Friday, September 28, 2012

Linton gets his first Prefontaine 5K win, Adriani her third

SilverSometimes cross country is about running in beautiful places. An example would be Gulf Winds Track Club's 37th annual Salute To Prefontaine 5K, staged west of Tallahassee on Saturday morning, 22 September 2012 at Silver Lake Recreation Area. Silver Lake is one of several gem-like ponds in the Apalachicola National Forest, kin to Moore Lake, Dog Lake, Lost Lake, and other nearby pools with or without names. Silver Lake was a destination years before the runners found it. Boy Scout Camp Semialachee was in the area from 1948 to 1965. The campsites in the recreation area were closed in the 1990s, and there were years when federal budget woes closed Silver Lake entirely, but for the most part the Forest Service has kept the area open for swimming, hiking, and picnicking. Lately it has become the headquarters for off-road vehicle use in the Apalachicola National Forest. And, once a year, cross-country racing comes to Silver Lake.

2012 Prefontaine 5K

The race was named after the late Steve Prefontaine, who, among his other athletic accomplishments, was a three-time NCAA cross-country champion. There isn't much competitive advantage in being a Prefontaine veteran; the course changes frequently. This year it was two loops around the lake and its twin, Girl Scout Lake. The course featured stretches of grass, loamy trails through hardwoods, and ankle-wrenching sand. Runners, of course, only talk about the sandy part, except when they're emphasizing the one slight uphill on the course.


Stanley LintonComplaining about the terrain or not, nearly 200 runners started the race at 8:30 AM. Crawfordville’s Stanley Linton went to the front early. It was Linton’s third Prefontaine; while at Wakulla High School he had placed third in the race in 2009 and fourth in 2010. Trailing him this year were Joel Piotrowski, who had won the race the first time Linton ran it, and Jay Wallace, the Prefontaine champion in Linton’s second outing. This time, though, Linton stayed ahead of them and of everyone else, winning the race in 17:20 and finishing almost a quarter-mile ahead of the runner-up, Nate Kaiser (18:43). Jay Wallace was the first master runner, placing third overall in 18:49.


Micah AdrianiLinton’s win may have been a case of the third time being the charm, but in the women’s competition it was a third win for Micah Adriani, who had won the Prefontaine 5K in 2007 and 2009. In fact, Adriani had finished a second ahead of Linton in 2009. She placed behind Linton this year, but was still at the top of the women’s field, 21st overall in 21:00. The women’s runner-up, Katie Showman, trailed Adriani throughout the race, finishing 27th overall in 21:39. Kristine Cox was the third female finisher, 31st overall in 21:50.


It was a valedictory event for the race director, Jeff Nielsen, who will be turning next year’s Prefontaine over to other hands. He did express one regret. “I wanted to drag some kind of obstacle onto the course,” confessed Nielsen. “But I just didn’t have time.”


I suspect that when the runners went home, few of them regretted Nielsen’s tight schedule.


Top Ten Men, 2012 Salute to Prefontaine 5K
  1. Jay Wallace and Nate Kaiser17:20 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 18)
  2. 18:43 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 33)
  3. 18:49 ~ Jay Wallace (M, 48)
  4. 19:25 ~ Chan Mcallister (M, 29)
  5. 19:25 ~ Aaron Smith (M, 16)
  6. 19:38 ~ J P Piotrowski (M, 15)
  7. 19:46 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 34)
  8. 19:51 ~ Brian Molen (M, 36)
  9. 20:03 ~ Travis Parks (M, 16)
  10. 20:15 ~ Matthew Cashin (M, 13)

Top Ten Women, 2012 Salute to Prefontaine 5K
  1. Katie Showman21:00 ~ Micah Adriani (F, 35)
  2. 21:39 ~ Katie Showman (F, 30)
  3. 21:50 ~ Kristine Cox (F, 35)
  4. 21:58 ~ Ashley Daily (F, 25)
  5. 22:25 ~ Karen Geletko (F, 33)
  6. 24:03 ~ Ana Wallace (F, 12)
  7. 24:25 ~ Raychel Gray (F, 17)
  8. 24:33 ~ Mary Vancore (F, 48)
  9. 24:41 ~ Andrea Duffy (F, 36)
  10. 24:54 ~ Tiffany Roddenberry (F, 28)

Known winners of the Salute to Prefontaine 5K
1976-2012
DateMenWomen
25 September 197615:43, Tim Simpkins19:20, Nancy McCormac
September 197715:35, Tim Simpkins19:00, Janice Gage
23 September 1978

September 1979

20 September 198017:17, George West20:52, Donna Miller
September 1981

September 1982

24 September 198317:17, Jeff Doherty20:36, Donna Miller
September 198417:11, Larry Abele20:43, Barbara Balzer
September 198516:51, Tim Simpkins20:40, Darien Andreu
27 September 198617:20, Tim Simpkins22:14, Laura Partin
12 September 198717:33, Tom Burr21:20, Linda Nicholson
24 September 198817:38, Tom Burr22:23, Yvonne Gsteiger
23 September 198917:25, Tim Simpkins21:30, Vikki Saga
22 September 199017:12, Bill Crooks22:23, Tina Davies
22 September 199117:54, Gary Droze24:48, Tina Davies
19 September 199218:29, Gary Droze22:05, Diane Blas
18 September 199317:58, Tim Simpkins24:16, Sissi Carroll
17 September 199417:00, Gary Droze21:16, Carrie Weyant
30 September 199517:12, Gary Droze22:56, Sissi Carroll
28 September 199619:18, Gary Droze22:56, Jane Johnson
27 September 199718:50, Bill Crooks23:07, Julie Clark
26 September 199819:26, Paul Hoover24:44, Peggy Simpson
25 September 199917:56, Gary Droze24:13, Brandi Rook
30 September 200017:49, Gary Droze22:17, Allie Hunter
29 September 200119:37, Scott Poindexter22:17, Allie Hunter
5 October 200222:17, David Yon25:47, Yvonne Gsteiger
27 September 200318:35, Shawn Patterson23:49, Angela Dempsey
25 September 200417:43, Gary Droze22:46, Seeley Lovett
24 September 200518:13, Gary Droze24:06, Jane Johnson
23 September 200617:24, Gary Droze19:59, Stephanie Liles
29 September 200717:29, Chris Gregory20:26, Micah Adriani
27 September 200818:16, Daniel Lee21:10, Kati Gosnell
26 September 200920:28, Joel Piotrowski21:20, Micah Adriani
25 September 201018:53, Jay Wallace22:17, Kelly Stevens
24 September 201119:08, Michael Martinez22:31, Olivia Swedberg Yinger
22 September 201217:18, Stanley Linton20:58, Micah Adriani


Links:

Bookmark and Share
Posted by Herb Wills at 8:49 PM
Labels: , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)