Saturday, February 8, 2014

Linton and Thomas take the cake at Run For The Cookies

Stanley LintonSuch is the allure of running that more than 400 people showed up at Tallahassee Community College on a rainy Saturday morning, 8 February 2014, to race the 21st annual Run For The Cookies 5K on wet streets. It could be, though, that it was the allure of cookies instead--each entry in the race received a box of Girl Scout cookies. If it was the cookies, then Florida State University sophomores Stanley Linton and Carly Thomas must really like cookies. Linton was the fastest of the field of 369 finishers, posting a winning time of 15:24. Thomas was the women's champion, placing eighth overall in 17:54.


Jonathan CampbellThe notion of including a box of cookies with the price of race entry goes back more than 20 years, when Jeanne O'Kon noticed that a lot of T-shirts were being distributed at road races. Even at small local races, crates of shirts were handed out--crates that looked a lot like crates of Girl Scout cookies. Why not have a race where each runner got a box of cookies? Part of the entry fee would cover the cost of the cookies, and it was easier than flogging them door to door. The idea was a hit, and now both Pensacola and Panama City have Girl Scout cookie runs. But back in 1994, Tallahassee's was the first.


Chris RegoThis year, after 60 athletes had splashed through the one-mile fun run, it was 9:00 AM and time for the start of the main event. Seconds into the race, Stanley Linton made it around the first turn before anyone else. 800 meters into the race he was still leading, with Jon Campbell a few steps back and Chris Rego, last year's runner-up, slightly further back in third. The rest of the field was being left behind. A kilometer later, so were Campbell and Rego. By the two kilometer mark Linton had broken contact for good. Now, though, he was chasing Gary Droze's Run For The Cookies 5K record of 15:17, set back in 1997. In the end Linton fell a bit short of that mark, running 15:24, but it was still his fastest 5K on the roads yet.


While Linton raced the clock, Campbell and Rego raced for second place. The gap between them waxed and waned, but Campbell held his position. Campbell was still in second place when he crossed the finish line in 16:16. Rego followed a few seconds later in 16:23. Zach De Veau took fourth, holding off Charlie Johnson 16:50 to 16:53.


Carly ThomasCarly Thomas was leading the women's field early, trailed by her teammate on the FSU cross-country squad, Teresa Ristow. Both sophomores had competed in the Run For The Cookies the year before. Thomas, though, a Tallahassee native, had been running for Cookies since 2007. Whether or not that experience made a difference, Thomas steadily pulled away from Ristow throughout the race, going on to win the women's competition with a 17:54. Ristow finished 15th overall in 18:30, holding on to second in the women's standings just ahead of another FSU cross-country runner, Kaitlyn Kelly. Kelly finished 17th overall in 18:43. Actually, the first nine women finishers were all FSU cross-country runners. Seminole harriers sure do like their cookies.

Michael Martinez, Carl Nordhielm, Sean Hudson
Master runners Sean Hudson, Michael Martinez, and Carl Nordhielm ran closely much of the way, competing for the top master spot. Late in the race Hudson and Nordhielm managed to drop Martinez. Their own contest, though, went all the way to the finish line, where Hudson prevailed 17:58 to 18:00. Hudson and Nordhielm came in ninth and tenth overall, while Martinez was eleventh overall in 18:07. Mary Anne Grayson of Thomasville was the first woman master, 46th overall in 21:14.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Run For The Cookies 5K
  1. 15:24 ~ Stanley Linton (M, 20) Crawfordville, FL
  2. 16:16 ~ Jonathan Campbell (M, 19) Rockledge, FL
  3. 16:23 ~ Chris Rego (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
  4. 16:50 ~ Zach De Veau (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 16:53 ~ Charlie Johnson (M, 34) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 17:05 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 34) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 17:49 ~ Peter Kaus (M, 29) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 17:58 ~ Sean Hudson (M, 43) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 18:00 ~ Carl Nordhielm (M, 51) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 18:07 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, 2014 Run For The Cookies 5K
    Teresa Ristow
  1. 17:54 ~ Carly Thomas (F, 19) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 18:30 ~ Teresa Ristow (F, 20) Melbourne, FL
  3. 18:43 ~ Kaitlyn Kelly (F, 19) Daytona Beach, FL
  4. 19:05 ~ Christine Griggs (F, 19) Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
  5. 19:09 ~ Erika Charlassier (F, 23) Coral Springs, FL
  6. 19:36 ~ Chantelle Brodie (F, 19) Avondale Estates, GA
  7. 19:40 ~ Christina Phipps (F, 20) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 19:49 ~ Micah Adriani (F, 36) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 20:07 ~ Mollie Hibbard (F, 22) Satellite Beach, FL
  10. 20:14 ~ Alexandra Midgett (F, 19) Orange Park, FL

Run For The Cookies 5K champions, 1994 - 2014
DateMenWomenFinishers
19 February 199416:12 ~ Gary Droze-118:51 ~ Carrie Weyant-185
25 February 199515:42 ~ Gary Droze-218:15 ~ Jane Johnson186
24 February 199616:08 ~ Gary Droze-319:57 ~ Chateau Mangaroo175
22 February 199715:17 ~ Gary Droze-419:02 ~ Carrie Weyant-2150
28 February 199815:38 ~ Jason Ritter17:29 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams-1207
27 February 199916:17 ~ David Ogletree17:38 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams-2258
26 February 200016:23 ~ Robert Pautienus17:53 ~ Kim Winn294
24 February 200115:59 ~ Kevin Danahy17:30 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams-3231
23 February 200215:25 ~ Lee Willis-116:18 ~ Breeda Dennehy-Willis-1248
15 February 200315:49 ~ Lee Willis-216:30 ~ Breeda Dennehy-Willis-2152
14 February 200417:07 ~ Timothy Bolton18:06 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams-493
12 February 200516:23 ~ Justin Jacobs17:43 ~ Sarah Docter-Williams-5258
11 February 200616:49 ~ Kyle Larson19:04 ~ Stephanie Liles-1156
10 February 200715:53 ~ Judson Cake19:06 ~ Zika Rea386
9 February 200816:45 ~ Tripp Southerland19:35 ~ Stephanie Liles-2411
7 February 200916:16 ~ Chris Lake-118:40 ~ Audrey Hand550
13 February 201016:27 ~ Chris Lake-218:11 ~ Amy Hines-1432
12 February 201115:50 ~ Kevin Sullivan19:02 ~ Sheryl Rosen431
11 February 201216:07 ~ Alex Smyth17:36 ~ Amy Hines-2685
9 February 201316:00 ~ Stanley Linton-117:43 ~ Chelsi Woodruff602
8 February 201415:24 ~ Stanley Linton-217:54 ~ Carly Thomas369
The Run For The Cookies was held at Tallahassee Mall from 1994 to 1996,
and at Tallahassee Community College from 1997 to the present.
A big thank-you to Mark Priddy for his help in completing this summary.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 7:58 PM
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