Suppose
that you have 210 people who want to run a mile, a four-lap race around a track. How do you accommodate them? At the Olympics, with only eight lanes available, the solution would be to have a series of qualifying rounds, with semifinal heats and quarterfinal heats and more. By the time the final was over, the best runners would have run three or more times. A simpler and possibly more entertaining solution would be to mass all the runners on the track, issue each a broken bottle or a rusty nail, then fire the starting gun and stand back--a kind of 1,760-yard Death Race. In Tallahassee, the Gulf Winds Track Club steered a middle ground last Saturday, August 18, at their 15th annual Breakfast On The Track Mile. 210 athletes each ran in the final, but the final was run in ten sections, one section after another. Runners placed themselves in sections on the basis of projected time, eliminating the grounds for complaints about the seeding. In the end, the number of runners in each section was small enough to fit comfortably on the race venue, Maclay School's six-lane track.
The
first section started at 7:45 AM. Maclay senior Travis Covert jumped into the lead, chased by Jack Rutledge, Alex Artecona, Peter Kaus, and Jasen Fulghum. But during the first half mile those pursuers faded, leaving Vince Molosky to stalk Covert. Covert managed to stay a couple of seconds ahead of Molosky, though, and finished the race with a 4:40.12 win. Molosky was second at 4:42.38. Rutledge held off Artecona for third, 4:48.02 to 4:48.26, while Fulghum was fifth in 4:49.37. Ninth overall at 4:57.08, Bryan Koon was the fastest master in the mile.
There were ten runners faster than five minutes in the race. The first athlete that didn't break five minutes was Maclay senior Stefanie Kurgatt, 11th overall at 5:01.31. It wasn't quite as fast as Kurgatt's Breakfast On The Track women's record of 5:00.97, but it was good enough to earn her the women's title for the third straight year. The women's runner-up came out of the second section, where Sheryl Rosen ran a 5:17.28 mile, finishing well ahead of the third-place female, Maclay senior Kristin Sweeney (25th, 5:24.36).
While athletes contested multiple sections of the mile, volunteers were frying up pancakes at the concession stand, putting the "breakfast" into "Breakfast On The Track." People have honest disagreements over training and race tactics, and most of the time I'll respect differences of opinion. In this case, though, I'll go on the record as stating that you should probably wait until
after running a mile to have a syrup-soaked stack. Remember, you read it here. Your stomach will thank you.
Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Breakfast on the Track Mile
4:40.12 ~ Travis Covert (M, 17)- 4:42.38 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 33)
- 4:48.02 ~ Jack Rutledge (M, 17)
- 4:48.26 ~ Alexander Jared Artecona (M, 17)
- 4:49.37 ~ Jasen Fulghum (M, 29)
- 4:52.36 ~ Peter Kaus (M, 28)
- 4:53.42 ~ Hunter Scott (M, 16)
- 4:54.67 ~ John Robida (M, 32)
- 4:57.08 ~ Bryan Koon (M, 40)
- 4:59.89 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 34)
Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Breakfast on the Track Mile
5:01.31 ~ Stefanie Kurgatt (F, 17) - 5:17.28 ~ Sheryl Rosen (F, 28)
- 5:24.36 ~ Kristin Sweeney (F, 17)
- 5:35.34 ~ Micah Adriani (F, 34)
- 5:37.81 ~ Elizabeth Santoro (F, 18)
- 5:57.37 ~ Caroline Willis (F, 13)
- 5:59.25 ~ Cora Atkinson (F, 18)
- 6:02.68 ~ Katie Showman (F, 30)
- 6:09.03 ~ Kristine Cox (F, 35)
- 6:11.28 ~ Madison Harris (F, 16)
| "Breakfast On The Track" Mile champions, 1998-2012 |
|---|
| Date
| Men | Women |
|---|
| 8 August 1998
| Robert Pautienus (4:36)
| Jane Johnson (5:21)
|
| 14 August 1999
| Lee Willis (4:26)
| Jane Johnson (5:27)
|
| 26 August 2000
| Gary Droze (4:42.97)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:09.08)
|
| 18 August 2001
| Ryan Deak (4:21.47)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:08.94)
|
| 17 August 2002
| Lee Willis (4:35.07) | Sarah Docter-Williams (5:10.33) |
