Elam and Morse warm-up for cross country with Barnes 5K wins

It has been 105 years since 1909, when Charles W. Barnes opened the doors of Barnes Drug Store in Valdosta, Georgia. As Barnes HealthCare, in 2009 the business marked its 100th birthday with a road race through Valdosta, the Barnes 100 Years 5K. What could be a better way to celebrate?


The race became an annual affair, and on Saturday morning, 19 July 2014, Andrew Elam won the sixth annual Barnes 100 Years 5K, running 18:04. Mackenzie Morse finished atop the women's standings, placing fifth overall in 20:12. Rick Mazurkiewicz of Valdosta was the fastest master in the field, coming in seventh overall in 20:44. Valdosta's Alice Smoot, champion at the 2011 Barnes race, was the top woman master in 2014, finishing 12th overall in 21:47. 74 athletes finished the race.


The youth of the runners at the front of race contrasted sharply with the age of the century-old sponsor of the event. Andrew Elam, who finished over 400 meters ahead of the next runner, is a rising junior on the cross-country team at Lowndes High. Brian Miller, the runner-up at 19:47, is also a cross-country runner in the class of 2016, but at Southland Academy in Americus, Georgia. DeShon Taylor, third at 20:07, will be an incoming freshman on the Valdosta High team. Daniel Swilley was a few steps behind Taylor in fourth at 20:09. Swilley will be a sophomore at Lowndes High, where he ran cross country last fall. All four could meet again on cross-country courses this fall.


Another pair of athletes you might see racing on the trails in the fall are the top two in the female division at the Barnes 5K. That competition was a Mackenzie-vs.-Makenzee affair, with Mackenzie Morse finishing fifth overall ahead of sixth-place Makenzee Page, 20:12 to 20:31. Morse's time was just fractions of a second off the Barnes 5K women's record, set last year by Mary Alice Smoot who graduated from Valwood School this past spring. Both Morse and Page are headed to Lowndes High in the fall, where Morse will be a sophomore and Page a freshman.


All proceeds of the 2014 Barnes 5K went to benefit House of Heroes. Timing and finish line services for the race were provided by A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta, Georgia.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Barnes 100 Years 5K

1. 18:03.1 ~ Andrew Elam (M, 16) Valdosta, GA
2. 19:46.2 ~ Brian Miller (M, 16) Americus, GA
3. 20:07.0 ~ DeShon Taylor (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
4. 20:08.4 ~ Daniel Swilley (M, 15) Valdosta, GA
5. 20:43.3 ~ Rick Mazurkiewicz (M, 47) Valdosta, GA
6. 21:12.9 ~ Garett Pyle (M, 35) Thomasville, GA
7. 21:15.5 ~ Rob McGhin (M, 34) Valdosta, GA
8. 21:17.0 ~ Grayson Graham (M, 16) Bainbridge, GA
9. 21:45.8 ~ Jonathan McDaniel (M, 33) Adel, GA
10. 21:48.2 ~ Jim Simonean (M, 32) Valdosta, GA

Top Ten Women, 2014 Barnes 100 Years 5K

1. 20:11.6 ~ Mackenzie Morse (F, 14) Valdosta, GA
2. 20:30.3 ~ Makenzee Page (F, 14) Ray City, GA
3. 21:46.5 ~ Alice Smoot (F, 57) Valdosta, GA
4. 21:55.2 ~ Kelsey Morse (F, 11) Valdosta, GA
5. 22:15.9 ~ Elizabeth Smith (F, 36) Valdosta, GA
6. 22:44.1 ~ Debbie Green (F, 48) Valdosta, GA
7. 22:47.8 ~ Melonie Ellis (F, 41) Valdosta, GA
8. 23:16.6 ~ Katlin Stecz (F, 14) Valdosta, GA
9. 23:17.1 ~ Alison Thornhill (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
10. 25:58.3 ~ Francis Acosta (F, 45) Vidalia, GA

Barnes 100 Years 5K Champions, 2009-2014
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
18 July 2009	19:05, Masked Avenger	20:18, Angelina Horne	96
17 July 2010	16:45, Daniel Broadhead	20:31, Angelina Horne	119
16 July 2011	18:02, Masked Avenger	20:54, Alice Smoot	67
14 July 2012	18:29, Nathan Norton	23:23, Lauren Tosky	80
13 July 2013	18:13, Ryan Kelly	20:12, Mary Alice Smoot	72
19 July 2014	18:04, Andrew Elam	20:12, Mackenzie Morse	74

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Barnes 100 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VcdVrRw2saVNuQE5Y_t8-N8oc-jdinYN3Sq-NIxOFAc/pubhtml
  
  
• Becca Gallagher's photos of the 2014 Barnes HealthCare 100 Years 5K
  https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZSjdtW
  
  
• 2013 story, "Kelly leads the way and Smoot sets record at the fifth Barnes 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/barnes-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, "Norton and Toskey beat 'em all at Barnes"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/07/barnes-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "No settling for second for Avenger and Smoot at 2011 Barnes 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/barnes-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Broadhead breaks record and Horne builds streak at Barnes 5K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/07/barnes-5k-2010.html
  
  
• Find another centennial race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1174