Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Clark and Veltcheva are more hare than tortoise at O'Leno 5K

Race The Tortoise 5KOn Saturday morning, 1 March 2014, Alachua, Florida, master runner Dan Clark successfully defended his overall winner's title at the sixth annual Race The Tortoise 5K, finishing almost 400 meters ahead of the next runner. Running 16:53 for the 3.1-mile course through O'Leno State Park, Clark became the only two-time winner in the history of the race. Robert Carter finished runner-up behind Clark in 18:23, and master runner Joel Rich was third in 18:50.


Fourth place, though, belonged to the fastest runner in the women's division, nine-year-old Gainesville schoolgirl Ani Veltcheva. Veltcheva's time was an astonishing 19:14, just off the single-age world record of 19:05 for nine-year-old girls, set on 2 February 2014 by Elizabeth Lucason. And before you ask, yes, the Race The Tortoise 5K course is USATF certified (#FL09011EBM). Just two weeks earlier on 15 February 2014, Velcheva had run 19:50 on a certified course (#FL09010EBM) at the Five Points of Life 5K in Gainesville, Florida.


Richmond, Utah, master runner Carol Rowe was the women's runner-up, placing fifth overall in an impressive 19:29.


247 athletes finished the 2014 edition of the Race The Tortoise 5K. The race is conducted by the Friends of O'Leno, who use the proceeds from the race and their other events for projects that benefit O'Leno State Park and nearby River Rise Preserve State Park. No doubt the park's resident gopher tortoises, the signature creatures of the race, appreciate the Friends' efforts.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Race The Tortoise 5KDan Clark
  1. 16:52.8 ~ Dan Clark (M, 42) Alachua, FL
  2. 18:22.2 ~ Robert Carter (M, 27)
  3. 18:50.0 ~ Joel Rich (M, 44)
  4. 19:41.4 ~ Tony Matchev (M, 10)
  5. 20:18.9 ~ Xiao Chen Zhu (M, 26)
  6. 20:27.6 ~ Ben Mock (M, 11)
  7. 20:41.2 ~ Jake Frazer (M, 9)
  8. 20:41.8 ~ Julius Gylys (M, 50)
  9. 20:48.8 ~ Roberto Laos (M, 37)
  10. 20:49.9 ~ Lucas Dai (M, 10)

Top Ten Women, 2014 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 19:13.4 ~ Ani Veltcheva (F, 9) Gainesville, FL
  2. 19:28.9 ~ Carol Rowe (F, 42)
  3. 22:42.0 ~ Elisabeth Diamond (F, 54)
  4. 23:12.6 ~ Amanda Jacobson (F, 23)
  5. 23:52.6 ~ Marsha Wilson (F, 44)
  6. 24:21.0 ~ Charlotte Amparo (F, 36)
  7. 24:28.4 ~ Melissa Lynch (F, 38)
  8. 25:13.8 ~ Marjesca Brown (F, 31)
  9. 25:17.0 ~ Diane Miller (F, 62)
  10. 25:38.0 ~ Amy Harder (F, 34)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009-2014
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Liubov Denisora225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247


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