Stanford and Showman go crazy on the competition

Take it from an old distance runner, there is land that demands that you lace on some shoes and do a cross-country run. Tallahassee's Phipps Park is such a property. Managed first for agriculture and then for hunting until coming under the control of the Northwest Florida Water Management District, it's a rolling mixture of meadow and woodland akin to the rural districts of Britain where cross-country running became a sport. So for the last six years Phipps Park has been home to one of Gulf Winds Track Club's annual cross-country races, the Miller Landing Madness.


There are actually three races at the Madness, eight kilometers, five kilometers, and three kilometers. The 8K and the 5K were first, with close to 400 athletes gathering for the 8:00 AM combined start.


Stanley Linton launched himself into the lead as the race started, speeding ahead of even the runners in the shorter 5K race. At the mile mark Linton, a second-year NROTC midshipman at FSU, was three seconds up on the defending champion, Vince Molosky. Will Stanford trailed Molosky, followed by 2009 Miller Landing Madness champion Chris Lake. Molosky faded, leaving the chase to Stanford. Stanford made the most of the pursuit, overtaking Linton early in the second half of the five-mile race.


"I put in a surge about three miles," said Stanford.


It was effective. A mile later, Stanford was over half a minute up on Linton and going away. Stanford went on to post a winning time of 26:29, finishing the race with a lead of almost 400 meters. Lake started to close in on Linton late in the race, but Linton was still well ahead of the UF med student at the finish line, taking second in 27:44. Lake was third in 28:04 and Molosky fourth in 29:23. Fifth place went to the top master runner in the 8K, Bryan Koon, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Koon's time was 29:31.


In the women's competition, Tallahassee's Renee Cox led for the first two miles before being overtaken by FSU professor Katie Showman. Cox fought to remain in contact, keeping Showman in sight. With a mile to go, Cox was still less than ten seconds behind Showman. But it was the economics professor's race, and Showman finished the 8K with the Miller's Landing Madness women's title, placing 26th overall in 35:11. Cox was runner-up in the women's division, taking 30th overall in 35:32. Lisa Rutledge, the sixth female finisher, took women's master honors, coming in 43rd overall in 39:10.


Top Ten Males, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 8K

1. 26:29 ~ Will Stanford (M, 20)
2. 27:44 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 19)
3. 28:04 ~ Chris Lake (M, 25)
4. 29:23 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 34)
5. 29:31 ~ Bryan Koon (M, 41)
6. 29:42 ~ Zach De Veau (M, 25)
7. 29:43 ~ Gary Droze (M, 52)
8. 30:14 ~ Jay Wallace (M, 49)
9. 30:21 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 22)
10. 30:48 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 44)

Top Ten Females, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 8K

1. 35:11 ~ Katie Showman (F, 31)
2. 35:32 ~ Renee Cox (F, 26)
3. 37:01 ~ Cora Atkinson (F, 19)
4. 38:16 ~ Langlee Toothman (F, 16)
5. 38:59 ~ Joti Keshav (F, 37)
6. 39:10 ~ Lisa Rutledge (F, 52)
7. 39:28 ~ Urska Dobersek (F, 30)
8. 39:40 ~ Nancy Stedman (F, 51)
9. 40:01 ~ Andrea Duffy (F, 37)
10. 41:02 ~ Hanna Gordon (F, 30)

Lincoln High alumnus Joseph Garcia saw that there was no drama in the Miller Landing Madness 5K. The defending champion in the shorter event, Garcia jumped out to an early lead and held it, covering the 3.1 miles in 16:55. It wasn't as fast as the Miller Landing Madness record that Garcia set in 2012, but it was good enough for the title, putting him ahead of runner-up Brian Griffith. Griffith, the cross-country coach at Florida State University School, ran 17:20. Emily Ness of Capital City Runners led wire-to-wire on the women's side, earning the women's championship with a 19:20 and placing 11th overall. Wakulla High student-athlete Madison Harris was the second female finisher in the 5K, coming in 16th overall in 20:13.


Top Ten Males, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 5K

1. 16:55 ~ Joseph Garcia (M, 18)
2. 17:20 ~ Brian Griffith (M, 28)
3. 17:21 ~ Connor Daughton (M, 18)
4. 17:53 ~ Jake Mazziotta (M, 15)
5. 18:09 ~ Jack Rutledge (M, 18)
6. 18:57 ~ Elijah Ingram (M, 17)
7. 19:01 ~ Bryce Cole (M, 15)
8. 19:02 ~ Christoher Duncan (M, 24)
9. 19:14 ~ Stephen Veliz (M, 14)
10. 19:17 ~ C J Barkas (M, 17)

Top Ten Females, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 5K

1. 19:20 ~ Emily Ness (F, 23)
2. 20:13 ~ Madison Harris (F, 17)
3. 20:37 ~ Micah Adriani (F, 35)
4. 20:51 ~ Caroline Willis (F, 14)
5. 22:01 ~ Margaret Wiedeman (F, 18)
6. 22:28 ~ Meagan Giddens (F, 15)
7. 23:00 ~ Lydia Wiedeman (F, 16)
8. 23:08 ~ Savannah Jo Fisher (F, 17)
9. 23:48 ~ Whitney Austin (F, 24)
10. 23:52 ~ Heather Hill (F, 17)

The Miller Landing Madness 3K is usually a preview of the local middle school cross-country season, and this year was no exception. Two eight graders, James McClure of Maclay and Jacob Dodson of Raa, reached the halfway point of the 1.8-mile race together, far ahead of the rest of the field. The two continued to outdistance the rest of the runners in the second half of the race, but McClure outdistanced Dodson as well, finishing first in 10:48. Dodson, who was fifth in last year's Leon County School's middle school championships, was runner-up in 10:59. Maclay seventh-grader Max Eastman was third in 12:03.


