Saturday, December 3, 2016

Johnson and Sherron top the Ten-Mile Challenge

In 1988, Tallahassee, Florida's Gulf Winds Track Club trimmed about four kilometers from its annual twenty-kilometer race and re-named it the Ten-Mile Challenge. In 2010 Reid Vannoy moved the race to Ox Bottom Manor, where the hilly course really did provide a challenge. Even on the flat, most people would be proud to finish a race with double-digit mileage. Of course, it might puncture their pride a bit to hear Tallahassee triathlete Charlie Johnson describe his motives for running the Ten-Mile Challenge on Saturday morning, 3 December 2016.


“I want to get some shorter hard stuff in with hills in prep for Boston in April,” said Johnson.


Shorter is relative, of course, and over the past year Johnson has been at 30K, 50K, the marathon, and an Ironman triathlon--where a 26.2-mile run is only the dessert in a three-course meal of pain. With that background, it’s no wonder that ten miles seems short. With that background, it’s no wonder that Charlie Johnson won the 2016 Ten-Mile Challenge, running 59:10 and finishing almost half a mile ahead of the next runner.

Charlie Johnson, Katie Sherron

The race started at 8:00 AM from Hawks Rise Elementary School. 92 runners that would finish the Ten-Mile Challenge were on the starting line, along with another 132 who would complete a five-mile race. The five-milers would do one lap around the course, while the ten-milers would continue for a second lap around.


“A pack of maybe ten of us took off way too fast,” recalled Johnson. “The pace was sub-5:30 at the half-mile mark. I backed it off at that point.”


Johnson and master runner Geb Kiros ran together for three or four miles before Johnson pulled away. He had company from the leaders in the five-mile race for a while, but those runners soon turned off toward their own finish line, leaving Johnson to complete a lonely second lap.


“I was left all alone moping to myself that I should have done the five-mile and could be sitting down,” quipped Johnson. “But the remainder of the race I saw no one behind me and turned it into a mental game of push the uphills with strong form and roll the down hills with smooth steps. Running solo can be great a lot of times, because you can fall into a rhythm without interruption.”


No one interrupted Johnson on his way to the finish line and a 59:10 win. Geb Kiros was second overall and the top master runner in the race, posting a 62:22. Chris O’Kelley was third in 62:40, and master runner Myles Gibson placed fourth in 63:43.


Katie Sherron won the women’s title, placing twelfth overall in 1:14:31. It was the third year in a row and the fourth time ever that the Florida State University economics professor had won the Challenge. Emma Spencer was second in the women's standings and sixteenth overall in 1:18:25. Ruffian Tyner was the first woman master and third female finisher, eighteenth overall in 1:20:07.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Ten-Mile Challenge
  1. 59:10, Charlie Johnson (M, 37)
  2. 62:22, Geb Kiros (M, 50)
  3. 62:40, Christopher O'Kelley (M, 23)
  4. 63:43, Myles Gibson (M, 50)
  5. 65:21, Grady Smith (M, 39)
  6. 65:47, Tony Guillen (M, 47)
  7. 68:51, Jon Nash (M, 37)
  8. 68:53, Zack Scharlepp (M, 34)
  9. 71:53, T J Devlieger (M, 54)
  10. 72:38, Bill McNulty (M, 58)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Ten-Mile Challenge
  1. 74:31, Katie Sherron (F, 35)
  2. 78:25, Emma Spencer (F, 35)
  3. 80:07, Ruffian Tyner (F, 41)
  4. 82:35, Birgit Maier-Katkin (F, 54)
  5. 82:55, Marigny Nevitt (F, 21)
  6. 82:56, Krista Killius (F, 53)
  7. 83:10, Shelby Augustyniak (F, 40)
  8. 83:45, Sandy Johnson (F, 31)
  9. 84:38, Allison Born (F, 28)
  10. 85:23, Jennifer Early (F, 33)

The close competition that was missing in the Ten-Mile Challenge could be found in the five-mile race, where less than 70 meters separated the first runner from the third. Zach DeVeau won the shorter race, running the five miles in 29:30, the fastest winning time in the race since 2012, when Zac Buchholz posted a 29:19. Jim Halley was a close second in 29:38. Gary Droze was the first master runner for the second year in a row, placing third overall in 29:45. Droze had won the five-mile race in 2006.

Zach DeVeau, Brittney Barnes

Brittney Barnes was the women's champ in the five mile, coming in ninth overall in 33:00. Katie Sack took second on the women's side, coming in fifteenth overall in 35:21. Jillian Heddaeus was the third woman across the finish line, sixteenth overall in 35:48. The 2014 women’s champ, Paula O'Neill, was the top woman master and fourth female finisher, twentieth overall in 37:15.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Five-Mile Road Race
  1. 29:30, Zach DeVeau (M, 29)
  2. 29:38, Jim Halley (M, 37)
  3. 29:45, Gary Droze (M, 55)
  4. 30:58, Ryan Truchelut (M, 31)
  5. 31:47, Paul Guyas (M, 39)
  6. 32:10, Mike Peymann (M, 54)
  7. 32:43, Don Smith (M, 37)
  8. 32:48, Duane Evans (M, 49)
  9. 33:08, Joel Piotrowski (M, 47)
  10. 33:14, Tad David (M, 47)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Five-Mile Road Race
  1. 33:00, Brittney Barnes (F, 28)
  2. 35:21, Katie Sack (F, 25)
  3. 35:48, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 33)
  4. 37:15, Paula O'Neill (F, 55)
  5. 37:21, Kristin Halley (F, 35)
  6. 38:04, Laura Reina (F, 52)
  7. 38:27, Kenya Rich (F, 44)
  8. 38:30, Nancy Stedman (F, 54)
  9. 39:05, Alyssa Terry (F, 23)
  10. 39:05, Monica Toth (F, 27)

