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.

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.

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
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
January 1977	20 Km	67:06, Herb Wills	89:20, Rosemary Desloge
28 January 1978	20 Km	65:18, Joe Germano		85
13 January 1979	20 Km	67:33, Jim Eastman	85:31, Rosemary Desloge
15 December 1979	20 Km	66:23, George West	89:51, Rosemary Desloge
20 December 1980	20 Km	Mike Bordel	Laura Ledbetter
19 December 1981	20 Km	67:42, Rick Miller	90:12, Chris Levi
18 December 1982	20 Km	63:14, Noel Shumann	80:28, Donna Miller
3 December 1983	20 Km	68:20, Noel Shumann	79:25, Margaret Coomber
1 December 1984	20 Km	70:13, Steve Meade	76:24, Barbara Matthews	154
7 December 1985	20 Km	69:40, Felton Wright	80:00, Karen McHarg	158
6 December 1986	20 Km	67:29, Tim Simpkins	81:18, Karen McHarg	157
5 December 1987	20 Km	65:04, Jessie Close	79:42, Karen MacHarg	157
3 December 1988	10 Miles	51:05, David Keen	65:19, Janice Hochstein	165
2 December 1989	10 Miles	52:05, Jessie Close	64:09, Paula Johnson	163
1 December 1990	10 Miles	51:39, David Keen	62:53, Paula Johnson	181
7 December 1991	10 Miles	54:20, Jessie Close	63:40, Paula Johnson	151
5 December 1992	10 Miles	54:32, Jessie Close	63:09, Paula Johnson	159
4 December 1993	10 Miles	55:30, Steve Wilcox	61:53, Paula Johnson	148
3 December 1994	10 Miles	54:16, Herb Wills	61:43, Jane Johnson	164
2 December 1995	10 Miles	55:30, Gary Droze	65:55, Carrie Weyant	120
7 December 1996	10 Miles	56:27, Brian Erb	66:21, Carrie Weyant	113
6 December 1997	10 Miles	55:06, Lee Willis	62:38, Sarah Docter-Williams	133
5 December 1998	10 Miles	58:45, Robert Pautienus	62:27, Breeda Willis	127
4 December 1999	10 Miles	56:24, Gary Droze	69:44, Carrie Weyant	188
2 December 2000	10 Miles	56:29, Zachery Heissner	66:07, Laurel Slyck	146
1 December 2001	10 Miles	60:11, Tim Unger	64:40, Sarah Docter-Williams	169
7 December 2002	10 Miles	54:30, Lee Willis	63:54, Sarah Docter-Williams	111
6 December 2003	10 Miles	61:33, Bill McCord	63:20, Sarah Docter-Williams	158
4 December 2004	10 Miles	55:29, Gary Droze	61:41, Sarah Docter-Williams	142
	5 Miles	26:45, Chris Nickinson	38:32, Kara Taylor	26
3 December 2005	10 Miles	56:46, Gary Droze	66:43, Kara Newell	167
	5 Miles	32:24, Conor Sweeney	39:14, Vicky Droze	37
2 December 2006	10 Miles	59:13, Jay Wallace	62:27, Sheryl Rosen	126
	5 Miles	28:53, Gary Droze	30:46, Amy Paine	84
1 December 2007	10 Miles	58:47, Tripp Southerland	64:04, Sheryl Rosen	150
	5 Miles	31:19, Tim Unger	38:11, Janice Hochstein	53
6 December 2008	10 Miles	55:56, Chris Lake	65:30, Sheryl Rosen	177
	5 Miles	32:59, Gennaro Scibelli	32:51, Amy Paine	80
5 December 2009	10 Miles	57:59, Vince Molosky	65:47, Sheryl Rosen	117
	5 Miles	30:15, John Robida	38:27, Claire Fruchtnicht	49
4 December 2010	10 Miles	57:19, Vince Molosky	64:25, Allison Eagen	180
	5 Miles	31:54, Chase Harris	31:37, Lisa Johnson	90
3 December 2011	10 Miles	56:13, Stephen Cox	68:15, Katie Showman	169
	5 Miles	30:16, Brian Manry	36:11, Kate Chunka	89
1 December 2012	10 Miles	56:18, Stanley Linton	68:05, Micah Adriani	183
	5 Miles	29:19, Zac Buchholz	38:24, Moriah Campbell	119
7 December 2013	10 Miles	55:30, Stanley Linton	73:42, Micah Adriani	151
	5 Miles	30:51, Tony Guillen	35:38, Vicky Droze	87
6 December 2014	10 Miles	56:37, Stephen Cox	72:48, Katie Sherron	109
	5 Miles	31:54, Gary Galvez	37:24, Paula O'Neill	82
5 December 2015	10 Miles	59:14, Zach DeVeau	65:19, Katie Sherron	89
	5 Miles	27:29, Joseph Garcia	33:58, Amy Hines	88
3 December 2016	10 Miles	59:10, Charlie Johnson	74:31, Katie Sherron	92
	5 Miles	29:30, Zach DeVeau	33:00, Brittney Barnes	132

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 GWTC Ten-Mile Challenge at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Ten%20and%20Five%20Mile%20Challenge%202016.asp
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2016 GWTC Ten-Mile Challenge
  https://plus.google.com/photos/112560881455823075870/albums/6359963383638365345
  
  
• 2015 story, “DeVeau starts winning and Sherron keeps winning at the Ten-Mile Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/12/ten-mile-challenge-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “For Cox and Sherron it's 2011 all over again at the Ten-Mile Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/12/ten-mile-challenge-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Linton and Adriani make it two at the Ten”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/12/ten-mile-challenge-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Linton and Adriani take Ten”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/ten-mile-challenge-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Cox and Showman take on all Ten-Mile Challengers”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/ten-mile-challenge-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Molosky and Eagen take Ten-Mile Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/12/ten-mile-challenge-2010.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map (FL10078EBM) for Gulf Winds Track Club's 2015 Ten-Mile Challenge
  https://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL10078EBM
  
  
• USATF Course Certification map (FL10077EBM) for Gulf Winds Track Club's 2015 Five-Mile Road Race
  https://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL10077EBM
  
  
• Find upcoming challenges in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar of road races
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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