Scharlepp and Johnson Gopher-A-Run in Marianna

Sometimes races are named without regard for how people are going to talk about them or, more importantly to me, write about them. Take the 5K hosted by Golson Elementary School in Marianna, Florida. When the Parent-Teacher Organization decided to hold a race as a fundraiser in 2016, they thought it would be a good idea to use the school's mascot, the gopher, in the name. No problem there; the race would be called the Gopher 5K, right? Well, wrong. Some wag thought it would be clever to use "gopher" in some word play. So we ended up with the Gopher-A-Run 5K. Groan-worthy, and how exactly do you write a name that's really a phrase? It's not particularly specific to the sport either; it could just as easily have been the Gopher-A-Dip Open Water Swim, the I-Could-Gopher-A-Cupcake Bake Sale, or the Gopher-Broke Demolition Derby.


But the name stuck. And the race returned on 25 February 2017, so here I am writing about the second annual Gopher-A-Run 5K.

Zack Scharlepp

The race was held outside Marianna in Florida Caverns State Park, a beautiful venue, however you feel about the name of the event. Tallahassee runner Zack Scharlepp won the 3.1-mile event, running 19:42. Mark McCarra was the top master runner and overall runner-up in 21:54. Ezra Caynor took third in 22:50, and master runner Jimmy Sims was fourth overall in 23:13.


Danielle Johnson of Marianna won the women's title in 27:16, placing eighth overall. Chandra Hanson was the first woman master and second female finisher, ninth overall in 27:46. Master runner Mandy Grover was third in the women's standings and fourteenth overall in 30:47, while Rachel Scharlepp was the fourth woman and fifteenth overall in 30:56.


51 athletes finished Golson Elementary School's 2017 Gopher-A-Run 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Gopher-A-Run 5K

1. 19:42.0, Zack Scharlepp (M, 34)
2. 21:53.8, Mark McCarra (M, 51)
3. 22:49.4, Ezra Caynor (M, 31)
4. 23:12.9, Jimmy Sims (M, 62)
5. 26:14.4, Lance Culbreath (M, 47)
6. 26:51.8, Ricky Leff (M, 46)
7. 27:14.4, Jonathan Farris (M, 39)
8. 28:48.8, Stanley Owens (M, 61)
9. 30:06.8, Ryan Grover (M, 13)
10. 30:15.6, Crushall Swilley (M, 66)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Gopher-A-Run 5K

1. 27:15.9, Danielle Johnson (F, 34)
2. 27:45.7, Chandra Hanson (F, 49)
3. 30:46.8, Mandy Grover (F, 42)
4. 30:55.8, Rachel Scharlepp (F, 34)
5. 31:07.8, Ashley Johnson (F, 34)
6. 31:17.1, Stephanie Culbreath (F, 32)
7. 32:46.2, Rachel Matthews (F, 43)
8. 32:59.4, Amanda Hinson (F, 35)
9. 32:59.4, Eva Marie Stafford (F, 10)
10. 33:07.9, Rebecca Dilmore (F, 32)

Links

• Complete results of Golson Elementary School's 2017 Gopher-A-Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12OAC38OMCL-3JIeSP7ujptDLULAEZyzLJRTbjiZ3N2c/pubhtml
  
  
• Find well-named races in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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