Nazareth over Mazziotta by a nose at the Trent Trot 5K

After running nearly in tandem for two miles of the 3.1-mile race, Matt Nazareth edged Jake Mazziotta 17:26 to 17:30, winning the Trent Trot 5K on a chilly Saturday morning, 23 January 2016. Katie Sherron took the women's title, placing seventeenth overall in 19:36. 554 athletes finished the seventh annual race, which started and finished at Roberts Elementary School, just north of Tallahassee, Florida.


Farther north in the nation, races and even indoor track meets were being canceled in the face of severe winter weather. More than two feet of snow was falling in the District of Columbia. Tallahassee, meanwhile, was experiencing what passes for winter in North Florida. Sure, it was cool, cloudy, and windy. The Chamber of Commerce would have suppressed the weather report for the day if they could. Nevertheless, no one was closing down roads or businesses. Life and the Trent Trot 5K went on as normal. Not that it was pleasant.

"I didn't realize it was 25 degrees with wind chill," said Matt Nazareth. "I lost feeling in everything after about a mile."


The actual air temperature was in the 30s when the race started somewhat after 8:30 AM. Hunter Phillips led early but was swiftly overtaken by Nazareth, a first-year student at Tallahassee Community College. While Phillips fell back, Maclay School distance runner Jake Mazziotta pulled even with Nazareth.


"That was a lot of fun," said Nazareth. "We were trading places after the first mile."

Back and forth it went, Nazareth leading, then Mazziotta, then Nazareth again. Finally, with the finish line in sight, Nazareth took the lead for good. Nazareth was first across the line in 17:26, with Mazziotta finishing a moment later in 17:30. Zach DeVeau overtook Gary Droze during the second half of the race to move into third place, where he finished in 17:41. Droze, the Maclay School cross country coach, was the top master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 17:58.


Montford Middle School is right next to Roberts Elementary. Caitlin Wilkey is an eighth-grader on the Montford cross country team, so it wasn't surprising to see her at Roberts for the Trent Trot 5K. Wilkey was also the fifth-fastest girl in the Leon County cross country championship, so it wasn't surprising to see her leading the women's field in the Trent Trot 5K. Before the first half of the race was over, though, Florida State University economics professor Katie Sherron caught Wilkey.


"At the mile mark," recalled Sherron.

After that the race belonged to Sherron, who opened a gap of more than 100 meters on Wilkey on the way to a 19:36 win. It was Sherron's third appearance in the race, but her first Trent Trot victory. Wilkey took second in the women's standings, finishing 26th overall in 20:10. Brittney Barnes was the third woman across the line, 28th overall in 20:17. Laura Reina was the top woman master in the Trent Trot, the seventh female finisher and 49th overall in 22:29.


Proceeds of the Trent Trot 5K go to the Trent's Touch Foundation to support local families living with childhood cancer. The foundation and the race are named for Trent McElroy, a Roberts Elementary fourth-grader who died of cancer in 2013. Chip timing of the race was provided by Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Trent Trot 5K

1. 17:25.25 ~ Matt Nazareth (M, 19)
2. 17:29.30 ~ Jake Mazziotta (M, 17)
3. 17:40.50 ~ Zach DeVeau (M, 28)
4. 17:57.52 ~ Gary Droze (M, 54)
5. 18:10.29 ~ Grady Smith (M, 39)
6. 18:15.36 ~ Ryan Truchelut (M, 30)
7. 18:21.45 ~ Mike Martinez (M, 50)
8. 18:33.47 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 47)
9. 18:40.74 ~ Hunter Phillips (M, 21)
10. 18:53.94 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 38)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Trent Trot 5K

1. 19:35.33 ~ Katie Sherron (F, 34)
2. 20:09.46 ~ Caitlin Wilkey (F, 13)
3. 20:16.18 ~ Brittney Barnes (F, 28)
4. 21:42.58 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
5. 21:56.37 ~ Laura McDermott (F, 36)
6. 22:19.33 ~ Katie Sack (F, 24)
7. 22:28.50 ~ Laura Reina (F, 51)
8. 22:42.49 ~ Emma Spencer (F, 34)
9. 22:48.08 ~ Ruffian Tyner (F, 40)
10. 23:15.78 ~ Paula O'Neill (F, 54)

Trent Trot 5K winners, 2009 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
17 October 2009	17:29, Tony Guillen	22:22, Cora Atkinson	148
29 January 2011	19:13, Cole Tessier	20:48, Laura Hanlon	199
28 January 2012	17:00, Trevor Touchton	20:19, Laura Hanlon	208
19 January 2013	16:10, Stanley Linton	19:36, Micah Adriani	268
25 January 2014	17:53, Peter Kaus	19:16, Lisa Johnson	206
24 January 2015	16:19, Chris Lake	18:49, Seeley Gutierrez	574
23 January 2016	17:26, Matt Nazareth	19:36, Katie Sherron	554
From 2009 to 2014 the race was named the Red Fox Trot 5K

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Trent%20Trot%202016.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10107138573418493.1073742165.5215641&l=d0ccfd3b0d
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2016 Trent Trot 5K
  
  • 5K: https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/TrentTrot5K_16
  • Mile : https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/TrentTrotMile_16
  
  
• 2015 story, “Lake and Gutierrez take the Trent Trot at a gallop”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/01/red-fox-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “A win for Kaus and a record for Johnson at the Red Fox Trot”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/01/red-fox-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Records fall at fourth Red Fox Trot 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/01/red-fox-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Touchton and Hanlon set Red Fox records”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/02/red-fox-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Tessier and Hanlon fox the field in the Red Fox Trot 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-fox-trot-2011.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL11132EBM for the Trent Trot 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL11132EBM
  
  
• Locate 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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