Cole wins and Slater shatters record at Wakulla Springs 5K

On Saturday morning, 16 May 2015, Wakulla High sophomore Bryce Cole posted 18:12 for a rugged 3.1 miles on the trails of the Sanctuary at Florida's Wakulla Springs State Park, winning the ninth annual Wakulla Springs 5K. First year FSU student Katie Slater was the runner-up and first female finisher, setting a women's course record of 18:46. 171 athletes finished the race.


Cole wasn't the only Wakulla High runner in the field. Graduating seniors Travis Parks and Lane Williams dueled for second in the men's standings, with Parks edging Williams 19:22 to 19:24. Aaron Taylor, fourth in the TMH For Life 5K Challenge a week before, was the fourth male finisher again, this time in 19:44. Tad David of Tallahassee was the fastest master runner in the race, finishing eighth overall in 20:11.


Katie Slater demolished the four-year-old women's course record, chopping 43 seconds off the old mark of 19:29, set in 2011 by Seeley Gutierreza. As a distance runner at Florida State, though, Slater spent the previous autumn running 5K cross-country races like the Wakulla Springs race every weekend. Well, not every weekend. On 22 November 2014, for instance, she ran 6K instead of 5K for the Lady Seminoles at the NCAA-D1 Cross Country Championships.


Wakulla sophomore Haleigh Martin was second in the women's standings, finishing eleventh overall in 20:56--the tenth fastest female performance in the history of the Wakulla Springs 5K:

Top ten women's times, Wakulla Springs 5K
Time	Athlete	Year
18:46	Katie Slater	2015
19:29	Seeley Gutierrez	2011
19:42	Katie Sherron	2011
19:46	Kelly Stevens	2011
19:59	Summer Calder	2011
20:03	Kati Gosnell	2010
20:07	Katie Sherron	2014
20:19	Kate Harrison	2013
20:54	Micah Adriani	2010
20:56	Haleigh Martin	2015

Florida State distance runner Carly Thomas was the third female finisher, 20th overall in 22:39. Wakulla High junior Connie Lewis placed fourth on the women's side, finishing 25th overall in 23:05. Tallahassee realtor Nancy Stedman was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, coming in 29th overall in 24:11.


The Wakulla 5K and its associated one-mile fun run are hosted by the Friends of Wakulla Springs State Park, with proceeds going to benefit the park. Runners get to see exactly what their funds are going to preserve during the race as the course takes them through the Sanctuary of the park, a wild area that is seldom open to the public.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Wakulla Springs 5K

1. 18:12 ~ Bryce Cole (M, 16)
2. 19:22 ~ Travis Parks (M, 19)
3. 19:24 ~ Lane Williams (M, 19)
4. 19:44 ~ Aaron Taylor (M, 21)
5. 19:48 ~ Ryan Slyter (M, 25)
6. 20:04 ~ David Welling (M, 30)
7. 20:11 ~ Tad David (M, 46)
8. 20:32 ~ Dalten Wood (M, 15)
9. 20:37 ~ Alex Smythe (M, 15)
10. 21:17 ~ Roobens Louis (M, 22)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Wakulla Springs 5K

1. 18:46 ~ Katie Slater (F, 19)
2. 20:56 ~ Haleigh Martin (F, 15)
3. 22:39 ~ Carly Thomas (F, 21)
4. 23:05 ~ Connie Lewis (F, 16)
5. 24:11 ~ Nancy Stedman (F, 53)
6. 24:21 ~ Amelia Crooms (F, 25)
7. 25:09 ~ Lacey Randolph (F, 26)
8. 25:25 ~ Angel Bobo (F, 23)
9. 25:51 ~ Aimee Jones (F, 32)
10. 25:58 ~ Julie Clark (F, 53)

Wakulla Springs 5K Champions, 2007 - 2015
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
19 May 2007	19:09, Myles Gibson	22:16, Olivia Swedberg	204
17 May 2008	17:42, Jay Wallace	23:29, Sydney Nutting	216
16 May 2009	17:20, Tyler Price	21:49, Roxanne Hughes	223
15 May 2010	17:56, Justin Dickieson	20:03, Kati Gosnell	355
21 May 2011	16:59, Vince Molosky	19:29, Seeley Gutierrez	326
19 May 2012	16:49, Vince Molosky	21:53, Angela Wable	256
18 May 2013	16:39, Stanley Linton	20:19, Kate Harrison	199
17 May 2014	16:38, Chris Lake	20:07, Katie Sherron	252
16 May 2015	18:12, Bryce Cole	18:46, Katie Slater	171

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Friends of Wakulla Springs 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2015/Friends%20Wakulla%20Springs%202015.asp
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2015 Friends of Wakulla Springs 5K
  https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Wakulla_15
  
  
• 2014 story, “Lake and Sherron speed through the sanctuary at Wakulla”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/05/wakulla-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Linton and Molosky renew their duel at Wakulla Springs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/05/wakulla-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Molosky makes it two at the sixth annual Wakulla Springs 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/05/wakulla-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Molosky and Gutierrez break records at Wakulla Springs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/05/wakulla-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Sand and 'Skeeters at the Sanctuary of Wakulla Springs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/05/wakulla-2010.html
  
  
• Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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