Eduardo Garcia takes time out from marathon training to go 14:33 in Gainesville

Four years.


For four years in a row, a Hensley brother won the annual Three-Mile Melon Run in Gainesville, Florida. Mike Hensley won the race in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Younger brother Matt Hensley took first in 2014. Between the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio, Gainesville's Independence Day race belonged to the Hensleys. But on Tuesday morning, 4 July 2017, Eduardo Garcia of Gainesville ended Hensley's streak. A former University of Florida cross-country runner, Garcia won the 39th annual Melon Run by 200 meters, running 14:33. Jessica Pascoe, a second-year cross-country runner at the University of Florida, took the women's title, placing fourteenth overall in 16:47.


Garcia's 14:33 was the fastest time recorded at the Melon Run in at least twenty years. Blake Lowery, a second-year cross-country runner at the University of Florida, placed runner-up in 15:09. Bobby Hensley, another of the ubiquitous Hensley brothers, was third in 15:12. Mike Hensley, the defending champion, was eighth in 16:12.


Just twenty meters behind Pascoe, Betsy Suda was second in the women's standings and sixteenth overall in 16:51. Suda is a four-time Melon Run women's champ, with wins in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. Georganne Watson of Gainesville was the third woman and 23rd overall in 17:51.


Gainesville's Patrick Gallagher was the fastest master runner in the Melon run, the eighteenth male finisher and twentieth overall in 17:20. Gainesville's Gretchen Loyd was the first woman master and twelfth female finisher, 45th overall in 19:25.


398 athletes finished Florida Track Club's 2017 Three-Mile Melon Run. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed the event.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Melon Run Three Mile

1. 14:33, Eduardo Garcia (M, 24) Gainesville
2. 15:09, Blake Lowery (M, 19) Gainesville
3. 15:12, Bobby Hensley (M, 33)
4. 15:18, Zach Purvis (M, 19) Newberry
5. 15:21, Zane Grabau (M, 29) Gainesville
6. 15:37, Colin Schaefer (M, 19) Gainesville
7. 16:00, John M Sansalone (M, 21) Gainesville
8. 16:12, Mike Hensley (M, 31)
9. 16:18, Cade Monk (M, 16) Gainesville
10. 16:22, Jack Broling (M, 17) Gainesville

Top Ten Women, 2017 Melon Run Three Mile

1. 16:47, Jess Pascoe (F, 19) Gainesville
2. 16:51, Betsy Suda (F, 35) Gainesville
3. 17:51, Georganne Watson (F, 32) Gainesville
4. 18:14, Sarah Edens (F, 20) Gainesville
5. 18:18, Laura Jones (F, 18) Tampa
6. 18:30, Mandy Harrell (F, 33) Gainesville
7. 18:33, Lauren Pilcher (F, 29) Gainesville
8. 18:45, Lauren Pearlman (F, 34) Gainesville
9. 19:05, Julia Daggett (F, 25) Gainesville
10. 19:10, Marcella Perez (F, 18)

Gainesville, Florida, Melon Run Three Mile winners, 1979 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
4 July 1979*	15:43, Paul Rehfus	22:04, Diann Eley
4 July 1980	14:47, Joe Dubina	18:14, Ruth Smith	167
4 July 1981	14:25, Jeff Kramer	18:51, Lisa Davis	179
4 July 1982	15:14, Byron Dyce	20:10, Ann Hanrahan
4 July 1983	15:14, Roger Sutton	18:14, Ruth Smith
4 July 1984	14:29, Scott McMillen	18:06, Kathy Schaefer
4 July 1985	14:47, Mark Kennard	18:25, Kathy Schaefer	279
4 July 1986	15:22, John Matthews	18:28, Shelly Allen	219
4 July 1987
4 July 1988
4 July 1989	15:20, Scott McMillen	18:00, Anita Kelly
4 July 1990	15:08, Scott McMillen	19:09, Johanna Reneke
4 July 1991
4 July 1992
4 July 1993	15:14, John Pianhorst	18:01, Jim Schultz
4 July 1994	15:31, Randall Hollinger	19:04, Lisa Gable
4 July 1995	14:58, Stephen Kortenkamp	17:14, Monica O'Reilly
4 July 1996	14:48, Randall Hollinger	19:38, Annemarie Kosarek
4 July 1997	15:34, Randall Hollinger	17:58, Wendy Frazier
4 July 1998
4 July 1999	14:57, Connor Holt	18:52, Shannon Lennon
4 July 2000	15:51, Randy Hollinger	18:40, Shannon Lennon	240
4 July 2001	16:22, Randy Hollinger	18:48, Allison Burnett	276
4 July 2002	15:40, Darin Shearer	18:44, Ashley Espy	281
4 July 2003	15:49, Alex Phipps	17:55, Anna Brew	311
4 July 2004	16:07, Justin Jacobs	18:26, Larisa Timchina	222
4 July 2005	15:44, Enoch Nadler	17:59, Friderike Wilde	222
4 July 2006	15:35, Michael Anderson	17:53, Sheryl Rosen	282
4 July 2007	15:02, Alex Phipps	18:03, Amanda Hahn	406
4 July 2008	15:43, Geoffrey Anderson	17:39, Lisa Vaill	460
4 July 2009	15:34, Andrew Robinson	18:48, Michele Howell	287
4 July 2010	14:46, Michael Anderson	17:30, Allison Costello	308
4 July 2011	15:38, Michael Anderson	17:38, Betsy Suda	339
4 July 2012	15:24, Michael Anderson	18:05, Betsy Suda	460
4 July 2013	14:58, Mike Hensley	20:00, Danielle Kolb	410
4 July 2014	14:34, Matt Hensley	17:32, Betsy Suda	444
4 July 2015	15:59, Mike Hensley	17:41, Betsy Suda	304
4 July 2016	16:26, Mike Hensley	17:51, Anne Creamer	337
4 July 2017	14:33, Eduardo Garcia	16:47, Jess Pascoe	398
* The inaugural race in 1979 was the “5 km Metric Melon.”

Links

• Complete results of Florida Track Club's 2016 Three-Mile Melon Run
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YxBAQaRO7J8SyMYY0Hoi-KvWGvRzl71zlbwHsT4S3RY/pubhtml
  
  
• Independence Day 2017 racing coverage on Trouble Afoot!
  • Gainesville FL: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/07/ftc-melon-2017.html
  • Jay FL: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/07/jay-freedom-2017.html
  • Tallahassee FL: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/07/firecracker-2017.html
  • Valdosta GA: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/07/valdosta-independence-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Hensley and Creamer win the Melon Meet in Massey”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/07/ftc-melon-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Hensley and Suda repeat in Gainesville's Melon Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/07/ftc-melon-2015.html
  
  
• A slightly senior Melon Run in Monticello, Florida
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/06/melon-2015.html
  
  
• “Summer is Watermelon [Run] Season”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/06/melon-runs.html
  
  
• Find other upcoming runs celebrating fruit on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2025