Monday, July 28, 2014

McAllister and Molen master the Magnolia Trail

Charn McAllisterOn 26 July 2014, during a Saturday afternoon popularly described as steamy, Charn McAllister won Gulf Winds Track Club’s second annual Magnolia Trail Race. McAllister covered the three-and-a-half mile run through Tallahassee’s Tom Brown Park in 26:03, finishing just ahead of the runner-up, Crawfordville master runner Duane Evans. Emily Molen was the first female finisher, coming in 11th overall in 30:16. Angela Dempsey was the first woman master in the field, placing 20th overall in 31:56. 108 athletes stumbled, slid, and sweated their way through the race.


Anyone who runs in the late afternoons or early evenings during a Tallahassee summer gets in the habit of checking the weather, hoping for an afternoon rain shower. There are days when only a storm can get the heat index out of three-digit territory. Some days it’s enough to make you a fan of hurricanes. But a brief summer shower is worse than no rain at all. It doesn’t rain enough to cool off the air, but it does increase the humidity to the point where your sweat has nowhere to go. Without evaporation, you get hot and you stay hot.


2014A brief summer shower is exactly what Tallahassee got just before the Magnolia Trail Race.


McAllister had studied the Magnolia Trail course before last year’s race, concluding that once the runners got into the woods, in most places the trail was too narrow to allow passing. “My goal is to get to the trail first,” explained McAllister.


However, many of the competitors had the same strategy, and there was a scramble for the narrow opening into the woods. “We all went out too fast,” said McAllister. “We all paid the price equally, luckily for me.”


McAllister did make it to the trail first, just ahead of four other athletes. Duane Evans was several steps behind in fifth. As the runners wound through the woods, they began to feel the heat and the hills and the fast start. Then they discovered that the race was slightly longer than last year.


Duane Evans“Part of the course was closed last year,” said Bobby York, the race director. “It was open this year, and the run was exactly 3.49 miles.”


As the competitors struggled with the bonus distance, Duane Evans moved up through the field, reaching second place just behind McAllister. The light rain hadn’t made the trail muddy, but the course was slippery in spots. With less than a mile to go, McAllister found one of those spots.


“I slipped and hit the dirt,” said McAllister. “I was able to get back up before Duane caught me.”


McAllister recovered from his fall to beat Evans to the finish line, 26:03 to 26:20. Brian Molen made up ground late in the race to finish third in 26:26.


Emily MolenIn the women’s competition, Brook Pace made it to the woods first, but Emily Molen was there just two seconds later. Pace had won the women’s division at the two earlier races on the Summer Trail Series, while Molen trailed at third in one race and fourth in the other. The Magnolia Trail Race would be different.


“I took the lead right before the water station,” said Molen, who will be running cross country for Deerlake Middle School in September.


Molen continued to lead the rest of race, finishing at the top of the women’s standings in 30:16. At 31:56 Angela Dempsey was second on the women’s side. Melissa Hooke was third at 32:13 and Brook Pace fourth at 32:18.


The Magnolia Trail Race was the third event of four in the 2014 Summer Trail Series. With one race to go, Charn McAllister has three wins. The final event in the series will be the 4.5-mile Cadillac Trail Race on Saturday morning, 9 August 2014, in Tom Brown Park.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2014 Magnolia Trail Race
    Jay Smith and Brian Molen
  1. 26:03 ~ Charn McAllister (M, 31) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 26:20 ~ Duane Evans (M, 47)
  3. 26:26 ~ Brian Molen (M, 38)
  4. 26:42 ~ Jay Smith (M, 40)
  5. 27:10 ~ Andy Roberts (M, 47)
  6. 28:10 ~ Jeff Nielsen (M, 56)
  7. 28:43 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 40)
  8. 29:11 ~ Daniel Stewart (M, 29)
  9. 29:20 ~ Travis Miller (M, 44)
  10. 30:12 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 45)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2014 Magnolia Trail Race
    Angela Dempsey and Melissa Hooke
  1. 30:16 ~ Emily Molen (F, 12) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 31:56 ~ Angela Dempsey (F, 45)
  3. 32:13 ~ Melissa Hooke (F, 35)
  4. 32:18 ~ Brook Pace (F, 35)
  5. 33:37 ~ Michelle St Onge (F, 33)
  6. 33:46 ~ Kristen Bowers (F, 39)
  7. 33:50 ~ Crystal Douglas (F, 38)
  8. 33:56 ~ Shelley Yaun (F, 37)
  9. 34:05 ~ Tsige Tadesse (F, 41)
  10. 34:12 ~ Marien Dimacali (F, 52)

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Posted by Herb Wills at 1:21 AM
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