alabama / southwest Georgia / northwest Florida tri-state area. Each year the race features a different animal; the "critter" for the 27th annual race on 28 July 2012 was the giraffe. Aside from accumulating a menagerie over nearly three decades, in recent years the Critter Run has been establishing a tradition of tight races. The close finishes started in the 2009 race with Andrew Norton edging out Charlie Johnson 17:13 to 17:18. In 2010 Tommy Heikkinen ran 17:14 to finish just ahead of Brandon Hough's 17:17. Challen Hyman's 2011 winning time of 18:00 just beat runner-up Chase Harris' 18:08.


Caleb CarmichaelPensacola's Caleb Carmichael, a University of West Florida cross-country coach, had witnessed two of those close finishes from behind, finishing 5th (18:50) in 2010 and third (18:20). In 2012 Carmichael was ready to be part of the story.


But in the Saturday evening race, Tallahassee triathlete Charlie Johnson, the 2009 runner-up, took the lead. Carmichael trailed Johnson until the final climb up Whately Drive toward the finish in Westgate Park, where Carmichael decided it was his last chance to make a move. He closed the gap. With less than 200 meters to go, Johnson and Carmichael were running shoulder to shoulder going up Whately. Then the coach pulled away. Carmichael turned into Westgate Park with the lead, then crossed the finish line with his own close victory, 16:56 to 17:03 over Johnson. David Seymour of Enterprise, Alabama trailed the two over the line in 18:16, and Tallahassee's Sean Hudson grabbed the top master spot, finishing fourth in 18:29.


2012 Critter Run 5K overall award winners200 meters out from the finish, Tallahassee's Sandy Holt was just a few steps ahead of Kim Likens, but Holt widened the gap before the end of the race, beating Likens 22:46 to 22:57. Tallahassee's Likens was the fastest master woman in the race, finishing ahead of Blakely master runner Debbie Wittmer. Wittmer was the third woman overall, placing 40th in 23:09.


338 athletes finished the race.


2012 Critter Run 5K overall winnersTop Ten Men, 2012 Critter Run 5K
  1. 16:56 ~ Caleb Carmichael (M, 28) Pensacola, FL
  2. 17:03 ~ Charlie Johnson (M, 32) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 18:16 ~ David Seymour (M, 24) Enterprise, AL
  4. 18:29 ~ Sean Hudson (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 18:53 ~ Eric Godin (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 19:04 ~ Myles Gibson (M, 46) Donalsonville, GA
  7. 19:14 ~ Brian Johnson (M, 38) Atlanta, GA
  8. 19:14 ~ John Rotella (M, 34) Roswell, GA
  9. 19:35 ~ Tim Unger (M, 52) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 19:57 ~ Timothy Teat (M, 27) Daleville, AL

Top Ten Women, 2012 Critter Run 5K
  1. 22:46 ~ Sandy Holt (F, 26) Tallahassee, FL
  2. Kim Likens22:57 ~ Kim Likens (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 23:09 ~ Debbie Wittmer (F, 49) Blakely, GA
  4. 23:55 ~ Kimberly Tompkins (F, 24) Enterprise, AL
  5. 24:10 ~ Ami Heath (F, 26) Dothan, AL
  6. 24:11 ~ Carla McDonald (F, 34) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 24:18 ~ Jamie Harris (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 24:22 ~ Val Lichner (F, 53) Bonifay, FL
  9. 24:25 ~ Caroline Levesque (F, 51) Ft. Walton Bch, FL
  10. 24:30 ~ Chynna Dulac (F, 23) Dothan, AL

Critter Run Champions and Critters, 1986-2012
DateMenWomenCritters
26 July 198615:49 Tom Graves18:00 Gail OgleMoose
25 July 198715:26 Tom Graves17:57 Carrie BoydPanda
30 July 198815:19 John DeVine18:27 Judy WeiselRaccoon
29 July 198916:02 Brad Sable19:17 Jill FaulknerBeaver
21 July 199015:08 David Keen18:56 Janice HochsteinGorilla
20 July 199115:54 Matt Parker18:40 Connie RobertsonAlligator
18 July 199216:50 Myles Gibson19:26 Cindy CobbRabbit
24 July 199315:50 Matthew Dobson20:17 Lou Ellen EaddyKoala
23 July 199416:34 Sam Graves20:06 Cindy CobbFox
22 July 199515:50 Gary Droze18:19 Sarah KramerIguana
20 July 199616:31 Clayton Tillery17:08 Suzanne RiggPelican
19 July 199715:58 John Detro18:57 Kelly WildAngus Bull
18 July 199816:45 Brandon Britton18:43 Connie RobertsonShark
24 July 199916:28 David Parker19:02 Anna PichrtovaArmadillo
22 July 200016:50 James Frazier21:05 Terri GrayKiller Whale
21 July 200115:57 Matthew Dobson22:22 Jeanne KenadyBull Frog
20 July 200216:15 James Frazier20:27 Karen KenneyTortoise
19 July 200316:31 Mike Lilly21:20 Taylor HeatonBarn Owl
24 July 200417:08 Ted Leblow20:01 Kelly WildZebra
16 July 200517:19 Sean O'Donnell21:13 Kim LikensMenagerie
22 July 200616:24 Matthew Dobson22:13 Kim LikensCheetah
21 July 200716:48 Andrew Norton21:30 Liesel SchmidtFlamingo
19 July 200816:05 James Uthmeier20:26 Liesel SchmidtPenguin
18 July 200917:13 Andrew Norton19:15 Kara TaylorElephant
24 July 201017:14 Thomas Heikkinen19:42 Shannon CoatesPolar Bear
23 July 201118:00 Challen Hyman19:05 Shannon CoatesOrangutan
28 July 201216:56 Caleb Carmichael22:46 Sandy HoltGiraffe


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