Saturday, June 29, 2013

Linton and Harris break loose at Freedom 5K

Stanley LintonRain and thunderstorms swept across Florida's Big Bend region on Saturday morning, 29 June 2013, but a little bit of water couldn't keep more than a hundred athletes from showing up at Wakulla Springs State Park for the inaugural Freedom 5K. Racing on soggy dirt roads under a light rain, Stanley Linton picked up his 15th win of the year, running 17:33. Gary Droze was the fastest master in the Freedom 5K, finishing third overall in 18:33. The first female finisher was Wakulla High rising senior Madison Harris, 11th overall in 21:12, and the top female master was Tallahassee's Jacque Myers, 26th overall in 26:44.


Brian GriffithAs 8:00 AM approached that morning and a light shower fell, the runners made their way to the starting line in Wakulla Springs. After a few final instructions the race was on. Stanley Linton, a NROTC midshipman at Florida State University, bolted to the front. Maclay School track coach Gary Droze led the pursuit initially, but by the time the runners crossed Wakulla Springs Road and left the pavement, Florida High track coach Brian Griffith had taken over second, while Jasen Fulghum moved up to challenge Droze. On the trek through the woods to Cherokee Sink and back, Linton lengthened his lead over Griffith. Coach Droze never lost sight of Coach Griffith, but ultimately failed to close the gap, even while dropping Griffith. Returning to the pavement in the park, Linton finished the race in 17:33 as the first-ever Freedom 5K champion, over 200 meters ahead of Griffith. Griffith clocked in as runner-up at 18:19, while master runner Droze was third in 18:33. Jasen Fulghum took fourth in 19:07.


Madison HarrisMadison Harris ended her race with a strong finish, moving up to 11th place in the final yards and recording a 21:12 for the 3.1-mile run. Harris crossed the line more than half a kilometer ahead of the women's runner-up, Urska Dobersek of Tallahassee. Dobersek's time was 23:48, good for 17th overall. Wakulla High alumna and Florida State frosh Cora Atkinson took the third women's spot, placing 20th overall in 24:15. Tallahassee master runner Jacque Myers was the fourth woman finisher, 26th overall in 26:44.


107 runners finished the first-year race, hosted as a fundraiser for Wakulla High School cross country team by the team's booster club.


Top Ten Males, 2013 Freedom 5K
    Gary Droze
  1. 17:33 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 19) Crawfordville, FL
  2. 18:19 ~ Brian Griffith (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 18:33 ~ Gary Droze (M, 52) Tallahassee, FL
  4. 19:07 ~ Jasen Fulghum (M, 29) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 20:11 ~ Elijah Ingram (M, 17) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 20:15 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 20:26 ~ David Harrell (M, 28) Monticello, FL
  8. 20:31 ~ Joel Piotrowski (M, 43) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 20:33 ~ Joshua Dismuke (M, 20) Crawfordville, FL
  10. 20:38 ~ Duane Evans (M, 46) Crawfordville, FL

Top Ten Females, 2013 Freedom 5K
    Urska Dobersek
  1. 21:12 ~ Madison Harris (F, 17) Panacea, FL
  2. 23:48 ~ Urska Dobersek (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 24:15 ~ Cora Atkinson (F, 19) Crawfordville, FL
  4. 26:44 ~ Jacque Myers (F, 56) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 26:52 ~ Kelley El-Urfali (F, 49) Crawfordville, FL
  6. 27:06 ~ Amanda Barker (F, 14) Crawfordville, FL
  7. 27:08 ~ Raychel Gray (F, 18) Crawfordville, FL
  8. 27:14 ~ Savanna Harris (F, 18) Panacea, FL
  9. 27:28 ~ Mar'Rhea Everhart (F, 18) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 27:56 ~ Aaysha Williams (F, 13) Tallahassee, FL

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Posted by Herb Wills at 9:16 PM
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