Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Freeman and Hodor double up in Leesburg

Leesburg Long Run For The ChildrenThe "Run and See Georgia Grand Prix" has led to some odd distortions in Georgia distance running. For instance, runners get a point bonus for longer races, so race directors attract participants by staging events that are just long enough to earn the bonus. You may have noticed the rash of 10-1/2 kilometer races around the state; that's where they're coming from. Runners hungry for Grand Prix points go to an event and run every race for which points are awarded--the 10K, the 5K, the one-mile kids' run, the 100-meter run in heels, and anything else on the menu.


There are other effects as well, but those are the ones that have shaped the Long Run For The Children in Leesburg, Georgia. The main event is a 10.5K (a "double points" distance) but runners can also earn points in the 5K. For the first two years of the Long Run For The Children, runners wanting to double up were asked to first run the 10.5K and then head around the 5K course. Because both races started at the same time, you can imagine how long the finish line had to stay open for the doubling 5K runners. So in 2012 the races were separated, with the 5K starting at 7:00 AM and the 10.5K following at 8:00 AM.


This was the situation on Saturday morning, 24 August 2013, when Cleveland, Georgia distance runner Lauren Freeman warmed up with a 20:49 win in the fourth annual Long Run For The Children 5K, then lined up less than 40 minutes later to race the 10.5K. Freeman won that race as well, posting a 49:47 to outdistance the runner-up, master runner Ronnie Kittrell of Gray, Georgia. Kittrell's time for the somewhat odd distance (a smidgen longer than 6-1/2 miles) was 50:35.


Freeman's double win wasn't unique. Amber Hodor of Macon, Georgia did the same in the women's competition, turning a winning 22:02 in the 5K and then coming back at the start of the next hour to win the women's division in the 10.5K, placing 3rd overall in 50:41. It was the second year in a row that Hodor had scored a double win at the Long Run For The Children--she had done the same in 2012, setting event records for women at each distance. Cordele, Georgia's Jane Bedore (9th, 55:21) was the second female finisher in the 10.5K. The third woman finisher and first woman master was Leesburg's Anna Wade (16th, 60:48).


80 athletes finished the 5K and 42 finished the 10.5K. The race was hosted by the Leesburg Kiwanis Club.


Top Ten Men, Long Run For The Children 10.5K
  1. 49:46.07 ~ Lauren Freeman (M, 31) Cleveland, GA
  2. 50:34.53 ~ Ronnie Kittrell (M, 60) Gray, GA
  3. 50:46.35 ~ Clay Thomas (M, 41) Leesburg, GA
  4. 51:48.81 ~ William Hancock (M, 50) Leesburg, GA
  5. 52:32.07 ~ Donnie Chaffin (M, 53) Hampton, GA
  6. 54:04.54 ~ Braden Miller (M, 39) Leesburg, GA
  7. 54:53.04 ~ Rick Hayes (M, 55) Dahlonega, GA
  8. 55:50.31 ~ Jared Hammond (M, 33) Bonaire, GA
  9. 57:01.46 ~ Roger Keel (M, 60) Valley, AL
  10. 57:04.82 ~ Cody Woodall (M, 14) Leesburg, GA

Top Ten Women, Long Run For The Children 10.5K
  1. 50:40.31 ~ Amber Hodor (F, 27) Macon, GA
  2. 55:20.77 ~ Jane Bedore (F, 36) Cordele, GA
  3. 60:47.28 ~ Anna Wade (F, 45) Leesburg, GA
  4. 60:59.18 ~ Kelly Thompson (F, 35) Leesburg, GA
  5. 62:05.27 ~ Michele Norman (F, 32) Leesburg, GA
  6. 63:59.97 ~ Virginia Langstaff (F, 51) Albany, GA
  7. 65:32.62 ~ Makenzie Kittrell (F, 11) Macon, GA
  8. 72:13.24 ~ Amy Collins (F, 40) Leesburg, GA
  9. 76:05.85 ~ Sue Palmer (F, 40) Sylvester, GA
  10. 76:07.18 ~ Lindsay Majeski (F, 27) Tifton, GA

Top Ten Men, Long Run For The Children 5K
  1. 20:48.65 ~ Lauren Freeman (M, 31) Clevelend, GA
  2. 21:23.92 ~ Ethan Merritt (M, 13) Leesburg, GA
  3. 21:49.67 ~ Spears Wilson (M, 11) Leslie, GA
  4. 21:58.48 ~ Daryl Remick (M, 51) Leesburg, GA
  5. 22:03.91 ~ Todd Archer (M, 43) Leesburg, GA
  6. 22:04.91 ~ Rick Olsen (M, 46) Leesburg, GA
  7. 22:18.15 ~ William Hancock (M, 50) Leesburg, GA
  8. 22:41.68 ~ Ronnie Kittrell (M, 60) Gray, GA
  9. 22:53.34 ~ Mark Chaffin (M, 23) Hampton, GA
  10. 22:57.66 ~ Donnie Chaffin (M, 53) Hampton, GA

Top Ten Women, Long Run For The Children 5K
  1. 22:01.02 ~ Amber Hodor (F, 27) Macon, GA
  2. 24:40.57 ~ Charlene Pennymon (F, 48) Americus, GA
  3. 25:14.27 ~ Dorian Usry (F, 13) Albany, GA
  4. 25:20.57 ~ Chloe Usry (F, 12) Albany, GA
  5. 25:41.47 ~ Barbara Mixon (F, 47) Leesburg, GA
  6. 25:43.32 ~ Deena Willcox (F, 11) Albany, GA
  7. 26:39.44 ~ Camryn Bridges (F, 13) Leesburg, GA
  8. 27:24.93 ~ Ellen Kesler (F, 11) Albany, GA
  9. 27:27.22 ~ Marlo Wahbeh (F, 45) Albany, GA
  10. 28:32.72 ~ Michelle Angry (F, 32) Leesburg, GA

Leesburg Kiwanis Long Run For The Children champions, 2010-2013
DateRaceMenWomenFinishers
28 August 201010.5K46:20, Mat Ortiz54:00, Jane Spetoskey44
5K19:40, Michael Gavre24:39, Mollie McGowan95
27 August 201110.5K45:40, Travis Kelly55:25, Mandy Phillips38
5K19:57, Bryce Cosby24:19, Perry Kelly64
25 August 201210.5K44:34, Jeremy Provencher49:37, Amber Hodor58
5K19:15, Robert McCoy21:44, Amber Hodor69
24 August 201310.5K49:47, Lauren Freeman50:41, Amber Hodor42
5K20:49, Lauren Freeman22:02 Amber Hodor80


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Posted by Herb Wills at 2:39 PM
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