Tamer and Rosen eat up the field at Breakfast on the Track

Years ago, running tracks were clay, dirt, cinders or some other natural surface that turned to muddy glop when wet, and track meets had to be called on account of rain. As far as I know, there was never a track equivalent of baseball's infield tarp, either. So when it rained, tracks got soaked, and sometimes they weren't usable for days.


In these happier times of synthetic tracks, though, water isn't a problem. As long as the track isn't underwater, you can run on it even while rain is falling. It takes lightning or tornadoes to delay a track meet. Neither of those were in the picture on Saturday morning, 17 August 2013, so in spite of heavy rain Gulf Winds Track Club's 16th annual Breakfast On The Track Mile was run on the Maclay School Track.


The rain was actually coming to a stop by the time the first section took the track at 7:45 AM. Joseph Garcia, a recent Lincoln High grad and 4:28 miler, dashed out into the early lead. The rest of the field trailed Garcia at a controlled pace, content to see if he would come back to them later.


(He did. Garcia stayed well out front through half a mile, but on the third lap he was run down by Remy Tamer. Just two years earlier, Tamer had been running cross-country and track for UNC-Wilmington. With about 500 meters to go Tamer took the lead from Garcia and started to push for home. Tamer widened the gap as the runners made their fourth and final circuit of the track. Billy Naylor passed Garcia, then Connor Daughton, then Stephen Cox and Stanley Linton. None of them could catch Remy Tamer. The former UNCW Seahawk was first across the finish line in 4:34.92, followed by Naylor in second place at 4:40.51 and Daughton in third at 4:42.87. Bryan Koon was the top master runner in the mile, finishing eleventh overall in 4:57.85.


Tallahassee lawyer Sheryl Rosen was the only women in the first section of the mile, but her 5:12.07 stood as the fastest time by a female runner after the other sections were run. Emily Ness of Capital City Runners was the women's runner-up, posting a 5:16.22 in the second section. Thomasville's Mary Anne Grayson was the fastest female master in the mile that morning, running a 6:07.79 in the fourth section.


By the time all nine sections of the race were run the rain had stopped completely, but the sky stayed overcast and temperatures remained moderate, excellent conditions for middle-distance running. At morning's end 178 athletes had run a mile. No one counted how many availed themselves of post-race pancakes. It still is, after all, a Breakfast On The Track.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile

1. 4:34.92 ~ Remy Tamer (M, 24)
2. 4:40.51 ~ Billy Naylor (M, 22) Wewahitchka, FL
3. 4:42.87 ~ Connor Daughton (M, 18) Tallahassee, FL
4. 4:44.64 ~ Stephen Cox (M, 29) Tallahassee, FL
5. 4:45.67 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 19) Crawfordville, FL
6. 4:46.95 ~ Joseph Garcia (M, 17) Tallahassee, FL
7. 4:54.60 ~ Zach De Veau (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
8. 4:55.07 ~ Ryan Truchelut (M, 27) Tallahassee, FL
9. 4:55.91 ~ Jack Rutledge (M, 18) Tallahassee, FL
10. 4:57.18 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 35) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile

1. 5:12.07 ~ Sheryl Rosen (F, 29) Tallahassee, FL
2. 5:16.22 ~ Emily Ness (F, 23) Tallahassee, FL
3. 5:31.25 ~ Amy Hines (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
4. 5:40.65 ~ Caroline Willis (F, 14) Tallahassee, FL
5. 5:47.05 ~ Meagan Giddens (F, 15) Perry, FL
6. 6:06.17 ~ Cora Atkinson (F, 19) Crawfordville, FL
7. 6:07.79 ~ Mary Anne Grayson (F, 47) Thomasville, GA
8. 6:09.81 ~ Katherine Resavage (F, 12) Tallahassee, FL
9. 6:18.50 ~ Katherine Hoarn (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
10. 6:19.21 ~ Angela Dempsey (F, 45) Tallahassee, FL

"Breakfast On The Track" Mile champions, 1998-2013
Date	Men	Women
8 August 1998	4:36 ~ Robert Pautienus	5:21 ~ Jane Johnson
14 August 1999	4:26 ~ Lee Willis	5:27 ~ Jane Johnson
26 August 2000	4:42.97 ~ Gary Droze	5:09.08 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
18 August 2001	4:21.47 ~ Ryan Deak	5:08.94 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
17 August 2002	4:35.07 ~ Lee Willis	5:10.33 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
16 August 2003	4:45.20 ~ David Huntzinger	5:02.28 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
14 August 2004	4:32.40 ~ Lee Willis	5:11.79 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
13 August 2005	4:46.26 ~ Art Remillard	5:07.13 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
12 August 2006	4:47.58 ~ Whitney Strickland	5:09.85 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
18 August 2007	4:48.04 ~ Michael Martinez	5:12.91 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams
16 August 2008	4:31.39 ~ Whitney Strickland	5:12.79 ~ Jana Stolting
15 August 2009	4:43.40 ~ Patrick Swain	5:05.66 ~ Jana Stolting
21 August 2010	4:33.30 ~ Trevor Touchton	5:00.97 ~ Stefanie Kurgatt
20 August 2011	4:26.90 ~ Kevin Sullivan	5:05.82 ~ Stefanie Kurgatt
18 August 2012	4:40.52 ~ Travis Covert	5:01.74 ~ Stefanie Kurgatt
17 August 2013	4:34.92 ~ Remy Tamer	5:12.07 ~ Sheryl Rosen

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2013/Breakfast%20on%20the%20Track%202013.asp
  
  
• More photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile (Part 1)
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103436131032713.1073741881.5215641&l=79525ea5d5
  
  
• More photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile (Part 2)
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103437653262153.1073741882.5215641&l=6bdfb7f806
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2013 Breakfast on the Track Mile
  https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/BOT13
  
  
• 2012 story, "Covert and Kurgatt master the mile and a morning meal"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/08/breakfast-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "Making a meal of the mile"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/08/breakfast-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "A mile for breakfast"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/08/breakfast-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "Patrick Swain wins 2009 'Breakfast on the Track' Mile"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/08/patrick-swain-wins-2009-breakfast-on.html
  
  
• Upcoming races on road, track, and trail in the Tallahassee region
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1