Chase Merrick of Swift Creek Middle School was well ahead of the rest of the girls in the race about halfway through the 3K, but Katherine Resavage of Holy Comforter closed that gap. Merrick and Resavage were just a few steps apart with a quarter mile to go. They were still only a few steps apart at the finish line, where Merrick was a few steps ahead of Resavage, 12:20 to 12:22. Grace Jackson of Deer Lake Middle School was the third girl in, running 12:57.


Top Ten Males, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 3K

1. 10:48 ~ James McClure (M, 14)
2. 10:59 ~ Jacob Dodson (M, 13)
3. 12:03 ~ Max Eastman (M, 13)
4. 12:16 ~ Dennis Majano (M, 13)
5. 12:28 ~ Zach Smith (M, 14)
6. 12:29 ~ Clayton Carlson (M, 13)
7. 12:31 ~ Bryce Valveri (M, 12)
8. 12:32 ~ Michael Molen (M, 13)
9. 12:49 ~ Harrison Obrecht (M, 14)
10. 12:52 ~ Ben Smith (M, 14)

Top Ten Females, 2013 Miller Landing Madness 3K

1. 12:20 ~ Chase Merrick (F, 11)
2. 12:22 ~ Katherine Resavage (F, 12)
3. 12:57 ~ Grace Jackson (F, 13)
4. 13:06 ~ Emma Romuald (F, 11)
5. 13:10 ~ Emily Molen (F, 11)
6. 13:24 ~ Emma Mcgibany (F, 13)
7. 13:40 ~ Amya Bryant (F, 13)
8. 13:40 ~ Hannah Hosay (F, 11)
9. 13:45 ~ Shayla Nguyen (F, 13)
10. 13:46 ~ Hailey Hobbs (F, 13)

Miller Landing Madness Winners, 2008-2013
Date	Race	Men	Women	Finishers
30 August 2008	8K	28:57, David Altmaier	32:49, Sheryl Rosen	76
	5K	17:12, Austin Stevens	18:46, Jana Stolting	110
	3K	11:21, Will Henderson	13:14, Autumn Wable	73
29 August 2009	8K	28:05, Chris Lake	33:03, Sarah Docter-Williams	151
	5K	18:17, Austin Stevens	18:17, Jana Stolting	243
	3K	11:26, Chase Harris	12:04, Cecelia Williams	136
28 August 2010	8K	26:28, Kevin Cook	33:29, Sheryl Rosen	168
	5K	17:15, Patrick Swain	19:22, Stefanie Kurgatt	160
	3K	11:14, Wil Luca	13:30, Madeline Horgan	110
27 August 2011	8K	25:54, Kevin Sullivan	32:17, Sheryl Rosen	236
	5K	16:59, Jacob Slupecki	20:14, Stefanie Kurgatt	212
	3K	11:08, Evan Francis	12:59, Cheyenne Hildinger	157
25 August 2012	8K	27:50, Vince Molosky	36:36, Jane Johnson	190
	5K	16:32, Joseph Garcia	19:12, Stefanie Kurgatt	258
	3K	10:57, Jake Mazziotta	12:16, Adrianna Dugan	148
24 August 2013	8K	26:29, Will Stanford	35:11, Katie Showman	150
	5K	16:55, Joseph Garcia	19:20, Emily Ness	237
	3K	10:48, James McClure	12:20, Chase Merrick	135
The Miller Landing Madness was preceded in history by the Miccosukee Madness (2004-2007) and the Tom Brown Bash (1977-2003) races.

Links

• Complete results of the 2013 Miller Landing Madness at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2013/MLM%202013.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2013 Miller Landing Madness
  
  • 8K and 5K: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103461894547423.1073741883.5215641&l=4f93b83fed
  • 3K: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10103462447374553.1073741884.5215641&l=bca3e3069e
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2013 Miller Landing Madness
  
  • 8K and 5K: https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/MLM1304
  • 3K: https://picasaweb.google.com/Freddecka/MLM13_3K
  
  
• 2012 story, "Isaac a no-show at Madness, Molosky and Johnson dominate"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/08/madness-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "Sullivan and Rosen run like mad in Miller Landing 8K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/08/madness-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Cook and Rosen lead the Madness"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/08/madness-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "Chris Lake wins Miller Landing Madness 2009"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/08/chris-lake-wins-miller-landing-madness.html
  
  
• Lots of upcoming races, some with sanity
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1