McCurdy and Sack land victories in the Catfish Crawl 5K

Just before Blountstown, Florida’s sixth annual Catfish Crawl 5K on Saturday morning, 20 May 2017, Matt McCurdy and Kat Sack had in common that they had both been winners the previous week at the Run For Ansley 5K in Tallahassee. McCurdy had carried away the men’s title and Sack the women’s. After a morning in Blountstown, McCurdy and Sack also had Catfish Crawl wins in common. McCurdy took the 3.1-mile race in 17:23, and Sack finished atop the women’s field in 19:47.

The leaders after 1500 meters

In each of the last four years, the race at the Catfish Crawl 5K has developed like a race on the track, with a large group of leaders being gradually whittled down to a few contenders, and finally a single winner. Perhaps it’s because the out-and-back course on the Blountstown Greenway Rail Trail is as flat as any track. Or perhaps it’s just coincidence. Whatever the reason, the 2016 race followed the same script. One mile into the race there was a lead pack of five, with Tallahassee runners Matt McCurdy and Chris O’Kelley setting the pace for Elijah Sarmiento of Wewahitchka, Jesse Boyd of Blountstown, and Geb Kiros of Tallahassee. At that point, one of the athletes threw in a bit of improvisation.


“He wasn’t wearing a watch, and he asked us for the mile time,” recalled O’Kelley. “After we told him he took off.”

Chris O'Kelley and Matt McCurdy

The surge was short-lived. After the turn-around halfway through the race, McCurdy and O’Kelley were in command. With a quarter mile to go they were still running side by side. After that?


“I just started sprinting,” said McCurdy.

Geb Kiros

O’Kelley had no response. McCurdy dashed ahead to win in 17:23 while O’Kelley was second in 17:31. Geb Kiros was the fastest master runner in the race, placing third overall in 17:43. Boyd edged Sarmiento for fourth, 17:48 to 17:50.

Chelsee Cook and Kat Sack

Kat Sack may have been coming off of a win, but Blountstown High graduating senior Chelsee Cook was the defending women’s champ of the Catfish Crawl. Cook was also the women’s course record holder, having run 21:37 in the 2016 race. During the first mile she was actually half a step ahead of Sack. The two raced closely until Sack made a break half a mile from the finish line.


“I started to pull away about a minute before the bridge,” said Sack. “She kept me on my toes. She definitely kept me on my toes.”

Kat Sack

It took a new women’s course record for Sack to beat Cook. Sack ran 19:47, finishing fourteenth overall and becoming the only woman to ever run under 20:00 at the Catfish Crawl. Cook also clocked under the previous women’s record, running 20:01 for second in the women's standings and sixteenth overall. Tallahassee schoolteacher Laura McDermott was the third woman and 23rd overall in 21:45. Tsige Tadesse of Tallahassee was the top woman master and fourth female finisher, 27th overall in 22:18.


A record field of 212 athletes finished the Blountstown Fire Department’s 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K. Another seven participated in the event as race walkers, and 22 others completed a one-mile fun run.

Chelsee Cook

Top Ten Men, 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K

1. 17:23, Matthew McCurdy (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
2. 17:31, Chris O'Kelley (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
3. 17:43, Geb Kiros (M, 50) Blountstown, FL
4. 17:48, Jesse Boyd (M, 17) Blountstown, FL
5. 17:50, Elijah Sarmiento (M, 18) Wewahitchka, FL
6. 18:10, Mickey Moore (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
7. 18:17, Jim Halley (M, 37) Blountstown, FL
8. 18:32, Chance Logan (M, 20) Blountstown, FL
9. 18:38, Paul Guyas (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
10. 18:53, Blayton See (M, 16) Blountstown, FL

Top Ten Women, 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K

1. 19:47, Kat Sack (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
2. 20:01, Chelsee Cook (F, 18) Blountstown, FL
3. 21:45, Laura McDermott (F, 37) Blountstown, FL
4. 22:18, Tsige Tadesse (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL
5. 22:56, Paula O'Neill (F, 55) Tallahassee, FL
6. 23:27, Kory Skrob (F, 46) Tallahassee, FL
7. 23:27, Nazarae Rodriguez (F, 27) Tallahassee, FL
8. 23:44, Monica Judd (F, 43) Tallahassee, FL
9. 23:51, Kristin Halley (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
10. 23:57, Nancy Proctor (F, 56) Tallahassee, FL

Blountstown Fire Department Catfish Crawl 5K champions, 2012 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
19 May 2012	17:45, Billy Naylor	21:41, Hannah Plazarin	96
18 May 2013	16:38, Billy Naylor	23:45, Hannah Plazarin	128
17 May 2014	17:23, Thomas Howell	25:05, Lydia Miles	117
16 May 2015	17:47, Michael Martinez	22:41, Kristi Johnson	135
21 May 2016	18:08, Geb Kiros	21:37, Chelsee Cook	132
20 May 2017	17:23, Matthew McCurdy	19:47, Kat Sack	212

Links

• Complete results of the Blountstown Fire Department's 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bLscTxD9MZdCEXocPeyfGkK8Y55MbOitU6445BTNacA/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10109753128020113.1073742275.5215641&type=1&l=44a5fbeea9
  
  
• 2016 story, “Kiros and Cook conquer the Catfish Crawl”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/05/catfish-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Martinez wins a duel on the Greenway”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/05/catfish-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Howell and Miles net wins at Blountstown's Catfish Crawl”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/05/catfish-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Naylor and Plazarin still own the Catfish Crawl”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/05/catfish-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Naylor and Plazarin champs at Blountstown's first Catfish 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/05/catfish-2012.html
  
  
• Find future fish-themed races in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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