Kelly and Smoot make history in the first Historic Metcalf Sawmill 5K

If you run or cycle in the Tallahassee Red Hills, there's a chance that you've come upon Metcalf, Georgia. Metcalf isn't much in itself; it's a hamlet aspiring to be a village. It is, however, the hub of several country lanes and dirt roads, spoke that connected Metcalf to Miccosukee and Monticello in Florida, and Boston and Beachton and Thomasville in Georgia. The quiet roads through the rolling southwest Georgia landscape draw the athletes, and the athletes incidentally stumble on Metcalf. Metcalf was also once on the railroad, a mighty line that stretched from Tampa, Florida, to Chicago, Illinois. The rails were yanked up in the 1980s, though, except for less than ten miles of track that were left to connect the Hood Industries sawmill in Metcalf with the railroad in Thomasville, Georgia. The sawmill is the major industry in Metcalf. You may miss seeing it as you pedal or run through the town, but you certainly can't miss smelling it--the scent of freshly cut pine. From the plant comes the name of Metcalf's latest (if not its first) road race--the Historic Metcalf Sawmill 5K.


Ryan Kelly of Lake Park, Georgia, won the inaugural Sawmill 5K on Saturday morning, 21 March 2015, outrunning Tallahassee master runner Michael Martinez 18:09 to 18:44. Just behind Martinez, Lowndes High senior Jackson Green took third in 18:48.


Valdosta, Georgia, master runner Alice Smoot took the women's title, coming in sixth overall in 22:19. Another Valdosta master runner, Martha Mazurkiewicz, finished runner-up in the women's standings, placing tenth overall in 25:01. 14th overall in 27:46, Heather Kelly of Lake Park was the third woman finisher.


35 athletes finished the 3.1-mile event, and were treated to a post-race breakfast. Finish line and timing services were provided by A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta, Georgia.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Metcalf Sawmill 5K

1. 18:08.1 ~ Ryan Kelly (M, 36) Lake Park, GA
2. 18:44.0 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 49) Tallahassee, FL
3. 18:47.5 ~ Jackson Green (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
4. 20:12.4 ~ Rick Mazurkiewicz (M, 48) Valdosta, GA
5. 21:19.0 ~ Jim Martin (M, 53) Tallahassee, FL
6. 22:47.8 ~ Bill Wilhelm (M, 51) Thomasville, GA
7. 23:35.7 ~ John Wheeler (M, 48) Boston, GA
8. 23:48.4 ~ Billy Taylor (M, 66) Valdosta, GA
9. 25:06.5 ~ Rodney Elam (M, 51) Valdosta, GA
10. 25:18.8 ~ Chris White (M, 46) Thomasville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2015 Metcalf Sawmill 5K

1. 22:18.5 ~ Alice Smoot (F, 57) Valdosta, GA
2. 25:00.2 ~ Martha Mazurkiewicz (F, 47) Valdosta, GA
3. 27:46.0 ~ Heather Kelly (F, 36) Lake Park, GA
4. 28:42.6 ~ Angela Cogland (F, 47) ,
5. 30:52.7 ~ Jodie Stringer (F, 20) Metcalfe, GA
6. 30:56.0 ~ Christina Smith (F, 14) Thomasville, GA
7. 31:04.5 ~ Ashley Stone (F, 20) Valdosta, GA
8. 31:13.9 ~ Teresa White (F, 47) Thomasville, GA
9. 31:40.1 ~ Jessica Phillips (F, 26) Douglas, GA
10. 31:51.5 ~ Sandy Register (F, 44) Lake Park, GA

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Metcalf Sawmill 5K, courtesy of A Course / Line, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZLztVn9klm9Ea2shXuYzCEuwnvZCC12aeN2rrfaVQTk/pubhtml
  
  
• Upcoming races in large towns and small of the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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