Sullivan and Adriani are the big dogs at Potluck

USA Track and Field rules for starting a race follow the International Association of Athletic Federation rules. For races of 400 meters or less, the commands given to the runners are "On your marks," "Set," and then the starting gun. In races longer than 400 meters, the commands are "On your marks" followed by the gun.


At Gulf Winds Track Club's 16th annual Potluck Four Mile, the starting command was Hot Tamale singing "Johnny B. Goode," with the runners going on the final chord.


The Potluck has always been a bit different, though. For one thing it's a prediction run, with the winner determined by the runner who runs closest to the time she (or he) predicts before the event. Timepieces aren't allowed on the course, naturally.


But at the front of the Potluck field are plenty of runners who are running for speed, forget about the predictions. They are akin to racing greyhounds. At a dog track, a trainer was asked about the mechanical rabbit. Were the dogs truly fooled? Did they actually think the cutout was a real rabbit?


"No," was the response. "They don't have to make it look like a rabbit. Those dogs will chase anything that moves."


That's the same instinct driving the faster runners at Potluck. There may be no speed awards, but if they are running, they will chase or race anyone else afoot, even if it throws off their prediction. It's a compulsion. It's part of what makes them front-of-the-pack runners.


Stanley Linton, who had already won 13 races during 2013, is one of those front-of-the-pack runners. Soon after the last chord of "Johnny B. Goode" had faded, he was out in front of over 200 athletes, leading them from the Phipps Park youth athletic fields towards the soccer fields at the Meadows. Crossing the soccer fields, the Florida State mathematics student was about thirty meters up on the next runner, Kevin Sullivan of Capital City Runners.


From there the race headed onto the Phipps Park trail system. The Potluck is a cross-country race, and in a cross-country race you bet on the four-time Big Ten Conference cross-country champion. Sullivan, that four-time champion, caught Linton just past the halfway mark, where the runners started the long climb back up out of the Lake Jackson basin. After that it was Sullivan's race. The three-time Canadian Olympian built up a lead of nearly 200 meters on his way to the finish line, clocking 21:17 for the four miles. Linton was second in 21:56. After that it was quite a wait for the rest of the field, with Nate Kaiser (23:30) and Roger Schmidt (24:07) taking the next two places. Fifth place and the top master spot went to Michael Martinez in 24:19.


In the women's competition, defending champion Katie Showman was just a step or two behind two-time champion Micah Adriani with a mile to go. That mile made all the difference, though, as Adriani ran away from Showman to win the women's title, her third, by almost a minute, placing 20th in 26:24. Showman was the second woman in, 26th in 27:23. Renee Cox (39th, 28:59) and Vicky Droze (44th, 29:57) were the next two female finishers. Paula O'Neill, the eighth female finisher, was the first master woman, coming in 55th overall at 31:50.


In the prediction competition, Bainbridge High's Chase Harris, the sixth finisher, was one of four athletes who were just a second off in their forecast. Harris ran 24:46 after forecasting a 24:45. Buddy Levins, Chris O'Kelley, and Mike Burns were also just a second off of their predicted times.


In memory of Reid Vannoy, who had recently passed from ALS, many runners wore a red bandanna as a sweatband, which was something of a signature with Reid. Just before the start of the race, the bandannas waved in salute to Vannoy.


237 athletes finished the four mile run.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Potluck 4M

1. 21:16.28 ~ Kevin Sullivan (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
2. 21:55.66 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 19) Crawfordville, FL
3. 23:29.92 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 33) Tallahassee, FL
4. 24:06.14 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 22) Tallahassee, FL
5. 24:18.67 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
6. 24:46.14 ~ Chase Harris (M, 16) Bainbridge, GA
7. 24:47.35 ~ Jay Wallace (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
8. 24:49.40 ~ Zach DeVeau (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
9. 25:02.42 ~ Eric Godin (M, 29) Tallahassee, FL
10. 25:05.84 ~ David Knauf (M, 49) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Potluck 4M

1. 26:23.37 ~ Micah Adriani (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
2. 27:22.40 ~ Katie Showman (F, 31) Tallahassee, FL
3. 28:58.62 ~ Renee Cox (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
4. 29:56.67 ~ Vicky Droze (F, 37) Tallahassee, FL
5. 30:32.43 ~ Juanita Chalmers (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
6. 30:59.61 ~ Tiffany Roddenberry (F, 28) Tallahassee, FL
7. 31:13.67 ~ Kate Chunka (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL
8. 31:49.55 ~ Paula O'Neill (F 51) Tallahassee, FL
9. 32:30.75 ~ Kory Skrob (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL
10. 32:31.57 ~ Shannon McNees (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL

Potluck champions, 1998-2012
Date	Men	Women
1998
5 June 1999	29:29, Zack Heissner	32:26, Sarah Docter-Williams
3 June 2000	24:42 Paul Hoover	25:59, Kim Wynn
2 June 2001	24:59, Reid Vannoy	25:33, Sarah Docter-Williams
8 June 2002	22:47, Ryan Deak	26:04, Sarah Docter-Williams
7 June 2003	25:17, Tim Unger	25:36, Sarah Docter-Williams
5 June 2004	23:05, Caleb Carmichael	25:59, Kara Newell
4 June 2005	23:22, Caleb Carmichael	27:21, Kara Newell
3 June 2006	23:06, Jared Black	25:58, Sheryl Rosen
2 June 2007	24:26, Tony Guillen	27:36, Jane Johnson
7 June 2008	23:00, John Robida	25:09, Sarah Docter-Williams
13 June 2009	22:40, Jay Wallace	27:05, Micah Adriani
5 June 2010	22:14, Matt Mizereck	27:39, Micah Adriani
4 June 2011	22:57, Vince Molosky	26:33, Summer Calder
2 June 2012	22:33, Vince Molosky	27:18, Katie Showman
1 June 2013	21:17, Kevin Sullivan	26:24, Micah Adriani
The race was five miles in 1998 and 1999, and four miles thereafter.

Links

• Complete results of the 2013 GWTC Potluck Four Mile at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2013/Potluck%202013.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2013 Gulf Winds Track Club Potluck Four Mile
  
  • Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103118948244563.1073741863.5215641&l=d3085443fd
  • Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103118979681563.1073741864.5215641&l=fdab14116d
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2013 Gulf Winds Track Club Potluck Four Mile
  https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/PotBash13
  
  
• 2012 story, "Potluck turns 15, Molosky and Showman turn wins"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/06/potluck-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "Molosky and Calder champs at 14th annual Potluck Run"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/06/potluck-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Mizereck and Adriani outrun the field at Potluck"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/06/potluck-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "2009 Potluck Bash 4 Mile, Tallahassee, Florida"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/06/2009-potluck-bash-4-mile-tallahassee.html
  
  
• Photos of the 2008 Potluck Four Mile
  
  • Part 1 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2445933&id=5215641&l=25e13dc662
    
  • Part 2 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2445931&id=5215641&l=2beecd73bd
    
  • Part 3 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2445921&id=5215641&l=234be2fd1b
    
  
  
• Upcoming prediction runs and non-prediction runs in the Tallahassee region
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1