McLeod and Watson are 2015 Youth Ranch Marathon champions

Back in 1897 the Boston Marathon started off as a fairly cozy event. A few of the guys in the Boston Athletic Association thought it would be interesting to run that long event that had debuted at the first modern Olympic Games the previous year, and then decided to make it an annual event. Somewhere long the line more than a few dozen people wanted to run, then more than a few hundred. By the 1970s you needed a qualifying time to run. Then you needed a faster qualifying time. Now your qualifying time doesn't guarantee you entry into the race, the marathon starts in different waves, and it takes almost as much time to cross the starting line as it does to get your turn at one of the portable toilets.


I'm not sure what went wrong over the years, but none of that has happened in Live Oak, Florida, at the Youth Ranch Marathon. The sixth annual Youth Ranch Marathon was held on Sunday morning, 8 March 2015, and none of the Boston problems (or Boston hills) were evident. 22 athletes finished the 26.2-mile race, with another 24 in the half marathon, and a few more in a 10K and 5K.


Wellborn, Florida athlete James Lambert surged to an early lead in the marathon. He was still nearly 400 meters ahead of the next runner at the halfway point, but Live Oak's Denise Watson was closing in, as was Nick McLeod of Keystone Heights, Florida. Watson was the first of half a dozen runners to overtake Lambert. Nick McLeod was the next to pass Lambert, meanwhile narrowing the gap with Watson. In the closing miles McLeod caught Watson, going on to win the race in 3:53:43. Watson was second in 3:56:25, the first woman in the race. The top master runner in the marathon was Mike Smith of Live Oak, third overall in 4:14:19. Amy Yanni of Fort Myers, Florida, was the first female master runner, placing fifth overall in 4:29:36.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Youth Ranch Marathon

1. 3:53:43 ~ Nick McLeod (M, 37) Keystone Heights, FL
2. 4:14:19 ~ Mike Smith (M, 44) Live Oak, FL
3. 4:25:33 ~ Joe Shuta (M, 64) Duncansville, PA
4. 4:43:03 ~ Jeremy Buzbee (M, 44) Live Oak, FL
5. 5:00:51 ~ James Lambert (M, 23) Wellborn, FL
6. 5:10:30 ~ Teo Gradinaru (M, 39) Live Oak, FL
7. 5:29:54 ~ Bill Vanderpol (M, 55) McCalla, AL
8. 5:30:51 ~ Wilfred Goron (M, 60) Wheatley, ON
9. 5:56:14 ~ Chuck Savage (M, 76) Ocala, FL
10. 7:08:36 ~ Henry Rueden (M, 65) DePere, WI

Top Ten Women, 2015 Youth Ranch Marathon

1. 3:56:25 ~ Denise Watson (F, 39) Live Oak, FL
2. 4:29:36 ~ Amy Yanni (F, 60) Ft. Myers, FL
3. 5:33:55 ~ Regina Hammond (F, 46) Jasper, FL
4. 5:51:47 ~ Terri Varnadoe (F, 55) Ocala, FL
5. 5:52:51 ~ Amy Waggoner (F, 44) Jackson, GA
6. 6:15:00 ~ Elizabeth Gmerek (F, 54) Merritt Island, FL
7. 6:22:00 ~ Amber Friis (F, 33) Live Oak, FL
8. 6:45:56 ~ Bettie Wailes (F, 70) Winter Park, FL
9. 6:46:30 ~ Cheryl Murdock (F, 64) Pensacola, FL
10. 6:47:24 ~ Mellody Hughes (F, 51) DeFuniak Springs, FL

Bobby Sauer of Atlanta, Georgia, won the half marathon, running the 13.1-mile event in 1:46:19. Finishing runner-up in 1:58:10 was the first woman in the race, Ashley Cannon of Live Oak. Joe Shuta (3rd, 2:11:30) of Duncansville, Pennsylvania, was the first master runner and Christine McClung (10th, 2:20:19) of Midland, Georgia, was the first female master runner.


Top Nine Men, 2015 Youth Ranch Half-Marathon

1. 1:46:19 ~ Bobby Sauer (M, 38) Atlanta, GA
2. 2:11:30 ~ Joe Shuta (M, 64) Duncansville, PA
3. 2:15:17 ~ Troy Roberts (M, 31) Lake City, FL
4. 2:15:17 ~ Trevin Myers (M, 36) Brandon, FL
5. 2:17:56 ~ Don Baker (M, 57) Live Oak, FL
6. 2:26:38 ~ David Grudzien (M, 57) Lawrenceville, GA
7. 2:41:53 ~ Dan Jongeling (M, 59) Ft Myers, FL
8. 3:05:52 ~ Steve Shaw (M, 58) Valdosta, GA
9. 3:17:12 ~ Josh Blackmon (M, 29) Glen St. Mary, FL

Top Ten Women, 2015 Youth Ranch Half-Marathon

1. 1:58:10 ~ Ashley Cannon (F, 28) Live Oak, FL
2. 2:04:52 ~ Mykayla McLeod (F, 15) Keystone Heights, FL
3. 2:14:31 ~ Dawn Koval (F, 37) St. Augustine, FL
4. 2:15:17 ~ Alba Murillo (F, 38) Tampa, FL
5. 2:20:19 ~ Christine McClung (F, 48) Midland, GA
6. 2:21:35 ~ Marivel Garza (F, 41) Panama City, FL
7. 2:22:44 ~ Stephanie Holmes (F, 33) Madison, FL
8. 2:31:24 ~ Laura Roberts (F, 31) Lake City, FL
9. 2:41:04 ~ Michelle Furney (F, 46) Columbus, GA
10. 2:55:46 ~ Michele Kren (F, 46) Columbus, GA

Florida Boys Ranch Marathon champions, 2010 - 2015
Date	Race	Men	Women	Finishers
14 March 2010	Marathon	3:25:07, Dave Carver	3:48:52, Julia Keevey	6
	Half	1:48:55, Bobby Sauer	1:59:15, Catherine Burke	6
13 March 2011	Marathon	2:51:17, Jack McDermott	3:48:06, Laura McDermott	28
	Half	1:37:20, Jim Heberle	2:01:59, Ericka Wright	25
11 March 2012	Marathon	3:13:54, Troy Mitchell	3:30:56, Kay Evans	36
	Half	1:47:47, Bobby Sauer	1:48:21, Marisa Rea	25
10 March 2013	Marathon	2:49:19, Roger Schmidt	3:13:19, Anna Komitov	46
	Half	1:37:14, Jay Silvanima	1:41:34, Denise Watson	32
9 March 2014	Marathon	3:03:36, Richard Purcell	3:34:59, Loni Smith	37
	Half	1:43:04, Jim Heberle	1:46:24, Virginia Edmonds	19
8 March 2015	Marathon	3:53:43, Nick McLeod	3:56:25, Denise Watson	22
	Half	1:46:19, Bobby Sauer	1:58:10, Ashley Cannon	24

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Florida Youth Ranch Marathon races at stateofmindsports.com
  http://www.stateofmindsports.com/results/2015BRM/BoysRanchResults.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Richard Purcell and Loni Smith win the race at the Ranch”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/boys-ranch-marathon-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Small fields, long races, and record times in Youth Ranch Marathon”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/03/boys-ranch-marathon-2013.html
  
  
• USATF certification map FL10137EBM of the marathon course
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL10137EBM
  
  
• USATF certification map FL10028EBM of the half-marathon course
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL10028EBM
  
  
• Upcoming races long and short, large and small, on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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