Robert Bledsoe runs cross-country for Irwin County (Georgia) High School, so he's quite used to running five kilometers over hills and through forests and meadows, sand and mud. Running the same 3.1-mile distance on paved streets can't be any harder, and on Saturday morning, 23 March 2013, Bledsoe did just that, running 19:02 on the streets of Ashburn, Georgia and winning the Turner County Fire Ant Festival 5K. Ashburn's DeAndre Pierce, a Fire Ant 5K veteran, was runner-up in 19:29, followed by Artemio Gomez of Omega in 19:39. In a duel of master runners, Leesburg's Michael Gavre edged Tifton's Frank Davis for fourth, 19:44 to 19:46. Cordele's Adrienne Worley was the first female finisher, placing 18th overall in 25:24. 80 athletes finished 2013 edition of the annual race.Turner County's Fire Ant Festival started in 1996, and the 5K race was added at least as early as 2001. Like the somewhat older Fire Ant Festival in Marshall, Texas, the insects themselves are not actually invited to the celebration. For that matter, they weren't invited to the United States, either. But who can keep them away? So the tenacious exotic species has become the mascot of Ashburn's festival, and of the associated 5K race. And as sure as you'll find fire ant mounds in your front yard, you can depend on the Fire Ant Festival 5K being run on the fourth Saturday in March. Look for it again on 22 March 2014.
Top Ten Males, 2013 Turner County (Georgia) Fire Ant Festival 5K
- 19:01.85 ~ Robert Bledsoe (M, 17) Rebecca, GA
- 19:28.37 ~ DeAndre Pierce (M, 15) Ashburn, GA
- 19:38.83 ~ Artemio Gomez (M, 20) Omega, GA
- 19:43.24 ~ Michael Gavre (M, 46) Leesburg, GA
- 19:45.11 ~ Frank Davis (M, 52) Tifton, GA
- 19:46.45 ~ Jose Trejo (M, 34) Fitzgerald, GA
- 19:51.36 ~ Lorenzo Gomez (M, 47) Omega, GA
- 20:18.74 ~ Lorenzo Gomez, Jr. (M, 26) Omega, GA
- 20:36.09 ~ Trey Norris (M, 17) Jasper, FL
- 20:46.29 ~ Bruce Austin (M, 43) Albany, GA
Top Ten Females, 2013 Turner County (Georgia) Fire Ant Festival 5K
- 25:23.02 ~ Adrienne Worley (F, 32) Cordele, Ga
- 25:49.13 ~ Allison Cauthen (F, 23) Macon, GA
- 26:00.32 ~ Lee Taylor (F, 16) Ashburn, GA
- 26:23.33 ~ Brittany Pilkinton (F, 26) Sycamore, GA
- 27:07.39 ~ Heather Jones (F, 39) Tifton, GA
- 27:38.81 ~ Leslie Miles (F, 42) Carrollton, GA
- 27:56.59 ~ Brittany Brown (F, 27) Tifton, GA
- 28:13.50 ~ Susan Hutchinson (F, 61) Poulan, GA
- 28:56.55 ~ Melissa Wilson (F, 38) Fitzgerald, GA
- 29:28.77 ~ Elexis Griffin (F, 29) Thomasville, GA
| Turner County Fire Ant Festival 5K winners, 2003-2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women | Finishers |
| 24 March 2001 | |||
| 23 March 2002 | |||
| 22 March 2003 | 16:37, David Coody, Jr | 21:52, Kara Clark | |
| 27 March 2004 | 18:23, Kerry Underwood | 27:26, Stephanie Langley | |
| 26 March 2005 | 17:22, Robert Feldman | 20:20, Brooke Withers | 60 |
| 25 March 2006 | 17:52, Ryan McDaniel | 21:22, Rue Chitwood | 50 |
| 24 March 2007 | 16:01, David Marley | 20:08, Elizabeth Lambert | 76 |
| 22 March 2008 | 16:47, David Marley | 19:45, Brittney Skiles | 106 |
| 28 March 2009 | 18:15, Nathan Norton | 22:56, Amy Bartholomew | 63 |
| 27 March 2010 | 17:54, Daniel Chevez | 21:53, Susan Breeding | 91 |
| 26 March 2011 | 17:52, Robert Smith | 20:46, Ashley Duncan | 97 |
| 24 March 2012 | 18:09, Benjamin James Weston | 23:37, Jeanette MacDonald | 141 |
| 23 March 2013 | 19:02, Robert Bledsoe | 25:24, Adrienne Worley | 80 |
Links
- Complete results of the 2013 Turner County (Georgia) Fire Ant Festival 5K
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AuBsYKIIn3TCdDk2RTZHSzFsUlZFNUZDYnFXVWEzOVE
- 2011 story, "ASU athletes Smith and Duncan achieve ant honors at Ashburn"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/03/fire-ant-2011.html
- Upcoming races in the region, with or without pests for mascots
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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