Schmidt and Busby add Bainbridge to their collection of half marathon wins

Bainbridge, Georgia is just north of the Florida-Georgia border, so the annual Bainbridge Half Marathon attracts more than a few Florida runner, especially from nearby Tallahassee. In fact there were enough interlopers from the Sunshine State that Florida runners won the first three races. Tallahassee's Chris Lake still owns the course record. Finally, in 2015 Myles Gibson of Donalsonville, Georgia won the 13.1-mile run, keeping the title in the Peach State. But on Saturday morning, 19 March 2016, Gibson didn't succeed in defending that title from Roger Schmidt, yet another Florida athlete. Schmidt, of Tallahassee's Capital City Runners, won the race in 1:16:45, crossing the finish line with a lead of more than a mile. Valdosta, Georgia resident Anna Busby was the first woman in the long race, coming in fifth overall in 1:32:27.


Gibson was the top master runner in the race, placing second overall in 1:23:57--more than two minutes better than the 1:26:20 he had posted in 2015. Matthew Phillips of Crawfordville, Florida finished third in 1:30:33.


Tallahassee runner Jillian Heddaeus was the women's runner-up, placing eleventh overall in 1:40:30. Grace Kennedy was third in the women's standings, nineteenth overall in 1:52:02. Darla Castoro was the top woman master and sixth female finisher, 23rd overall in 1:54:41.


It wasn't the first 13.1-mile race in South Georgia for Roger Schmidt and Anna Busby. Just three weeks earlier the duo had raced the Hospice Half Marathon in Dasher, Georgia, with Schmidt winning the men's division and Busby the women's. It could get to be a habit. But even though there is another half marathon in Tifton, Georgia on 2 April 2016, Busby plans to race the Springtime 10K in Tallahassee that day, and Schmidt will be in his final preparations for the Boston Marathon on 18 April 2016.


95 athletes finished the 2016 Bainbridge Half Marathon. Another 29 completed a concurrently run 5K road race. Poncherello Leonard, a junior on the Bainbridge High cross country team, won the 3.1-mile race in 18:20. Bainbridge High sophomore cross country runner Uriyah Davis was first in the women's standings, placing sixth overall in 23:30. Miles and Minutes, LLC, timed both races.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Bainbridge (Georgia) Half Marathon

1. 1:16:44.1 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 24)
2. 1:23:57.0 ~ Myles Gibson (M, 49)
3. 1:30:32.9 ~ Matthew Phillips (M, 21)
4. 1:32:21.2 ~ Mark Tombrink (M, 28)
5. 1:34:35.9 ~ Trevor Marshall (M, 33)
6. 1:35:37.0 ~ Pauncho Hufstetler (M, 41)
7. 1:37:06.5 ~ Philip Sura (M, 45)
8. 1:37:46.8 ~ Grant Dautel (M, 32)
9. 1:39:41.4 ~ Harold Allen (M, 34)
10. 1:42:21.6 ~ Jerry Searcy (M, 46)

Top Ten Women, 2016 Bainbridge (Georgia) Half Marathon

1. 1:32:26.8 ~ Anna Busby (F, 25)
2. 1:40:29.6 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
3. 1:52:02.0 ~ Grace Kennedy (F, 27)
4. 1:52:51.7 ~ Caitlin Copa (F, 23)
5. 1:53:57.3 ~ Carrie Mata (F, 21)
6. 1:54:41.0 ~ Darla Castoro (F, 52)
7. 1:54:58.1 ~ Donica Williams (F, 36)
8. 1:59:00.1 ~ Julia Sura (F, 44)
9. 1:59:12.1 ~ Emma Dugger (F, 53)
10. 1:59:47.4 ~ Carla Elliott (F, 54)

Bainbridge Half Marathon champions, 2012 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
14 April 2012	72:43, Chris Lake	1:41:01, Melissa Thompson	193
23 March 2013	77:28, Stanley Linton	93:34, Mary Anne Grayson	147
22 March 2014	79:25, Kevin Sweeny	91:42, Alicia Hudelson	95
21 March 2015	86:20, Myles Gibson	97:58, Melissa Thompson	50
19 March 2016	76:45, Roger Schmidt	92:27, Anna Busby	95

Fastest Men's Performances in the Bainbridge Half Marathon, 2012 - 2016

1. 1:12:43 ~ [2012] Chris Lake (M, 24)
2. 1:16:45 ~ [2016] Roger Schmidt (M, 24)
3. 1:17:28 ~ [2013] Stanley Linton (M, 19)
4. 1:19:25 ~ [2014] Kevin Sweeny (M, 44)
5. 1:21:51 ~ [2012] Pauncho Hufstetler (M, 37)
6. 1:22:45 ~ [2013] Jack McDermott (M, 44)
7. 1:23:44 ~ [2013] Pauncho Hufstetler (M, 38)
8. 1:23:57 ~ [2016] Myles Gibson (M, 49)
9. 1:25:44 ~ [2012] Kyle Harris (M, 17)
10. 1:26:20 ~ [2015] Myles Gibson (M, 48)
11. 1:26:37 ~ [2013] Erick Juarez (M, 20)
12. 1:27:25 ~ [2014] Greg Waddell (M, 48)
13. 1:27:53 ~ [2013] Greg Waddell (M, 47)

Fastest Women's Performances in the Bainbridge Half Marathon, 2012 - 2016

1. 1:31:42 ~ [2014] Alicia Hudelson (F, 29)
2. 1:32:27 ~ [2016] Anna Busby (F, 25)
3. 1:33:34 ~ [2013] Mary Anne Grayson (F, 47)
4. 1:37:58 ~ [2015] Melissa Thompson (F, 30)
5. 1:39:43 ~ [2014] Jill Haglund (F, 28)
6. 1:40:20 ~ [2013] Laura McDermott (F, 33)
7. 1:40:30 ~ [2016] Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
8. 1:40:38 ~ [2013] Debbie Wittmer (F, 49)
9. 1:40:57 ~ [2013] Teresa Haltom (F, 2)
10. 1:41:01 ~ [2012] Melissa Thompson (F, 27)
11. 1:41:24 ~ [2012] Deborah Wittmer (F, 48)
12. 1:41:44 ~ [2014] Laura McDermott (F, 34)
13. 1:41:45 ~ [2012] Laura McDermott (F, 32)

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Bainbridge Half Marathon at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Bainbridge%20Half%202016.asp
  
  
• 2015 story, “Peach State runners Gibson and Thompson take the Bainbridge Half”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/03/bainbridge-half-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Sweeny takes one for Florida and Hudelson one for Georgia at Bainbridge Half”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/bainbridge-half-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Linton and Grayson take half marathon honors in Bainbridge”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/03/bainbridge-half-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Lake and Thompson take firsts at the first Bainbridge Half”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/04/bainbridge-half-2012.html
  
  
• Bainbridge Half Marathon website
  http://www.bainbridgehalfmarathon.com/
  
  
• USATF course certification map, Bainbridge (Georgia) Half-Marathon (GA12032WC) http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA12032WC
  
  
• Find your next half marathon in the area by consulting the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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