Kaiser and Veltcheva breeze to victory at Bowlegs

In the three years before 2016, there were never more than one or two runners below 17:00 at Tallahassee, Florida's annual Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship. The races could hardly be considered close, either, with winning margins ranging from 200 to 400 meters. But the 32nd edition of the race on Saturday morning, 9 January 2016, broke that mold. Four runners ran sub-17:00 on the course through Innovation Park, and the first six runners finished within half a minute. Leading that procession of speed was Nate Kaiser, the race winner in 16:41. On the women's side Ani Veltcheva of Gainesville, Florida, was the overall winner, placing 20th overall in 19:00.

If the competitiveness of the field was unprecedented, so was the weather. Most athletes remember conditions at the Bowlegs as being cold, cold and wet, or cold and windy. But it was mild, calm, and cloudy when the athletes assembled outside the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering for the start of the 2016 race. The runners on the starting line included Joseph Garcia, who had won the Tannenbaum 6K three weeks earlier, finishing five seconds ahead of Kaiser. Poncherella Leonard was also there, the Bainbridge High cross-country team's ace, as was 2011 Bowlegs champion Vince Molosky and 2015 Sickle Cell 5K winner Matt Nazareth.


At the turnaround on Dirac Drive, just short of the three-kilometer mark, Nate Kaiser was still buried in fourth place. Continuing to run patiently, he burst into the lead with 200 meters to go. Kaiser held onto that lead to win the race in 16:41. Poncherella Leonard was just six seconds behind him, the runner-up in 16:47. Matt Nazareth was third in 16:53, Vince Molosky took fourth in 16:57, and Joseph Garcia was fifth in 17:01. Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, was the fastest master runner in the race, sixth overall in 17:10.


The women's competition had it's own drama. Three weeks earlier Ani Veltcheva had been in Tallahassee to visit her sister and took the opportunity to run in the Tannenbaum Trail 6K cross country race. Veltcheva had led the women through the first half of that race before being overtaken by Florida State University professor Katie Sherron. Sherron went on to win the Tannenbaum 6K women's title, while Veltcheva had finished third in the women's standings. The Bowlegs 5K started off similarly, with the Abraham Lincoln middle school cross country runner leading the economics professor. But after three kilometers Veltcheva was still ahead of Sherron. At four kilometers Veltcheva was still ahead. At five kilometers Veltcheva was at the finish line before Sherron, 19:00 to 19:08. Katie Sack edged Jillian Heddaeus 22:09 to 22:11 for the third woman's spot, the two runners placing 46th and 48th overall. Angela Dempsey was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, 53rd overall in 22:42.


201 athletes finished the 2016 Bowlegs 5K, the third largest field since the race was first run in 1985. Proceeds of the race benefit the scholarship fund of the Friends and Faculty Club of Florida State University. Chip timing of the race was provided by Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee, Florida.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship

1. 16:41 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 36)
2. 16:47 ~ Poncherella Leonard (M, 17)
3. 16:53 ~ Matthew Nazareth (M, 19)
4. 16:57 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 36)
5. 17:01 ~ Joseph Garcia (M, 20)
6. 17:10 ~ Bryan Koon (M, 44)
7. 17:15 ~ Charlie Johnson (M, 36)
8. 17:22 ~ Zach Deveau (M, 28)
9. 17:25 ~ Peter Van Brussel (M, 22)
10. 17:27 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 24)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship

1. 19:00 ~ Ani Veltcheva (F, 11)
2. 19:08 ~ Katie Sherron (F, 34)
3. 22:09 ~ Katie Sack (F, 24)
4. 22:11 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
5. 22:42 ~ Angela Dempsey (F, 47)
6. 22:50 ~ Emma Spencer (F, 34)
7. 22:54 ~ Laura Reina (F, 51)
8. 23:03 ~ Tsige Tadesse (F, 43)
9. 23:15 ~ Kory Skrob (F, 45)
10. 23:31 ~ Katasha Cornwell (F, 38)

Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship winners, 1985 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Field
16 February 1985	16:44, Scott Hinkle	18:48, Darien Andreu	153
15 February 1986	16:12, Rick Miller	20:00, Janice Hochstein	150
7 February 1987	15:54, Randy Jordan	20:00, Sarah Patterson	186
13 February 1988	16:05, Rick Miller	20:02, Janice Hochstein	220
4 February 1989	15:44, Rick Miller	20:02, Barbara Balzer	165
10 February 1990	17:28, Felton Wright	19:30, Paula Johnson	112
16 February 1991	16:15, Bill Crooks	20:37, Tina Davies	67
15 February 1992	15:51, Mike Macinko	18:37, Paula Johnson	81
20 February 1993	15:33, Gary Droze	19:33, Carrie Hunnicutt	143
19 February 1994	16:02, Phillip Healy	22:18, Chateau Mangaroo	83
18 February 1995	15:41, Reid Montini	18:09, Jane Johnson	158
17 February 1996	16:12, Tim Simpkins	19:33, Janice Hochstein	77
15 February 1997	15:45, Gary Droze	18:20, Jane Johnson	163
14 February 1998	16:23, Damian Wilson	17:47, Sarah Docter-Williams	104
13 February 1999	15:57, Robert Pautenius	16:54, Breeda Dennehy-Willis	77
12 February 2000	15:49, Aaron Scheer	20:42, Laurel Slyck	83
10 February 2001	16:48, Gary Droze	18:18, Sarah Docter-Williams
9 February 2002	16:20, Thomas Kunish	20:20, Allison Eagen	77
8 February 2003	16:56, Paul Orfield	21:15, Fran McLean	76
21 February 2004	17:06, Adam David Churchill	18:21, Breeda Dennehy-Willis	82
15 January 2005	17:42, Art Remillard	18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams	72
14 January 2006	16:43, Shawn Patterson	19:22, Stephanie Liles	152
20 January 2007	17:37, Matt Mizereck	19:02, Sheryl Rosen	109
19 January 2008	16:32, Tripp Southerland	21:39, Carly Thomas	121
10 January 2009	17:59, Tim Unger	20:09, Micah Adriani	117
9 January 2010	17:21, Stephen Cox	21:01, Lauren Switzer	84
8 January 2011	16:38, Vince Molosky	19:26, Sheryl Rosen	204
7 January 2012	17:10, Stanley Linton	19:27, Katie Showman	166
5 January 2013	16:12, Stanley Linton	20:19, Katie Showman	110
18 January 2014	15:46, Stanley Linton	19:18, Lisa Johnson	168
10 January 2015	16:08, Stephen Cox	18:35, Sheryl Rosen	132
9 January 2016	16:41, Nate Kaiser	19:00, Ani Veltcheva	201
From 1985 to 1994 the Bowlegs 5K was run on the main campus of Florida State University, starting and finishing near Tully Gym, on USATF certified course FL88014BH. From 1995 to 2016 the Bowlegs 5K was run in Innovation Park, starting and finishing near the College of Engineering on USATF certified course FL95008DL. The course was later recertified with number FL12001EBM.

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Bowlegs%202016.asp
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship
  https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Bowlegs_16
  
  
• 2015 story, “Cox and Rosen heat up the roads at a cool Bowlegs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/01/bowlegs-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Linton and Johnson have fast legs at Bowlegs 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/01/bowlegs-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Repeat wins for Linton and Showman at Bowlegs 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/01/bowlegs-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Linton and Showman open 2012 with wins at Bowlegs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/01/bowlegs-2012.html
  
  
• 2012 advance story, “In Tallahassee, 2012 distance running starts at Bowlegs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/01/pre-bowlegs-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 Bowlegs, “Molosky and Rosen start 2011 racing right at Bowlegs 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/01/bowlegs-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Cox and Switzer winners at a chilly Bowlegs 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/cox-switzer-winners-at-chilly-bowlegs.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL12001EBM, Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL12001EBM
  
  
• Looking for your next road race in the Tallahassee region? Try here!
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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