Schmidt and Sherron fly through the Flash

Twelve kilometers isn't a distance that Roger Schmidt races very often. Schmidt has raced just about every distance up to 50 miles, but there just aren't many opportunities to compete in a 12K. Nevertheless, Schmidt made the most of his opportunity in St Marks, Florida on Saturday morning, 20 February 2016. The Capital City Runners athlete won Gulf Winds Track Club's 28th annual Flash 12K, running 40:52. The first woman in the race was Katie Sherron, an FSU economics professor, who finished 23rd overall in 50:43. Sherron was no stranger to the 12K distance in general or the Flash 12K in particular; she also won the women's title at the race in 2012.


The race started just after 8:30 AM, with the runners heading north from Fort San Marcos State Park. The course was out-and-back--six kilometers to a turn-around point on the Saint Marks Trail, followed by a return to the Fort by the same route. Zach DeVeau, the previous year's winner was in the field, as was Vince Molosky, who had fought DeVeau much of the way in that earlier race. It wasn't the defending champ, though, who was setting the early pace. Roger Schmidt was the runner out front, with Molosky just off his shoulder. Nate Kaiser trailed the two leaders, with DeVeau farther back in fourth.

"Roger took it out pretty hard," said Molosky


"We went out on a stiff pace," agreed Schmidt.


Molosky stayed close for three kilometers, but then Schmidt started to pull away, breaking contact on the way to the turnaround at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, Nate Kaiser wasn't going away.

"Nate went by me just after the turnaround," said Molosky. "I just couldn't hang with him after that. My legs were dead."


"I was running scared," said Schmidt. "I told myself that Nate and Vince were breathing down my neck."


They weren't. Kaiser ran a strong second half, but he couldn't make up any of the ground he had already given up to Schmidt. Schmidt was first back to the fort, winning in 40:52. Kaiser was second in 41:30 and Molosky third in 42:29. Bryan Koon took fourth in 42:41, the top master runner in the race. DeVeau finished fifth in 44:01.

Katie Sherron, Anna Busby, and Jillian Heddaeus were together at the front of the women's field after the first kilometer of the Flash 12K. Sherron bid them adieu shortly after that, leaving Busby and Heddaeus twelve seconds behind by the four kilometer mark.


"At the turn-around I saw that Anna and Jillian weren't far behind me," said Sherron. "So I picked it up for about a mile, but then I fell back to my old pace. I slowed down more than I wanted to."

Sherron didn't slow down enough for anyone to catch her, though. She was the first woman across the finish line, running 50:43. Busby was second in the women's standings, placing 24th overall in 51:30. Angela Wable was the first woman master and the third female finisher, overtaking Jillian Heddaeus late in the race to place 30th overall in 52:42. Heddaeus was the fourth woman in the race, 32nd overall in 53:06.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 12K

1. 40:52 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 24)
2. 41:30 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 36)
3. 42:29 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 36)
4. 42:41 ~ Bryan Koon (M, 44)
5. 44:01 ~ Zach Deveau (M, 28)
6. 44:17 ~ Grady Smith (M, 39)
7. 45:12 ~ Geb Kiros (M, 49)
8. 45:18 ~ Ryan Truchelut (M, 30)
9. 45:56 ~ Jim Halley (M, 36)
10. 46:27 ~ Mike Peymann (M, 53)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 12K

1. 50:43 ~ Katie Sherron (F, 34)
2. 51:30 ~ Anna Busby (F, 25)
3. 52:42 ~ Angela Wable (F, 42)
4. 53:06 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
5. 53:56 ~ Jocelyn Chan (F, 27)
6. 55:15 ~ Katie Sack (F, 24)
7. 55:31 ~ Emma Spencer (F, 35)
8. 57:08 ~ Laura Reina (F, 51)
9. 57:21 ~ Tsige Tadesse (F, 43)
10. 57:31 ~ Nancy Proctor (F, 55)

213 athletes finished the 2016 Flash 12K. Another 87 finished the 6K race, offered for the eighth time in the 28-year history of the Flash. Crawfordville, Florida distance runner Travis Parks won the shorter race in 23:17, defeating two-time Flash 6K winner Duane Evans. Evans was the top master runner in the 6K, finishing runner-up in 23:34. Ten-year-old Leah Kiros finished at the top of the women's standings, placing thirteenth overall in 32:26.

February weather in Florida's Big Bend is an iffy business. In the past athletes at the Flash 12K have experienced frigid temperatures or high winds. There wasn't much to complain about on the morning of the 2016 race, though. Conditions remained calm and comfortably cool till the last runner was done. After that things warmed up and it became one of those bright days where you just don't want to go indoors. It did get warm enough to wake up the no-see-ems, but that's part of life in Florida, isn't it?


