Molosky and Falk score victories in their return to Gate-to-Gate

Back on 2 May 2014 in Jacksonville, Florida, Tripp Davis concluded his high school athletic career by running a 1:58 and change third leg on Niceville High's 4 x 800 relay team, a team that won the title in that event in the class 3A State Track & Field Finals. A senior, Davis might have been through with high school running, but he wasn't through with running. Thus he was at the starting line of Eglin's 29th annual Gate-to-Gate 4.4-mile run on Saturday morning, 24 May 2014.


As it turns out, Vince Molosky was also on the starting line, and he had wrapped up his high school running career somewhat earlier than Davis. Now in Tallahassee, Florida, Molosky had finished running for Amherst High School in Ohio back in 1998. Like Davis, though, he hadn't finished running.


When the race was over, Davis had made a huge improvement on his 2013 Gate-to-Gate showing, when he had finished 70th overall in 29:38. Molosky, on the other hand, ran his slowest Gate-to-Gate of his five appearances in the race. Nevertheless, Molosky finished just short of 200 meters ahead of Tripp Davis, as the former Amherst Comet outran the former Niceville Eagle, winning the Gate-to-Gate in 24:39. Davis was second in 25:20. David Seymour, a staff sergeant stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, was third in 25:28. Tallahassee master runners Michael Martinez and Carl Nordhielm took the next two places, with Martinez taking the top master spot in 25:50 and Nordhielm running 25:58.


In the team competition Tallahassee’s Gulf Winds Track Club won the title for the fifth straight year. Molosky led the GWTC squad with his 24:39. GWTC’s Caleb Carmichael was sixth in 26:01, Eric Godin was 14th in 27:01, and Renee Cox was 38th in 29:08, giving the team a winning average of 26:43. A GWTC team of master runners was second, and another GWTC foursome took third in the team competition.


The rules for team competition at Gate-to-Gate require that each four-athlete team include at least one woman. For GWTC’s winning team that woman was Renee Cox. Cox was second in the Gate-to-Gate women’s standings, finishing runner-up to Liane Falk of Eglin. After finishing second to Tallahassee’s Sheryl Rosen at Gate-to-Gate in 2013, this year Falk was the women’s champion, placing 20th overall in 27:25. Tallahassee runner Karen Geletko was third on the women’s side, finishing 43rd overall in 29:38.


The Gate-to-Gate Run hasn’t remained unchanged over 29 years. For one thing, it’s no longer run from one gate of Eglin Air Force Base to another. A few years ago the course was changed to a simple out-and-back to eliminate the problem of transporting hundreds of runners between the starting line and finish line. Also, after 28 years as a Memorial Day run, this year the Gate-to-Gate was staged on the Saturday before Memorial Day. Once again, logistics trumped tradition. But the race is still the odd 4.4-mile length that was determined by the distance between Eglin’s two gates, even if those gates are no longer on the course. And most runners still pause during the race to drop a flower at the All-Veterans Memorial. Some traditions are worth keeping.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Eglin AFB Gate-to-Gate 4.4-Mile Run

1. 24:39 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 34) Tallahassee, FL
2. 25:20 ~ Tripp Davis (M, 18) Valparaiso, FL
3. 25:28 ~ David Seymour (M, 26) Enterprise, AL
4. 25:50 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
5. 25:58 ~ Carl Nordhielm (M, 51) Tallahassee, FL
6. 26:01 ~ Caleb Carmichael (M, 29) Pensacola, FL
7. 26:04 ~ Alex Smyth (M, 26) Panama City Beach, FL
8. 26:20 ~ Geb Kiros (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
9. 26:25 ~ Carl Schlosser (M, 20) Eglin, FL
10. 26:30 ~ Shane Vetter (M, 39) Niceville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2014 Eglin AFB Gate-to-Gate 4.4-Mile Run

1. 27:25 ~ Liane Falk (F, 29) Eglin AFB, FL
2. 29:08 ~ Renee Cox (F, 26) Tallahassee, FL
3. 29:38 ~ Karen Geletko (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
4. 29:54 ~ Michele Williams (F, 41) Milton, FL
5. 31:33 ~ Lindsey Smith (F, 31) Destin, FL
6. 31:52 ~ Kristy James (F, 30) Fate, TX
7. 32:17 ~ Kathleen Baker (F, 36) Panama City Beach, FL
8. 32:29 ~ Nicole Escoffier (F, 17) Niceville, FL
9. 33:39 ~ Sara Steele (F, 18) Ft. Walton Beach, FL
10. 33:39 ~ Ivy Nivison (F, 28) Niceville, FL

Eglin AFB Gate-to-Gate 4.4-Mile Memorial Day Race Winners, 1997-2013
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
26 May 1997	22:08, Gary Droze	24:51, Sarah Kramer
25 May 1998	22:49, Matt Dobson	25:46, Sarah Docter-Williams	1028
31 May 1999	21:25, Rudolf Jun	25:49, Sarah Docter-Williams	1054
29 May 2000	21:20, Malcolm Campbell	25:02, Anna Pichrtova	1270
28 May 2001	20:56, Michael Green
27 May 2002	22:34, Paul Spangler	26:12, Jacqueline Concaugh	1133
26 May 2003	21:21, Michael Green	24:35, Jenny Ledford	1117
31 May 2004	22:14, Everett Whiteside	25:23, Ann McGranahan	1075
30 May 2005	21:54, Joey Zins	23:56, Victoria Gill	1188
29 May 2006	23:03, Travis Deutman	25:17, Victoria Gill	1173
28 May 2007	22:28, Joey Zins	27:27, Kelly Wild	1373
26 May 2008	22:27, Joey Zins	26:42, Anna Hallex	1503
25 May 2009	23:31, Matthew Martin	27:24, Ilea Eskildsen	1761
31 May 2010	22:14, Ben Payne	26:08, Ilea Eskildsen	1807
30 May 2011	24:21, Matt Dobson	25:18, Pasca Cheruiyot	1681
28 May 2012	22:06, Ben Payne	26:19, Sheryl Rosen	1637
27 May 2013	23:01, Stanley Linton	26:45, Sheryl Rosen	1324
24 May 2014	24:39, Vince Molosky	27:25, Liane Falk	1047
Monica O'Reilly set the women's course record of 23:33 in 1993. I'd like to include winners for 1986 to 1996. Anyone have those results?

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Eglin AFB Gate-to-Gate Run at Results Event Timing
  http://www.eventtiming.com/races/gate142.txt
  
  
• Team results of the 2014 Eglin AFB Gate-to-Gate run at Results Event Timing
  http://www.eventtiming.com/races/gate144.txt
  
  
• 2013 story, "Linton and Rosen fly at Gate-to-Gate"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/05/gate2gate-2013.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "Dobson and Cheruiyot lead GWTC to team title repeat at Gate-to-Gate"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/05/gate2gate-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Gulf Winds team triumphs at 25th annual Gate-to-Gate Run"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/05/gate-to-gate-teams.html
  
  
• The Gate-to-Gate isn't in the Tallahassee region, but these upcoming races are:
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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