Kelly and Thompson tear through the trails at Quail Trail

From its first running in 2009, the Quail Trail 5K has been a sort of opening act for Thomasville High's Quail Trail Invitational Cross Country meet. It's a full morning of athletics on the grounds of Pebble Hill Plantation, south of Thomasville, Georgia. Hundreds of high school and middle school athletes compete, but the morning starts with the Quail Trail 5K. It's an opening act.


Of course, Queen, Elton John, and the Beatles were once opening acts, too.


Lake Park, Georgia, athlete Ryan Kelly won the seventh annual Quail Trail 5K on Saturday morning, 19 September 2015, running 18:41. It was the third Quail Trail win in the last four years for the Valdosta High cross country coach. At 19:11 Greg Waddell of Bainbridge, Georgia, was the runner-up and top master. In 2014, Neil White was running for Thomasville High in the Quail Trail High School boys race, finishing 25th. As an alumnus, he placed third in the 2015 Quail Trail 5K with a 19:41.


Thomasville, Georgia, runner Melissa Thompson was the first woman in the race, placing fourth overall in 20:10. Kate Chunka of Tallahassee, Florida, was second in the women's standings, coming in 13th overall in 23:03. Sky Feller was the top woman master and third female finisher, 22nd overall in 25:17.


99 athletes finished the seventh annual Quail Trail 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Quail Trail 5K

1. 18:40.80 ~ Ryan Kelly (M, 36)
2. 19:10.98 ~ Greg Waddell (M, 49)
3. 19:40.48 ~ Neil White (M, 19)
4. 20:12.85 ~ Al Whatley (M, 45)
5. 20:46.85 ~ Harold Allen (M, 34)
6. 21:48.37 ~ Stephen Sullivan (M, 39)
7. 21:59.67 ~ Daniel Graham (M, 43)
8. 22:06.08 ~ Chris Holt (M, 33)
9. 22:09.96 ~ Jonathan Jones (M, 43)
10. 22:29.04 ~ Randy Carr (M, 43)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Quail Trail 5K

1. 20:09.45 ~ Melissa Thompson (F, 31)
2. 23:02.75 ~ Kate Chunka (F, 32)
3. 25:16.63 ~ Sky Feller (F, 42)
4. 25:32.67 ~ Rebecca Goodwin (F, 27)
5. 25:47.29 ~ Angela Gattie (F, 34)
6. 25:55.15 ~ Nancy Herring (F, 60)
7. 26:51.47 ~ Suzanne Angell (F, 49)
8. 28:37.69 ~ Jennifer Hatchell (F, 28)
9. 28:41.41 ~ Laurie Dyer (F, 45)
10. 28:53.58 ~ Celeste Owens (F, 7)

Quail Trail 5K winners, 2009 - 2015
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
26 September 2009	22:01, Steven Cox	24:38, Nancy Stedman	155
25 September 2010	15:41, Kevin Cook	18:40, Kara Taylor	236
24 September 2011	17:30, Giovanni Sanchez	23:54, Kimberlee Lawson	118
29 September 2012	18:38, Ryan Kelly	24:29, Melanie Jackson	157
28 September 2013	16:59, Chance Roe	19:47, Jacki Pinkerton	92
27 September 2014	17:40, Ryan Kelly	24:03, Nancy Elam	101
19 September 2015	18:41, Ryan Kelly	20:10, Melissa Thompson	99
The Quail Trail 5K has always been run on USATF certified course GA09026WC, except in 2009 when the lead vehicle took the runners off course.

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Quail Trail 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yk7HF6bOKYt4X0rXmQptkV0tw5wVTOqCwMhAV2U1H9s/pubhtml
  
  
• 2014 story, “Kelly and Elam tops on the trail at Quail Trail”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/quail-trail-open-2014.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Tales from the Trail, the second annual Quail Trail”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/quail-trail-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Lost on the Quail Trail”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/lost-on-quail-trail.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA09026WC for the Quail Trail 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA09026WC
  
  
• Quail Trail 5K
  http://www.quailtrail5k.com/
  
  
• Quail, partridge, duck, or ptarmigan, find your favorite bird's race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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