Should you head to Lakeland, Georgia to watch birds or terrorize fish at Banks Lake, you might notice the sign styling the village as "Georgia's Historic Mural City." This latest nickname, although not undeserved, won't last any longer than the paint on the sides of Lakeland's buildings. It wouldn't be the first name Lakeland has lost. The settlement was originally called Alapaha, later becoming Milltown. The Lakeland name dates back to 1925.If you aren't coming for the lakes, you might be coming for the festivals, such as the Milltown Motorcade or the Flatlander Fall Frolic. The latest Flatlander Fall Frolic, on Saturday, 31 August 2013, brought no fewer than 81 athletes to Lakeland to run in the road race associated with the annual festival, the Dawg-Gone Good Race 5K.
Ryan Kelly, the cross-country coach at Valdosta Middle School, was the decisive winner in the 3.1-mile footrace, running 17:40 and finishing over half a kilometer ahead of the runner-up. Ty Ty, Georgia master runner Kerry Underwood took second place, running 19:55. The next three places went to Valdosta, Georgia runners Keegan Boyd (3rd, 20:45), Kenneth Wilkey (4th, 21:10), and Toby Wilkey (5th, 21:29).
Thirteen-year-old Makenzee Page was the first female finisher, following the younger Wilkey across the line in sixth place overall at 21:45. Valdosta's Joi Jones was the next female finisher, eighth overall in 22:19. Beth Ford (29th, 27:03) was the first woman master and the sixth female finisher in the race.
The Flatlander Frolic has been around just over four decades and the Dawg-Gone Good Road Race is only a few years younger, but at 75 years old, Joe Christian has them both beat. Christian started racing at the Dawg-Gone Good Race in 1980 and has been competing ever since, notching his 1000th race at this year's 5K in Lakeland. This time around, Christian ran 29:31, finishing 47th overall and first in the 70-and-over age group. He's not done yet, either. Christian was scheduled to start on his second millennium just two days later at the fifth annual Valdosta Labor Day 5K.
Top Ten Males, 2013 Flatlanders Dawg Gone Good Race 5K
- 17:39.5 ~ Ryan Kelly (M, 34) Lake Park, GA
- 19:54.9 ~ Kerry Underwood (M, 50) Ty Ty, GA
- 20:44.4 ~ Keegan Boyd (M, 26) Valdosta, GA
- 21:09.8 ~ Kenneth Wilkey (M, 39) Valdosta, GA
- 21:28.4 ~ Toby Wilkey (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
- 21:49.9 ~ Jason Browning (M, 39) Moultrie, GA
- 22:19.0 ~ Rusty Jones (M, 60) Valdosta, GA
- 22:27.7 ~ Brandon Gore (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
- 22:31.2 ~ Jacob Bennett (M, 15) Lakeland, GA
- 22:42.3 ~ Scott Wiza (M, 51) Valdosta, GA
Top Ten Females, 2013 Flatlanders Dawg Gone Good Race 5K
- 21:44.6 ~ Makenzee Page (F, 13) Ray City, GA
- 22:18.7 ~ Joi Jones (F, 18) Valdosta, GA
- 22:40.4 ~ Melissa Mekpongsatorn (F, 31) Valdosta, GA
- 25:23.9 ~ Kristina Singley (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
- 25:37.2 ~ Brooke Reese (F, 13) Jesup, GA
- 27:02.8 ~ Beth Ford (F, 45) Valdosta, GA
- 27:12.8 ~ Tammy Hatton (F, 40) Lakeland, GA
- 27:13.7 ~ Venessa Jesse (F,) Valdosta, GA
- 27:25.4 ~ Lena Ivey (F, 31) Millwood, GA
- 27:28.6 ~ Christa Shaw (F, 37) Lakeland, GA
| Known champions of the Flatlander Fall Frolic Road Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women |
| 2 September 1978 | Jamie Martinez | |
| 1 September 1979 | 15:17, Ken Saint John | 20:55, Debbie Dickson |
| 2 September 2006 | 16:48, John Seppala | JoAnn Fuhrer |
| 1 September 2007 | Chris Gaither | Alice Smoot |
| 30 August 2008 | ||
| 5 September 2009 | ||
| 4 September 2010 | ||
| 3 September 2011 | 17:37, Masked Avenger | 25:11, Erin Grimme |
| 1 September 2012 | 18:32, Masked Avenger | 27:22 Brooke Reese |
| 31 August 2013 | 17:40, Ryan Kelly | 21:45, Makenzee Page |
| The 1978 event was a 10,000-meter race. | ||
Links
- Complete results, 2013 Flatlanders Dawg-Gone Good Road Race
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AuBsYKIIn3TCdG8xQXMxZTRUeHVneDFXSG1LUm90UXc
- 2011 story, "Avenger and Grimme flatten their foes in a Dawg-Gone Good Race"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/09/flatlander-2011.html
- Find more interesting old races in the region using the Trouble Afoot! calendar
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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