Champions of Gulf Winds Track Club's Ten-Mile Challenge, 1977 - 2016
DateDistanceMenWomenFinishers
January 197720 Km67:06, Herb Wills89:20, Rosemary Desloge
28 January 197820 Km65:18, Joe Germano85
13 January 197920 Km67:33, Jim Eastman85:31, Rosemary Desloge
15 December 197920 Km66:23, George West89:51, Rosemary Desloge
20 December 198020 KmMike BordelLaura Ledbetter
19 December 198120 Km67:42, Rick Miller90:12, Chris Levi
18 December 198220 Km63:14, Noel Shumann80:28, Donna Miller
3 December 198320 Km68:20, Noel Shumann79:25, Margaret Coomber
1 December 198420 Km70:13, Steve Meade76:24, Barbara Matthews154
7 December 198520 Km69:40, Felton Wright80:00, Karen McHarg158
6 December 198620 Km67:29, Tim Simpkins81:18, Karen McHarg157
5 December 198720 Km65:04, Jessie Close79:42, Karen MacHarg157
3 December 198810 Miles51:05, David Keen65:19, Janice Hochstein165
2 December 198910 Miles52:05, Jessie Close64:09, Paula Johnson163
1 December 199010 Miles51:39, David Keen62:53, Paula Johnson181
7 December 199110 Miles54:20, Jessie Close63:40, Paula Johnson151
5 December 199210 Miles54:32, Jessie Close63:09, Paula Johnson159
4 December 199310 Miles55:30, Steve Wilcox61:53, Paula Johnson148
3 December 199410 Miles54:16, Herb Wills61:43, Jane Johnson164
2 December 199510 Miles55:30, Gary Droze65:55, Carrie Weyant120
7 December 199610 Miles56:27, Brian Erb66:21, Carrie Weyant113
6 December 199710 Miles55:06, Lee Willis62:38, Sarah Docter-Williams133
5 December 199810 Miles58:45, Robert Pautienus62:27, Breeda Willis127
4 December 199910 Miles56:24, Gary Droze69:44, Carrie Weyant188
2 December 200010 Miles56:29, Zachery Heissner66:07, Laurel Slyck146
1 December 200110 Miles60:11, Tim Unger64:40, Sarah Docter-Williams169
7 December 200210 Miles54:30, Lee Willis63:54, Sarah Docter-Williams111
6 December 200310 Miles61:33, Bill McCord63:20, Sarah Docter-Williams158
4 December 200410 Miles55:29, Gary Droze61:41, Sarah Docter-Williams142
5 Miles26:45, Chris Nickinson38:32, Kara Taylor26
3 December 200510 Miles56:46, Gary Droze66:43, Kara Newell167
5 Miles32:24, Conor Sweeney39:14, Vicky Droze37
2 December 200610 Miles59:13, Jay Wallace62:27, Sheryl Rosen126
5 Miles28:53, Gary Droze30:46, Amy Paine84
1 December 200710 Miles58:47, Tripp Southerland64:04, Sheryl Rosen150
5 Miles31:19, Tim Unger38:11, Janice Hochstein53
6 December 200810 Miles55:56, Chris Lake65:30, Sheryl Rosen177
5 Miles32:59, Gennaro Scibelli32:51, Amy Paine80
5 December 200910 Miles57:59, Vince Molosky65:47, Sheryl Rosen117
5 Miles30:15, John Robida38:27, Claire Fruchtnicht49
4 December 201010 Miles57:19, Vince Molosky64:25, Allison Eagen180
5 Miles31:54, Chase Harris31:37, Lisa Johnson90
3 December 201110 Miles56:13, Stephen Cox68:15, Katie Showman169
5 Miles30:16, Brian Manry36:11, Kate Chunka89
1 December 201210 Miles56:18, Stanley Linton68:05, Micah Adriani183
5 Miles29:19, Zac Buchholz38:24, Moriah Campbell119
7 December 201310 Miles55:30, Stanley Linton73:42, Micah Adriani151
5 Miles30:51, Tony Guillen35:38, Vicky Droze87
6 December 201410 Miles56:37, Stephen Cox72:48, Katie Sherron109
5 Miles31:54, Gary Galvez37:24, Paula O'Neill82
5 December 201510 Miles59:14, Zach DeVeau65:19, Katie Sherron89
5 Miles27:29, Joseph Garcia33:58, Amy Hines88
3 December 201610 Miles59:10, Charlie Johnson74:31, Katie Sherron92
5 Miles29:30, Zach DeVeau33:00, Brittney Barnes132


Links
#1820

No comments:

Post a Comment