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 6K

1. 23:17 ~ Travis Parks (M, 19)
2. 23:34 ~ Duane Evans (M, 48)
3. 26:08 ~ Timothy Fraser (M, 38)
4. 26:14 ~ Riley Welch (M, 19)
5. 29:32 ~ Eric Miller (M, 29)
6. 30:28 ~ Kyle Sill (M, 32)
7. 31:14 ~ Clint Beam (M, 30)
8. 31:27 ~ Jonathan Kiros (M, 7)
9. 31:33 ~ Ronald Thomas (M, 44)
10. 32:03 ~ Thomas Biance (M, 35)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 6K

1. 32:26 ~ Leah Kiros (F, 10)
2. 35:28 ~ Arianna Neely (F, 15)
3. 35:48 ~ Lois Burnette (F, 51)
4. 36:24 ~ Teeah Grim (F, 38)
5. 37:00 ~ Sarah Busby (F, 22)
6. 38:04 ~ Maddison Green (F, 10)
7. 38:34 ~ Jessica Johnson (F, 33)
8. 38:51 ~ Chika Okoro (F, 35)
9. 39:13 ~ Mary Jo Heaton (F, 36)
10. 39:19 ~ Carolyn Johnson (F, 31)

Gulf Winds Track Club Flash 12K Champions, 1989 - 2016
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
28 January 1989	12K	39:44, John Devine	48:50, Barbara Balzer	155
17 February 1990	12K	44:10, David Rigby	54:40, Kathy Weiss	102
26 January 1991	12K	39:36, Jessie Close	50:24, Tina Davies	163
18 January 1992	12K	39:33, Jessie Close	45:24, Paula Johnson	132
23 January 1993	12K	42:40, Jonathan Bigg	45:43, Linda Nilges	134
15 January 1994	12K	38:02, Robin Rogers	45:34, Jane Johnson	91
21 January 1995	12K	40:49, Gary Droze	45:34, Jane Johnson	145
27 January 1996	12K	41:10, Gary Droze	44:27, Jane Johnson	132
11 January 1997	12K	39:25, Brian Erb	47:57, Sarah Williams	75
7 February 1998	12K	42:57, Clarence Calloway	45:12, Sarah Williams	164
20 February 1999	12K	44:40, Tim Simpkins	46:27, Sarah Williams	82
19 February 2000	12K	39:44, Michael Strickland	46:06, Sara Docter-Williams	107
17 February 2001	12K	43:56, Tim Unger	45:38, Sarah Docter-Williams	98
16 February 2002	12K	40:35, Gary Droze	47:17, Jane Johnson	148
1 February 2003	12K	42:52, Shawn Patterson	52:18, Lisa Whitworth	80
7 February 2004	12K	42:46, Tim Unger	52:49, Lisa Whitworth	89
5 February 2005	12K	42:05, Lee Willis	45:30, Sarah Docter-Williams	118
4 February 2006	12K	42:49, Vince Molosky	50:21, Lisa Johnson	89
17 February 2007	12K	44:58, Todd Smoot	52:22, Kim Likens	74
16 February 2008	12K	43:10, Tripp Southerland	50:57, Stephanie Liles	131
21 February 2009	12K	42:34, Jay Wallace	50:48, Jane Johnson	105
	6K	23:21, Brian Corbin	21:36, Jana Stolting	30
20 February 2010	12K	41:57, Daniel Lee	47:12, Sheryl Rosen	176
	6K	24:43, Ben Kail	31:35, Rachel Phipps	53
19 February 2011	12K	40:57, Thomas Kunish	49:23, Kelly Stevens	214
	6K	23:59, Caleb Harris	31:26, Ashton McMurray	73
18 February 2012	12K	41:23, Stephen Cox	49:52, Katie Showman	214
	6K	24:57, Duane Evans	27:39, Nancy Gribble	89
16 February 2013	12K	38:41, Kevin Sullivan	46:17, Sheryl Rosen	268
	6K	21:54, Michael Martinez	25:09, Jessica Gillard	70
15 February 2014	12K	39:39, Stanley Linton	45:20, Seeley Gutierrez	262
	6K	21:56, Jon Mason	28:15, Sarah Taff	85
21 February 2015	12K	42:03, Zach Deveau	47:33, Sheryl Rosen	207
	6K	23:30, Duane Evans	24:20, Katie Gorman	98
20 February 2016	12K	40:52, Roger Schmidt	50:43, Katie Sherron	213
	6K	23:17, Travis Parks	32:26, Leah Kiros	87
In 1989-2004 the race started and finished in Chaires. (FL88036BH and FL94001DL) In 2005-2010 the race started and finished at J. Lewis Hall Park in Woodville. (FL05007DL) In 2011-2016 the race started and finished at Fort San Marcos de Apalachee in St. Marks. (FL11133EBM)

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Flash 12K (and 6K) at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Flash%202016.asp
  
  
• More photos of the 2016 Flash 12K (and 6K)
  
  • Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10107245875629003.1073742169.5215641&l=ccdf3b5c95
  • Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10107246961707493.1073742170.5215641&l=88128c8711
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2015 Flash 12K (and 6K)
  https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Flash_16
  
  
• 2015 story, “DeVeau and Rosen first in the Flash”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/02/flash-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Linton and Gutierrez try, try again...and win, at the Flash 12K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/02/flash-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Flashy victories for Sullivan and Rosen”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/02/flash-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “A dozen fast for Cox and Showman at Flash 12K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/02/flash-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Kunish and Stevens are the fastest Flashers in St. Marks”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/02/flash-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Lee and Rosen Flash to the Front”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/02/flash-12k.html
  
  
• 2008 Flash 12K story
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2008/02/2008-flash-12k.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map (FL11133EBM) for the Flash 12K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL11133EBM
  
  
• 12K, 6K, or some other distance, find upcoming races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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