| 16 August 2003
| David Huntzinger (4:45.20)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:02.28) |
| 14 August 2004
| Lee Willis (4:32.40) | Sarah Docter-Williams (5:11.79) |
| 13 August 2005
| Art Remillard (4:46.26)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:07.13) |
| 12 August 2006
| Whitney Strickland (4:47.58)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:09.85) |
| 18 August 2007
| Michael Martinez (4:48.04)
| Sarah Docter-Williams (5:12.91) |
| 16 August 2008
| Whitney Strickland (4:31.39) | Jana Stolting (5:12.79)
|
| 15 August 2009
| Patrick Swain (4:43.40)
| Jana Stolting (5:05.66) |
| 21 August 2010
| Trevor Touchton (4:33.30)
| Stefanie Kurgatt (5:00.97)
|
| 20 August 2011
| Kevin Sullivan (4:26.90)
| Stefanie Kurgatt (5:05.82)
|
| 18 August 2012
| Travis Covert (4:40.52)
| Stefanie Kurgatt (5:01.31)
|
Links
that you have 210 people who want to run a mile, a four-lap race around a track. How do you accommodate them? At the Olympics, with only eight lanes available, the solution would be to have a series of qualifying rounds, with semifinal heats and quarterfinal heats and more. By the time the final was over, the best runners would have run three or more times. A simpler and possibly more entertaining solution would be to mass all the runners on the track, issue each a broken bottle or a rusty nail, then fire the starting gun and stand back--a kind of 1,760-yard Death Race. In Tallahassee, the Gulf Winds Track Club steered a middle ground last Saturday, August 18, at their 15th annual Breakfast On The Track Mile. 210 athletes each ran in the final, but the final was run in ten sections, one section after another. Runners placed themselves in sections on the basis of projected time, eliminating the grounds for complaints about the seeding. In the end, the number of runners in each section was small enough to fit comfortably on the race venue, Maclay School's six-lane track.
The 
first section started at 7:45 AM. Maclay senior Travis Covert jumped into the lead, chased by Jack Rutledge, Alex Artecona, Peter Kaus, and Jasen Fulghum. But during the first half mile those pursuers faded, leaving Vince Molosky to stalk Covert. Covert managed to stay a couple of seconds ahead of Molosky, though, and finished the race with a 4:40.12 win. Molosky was second at 4:42.38. Rutledge held off Artecona for third, 4:48.02 to 4:48.26, while Fulghum was fifth in 4:49.37. Ninth overall at 4:57.08, Bryan Koon was the fastest master in the mile.
There were ten runners faster than five minutes in the race. The first athlete that didn't break five minutes was Maclay senior Stefanie Kurgatt, 11th overall at 5:01.31. It wasn't quite as fast as Kurgatt's Breakfast On The Track women's record of 5:00.97, but it was good enough to earn her the women's title for the third straight year. The women's runner-up came out of the second section, where Sheryl Rosen ran a 5:17.28 mile, finishing well ahead of the third-place female, Maclay senior Kristin Sweeney (25th, 5:24.36).
While athletes contested multiple sections of the mile, volunteers were frying up pancakes at the concession stand, putting the "breakfast" into "Breakfast On The Track." People have honest disagreements over training and race tactics, and most of the time I'll respect differences of opinion. In this case, though, I'll go on the record as stating that you should probably wait until after running a mile to have a syrup-soaked stack. Remember, you read it here. Your stomach will thank you.
Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2012 Breakfast on the Track Mile
Excellent story, Herb! The pics are beautiful. Funny,eh,how you can catch people airborne better when they're running really fast! And I love the one from the announcer's booth. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks for announcing at the race, taking the pics, writing the blog, & sharing! :)
judy
Thanks,Judy! A last bit of track-and-field "dessert" before the cross-country season starts in North America.
ReplyDeleteHerb.