Cravello and Terry take the Race For Readiness 5K

Since the Early Learning Coalition established its annual Race For Readiness 5K in 2014, the event has been run in three different Tallahassee, Florida locations. For the first two years, the race started at the Northwood Center. In 2016 the runners competed in Southwood. On Saturday morning, 21 October 2017, the fourth Race For Readiness was in Tom Brown Park. Changing the location didn’t prevent nearly 300 athletes from finding the event and running either the one-mile fun run or the 5K. Tristan Cravello won that 5K, running 18:57. Alyssa Terry was the first woman in the race, placing tenth overall in 21:52.

Tristan Cravello

The 5K got started just after 9:00 AM. Cravello charged to the front, leading the field along the Goose Pond Trail. A first-year student at Florida State University, Cravello was new to Tallahassee, but had been in town long enough to pick up his first road-racing win, a 17:38 at the 2017 Sickle Cell 5K in September. Cravello wasn’t challenged for the lead during the Race For Readiness, but he did have some problems along the way.


“It was just after the two-mile mark,” said Cravello. “The officials told me to go straight, but I was supposed to go left.”

Gary Droze

After the misdirection, Cravello found his way back onto the course and crossed the finish line first in 18:57. Gary Droze, the Tallahassee Community College cross-country coach, was the top master runner in the race and second overall in 19:34. Tallahassee master runner Carter Hay took third in 19:43.


In the women’s competition, Lauren Aronson was the early leader, closely followed by Lucy Baird, her teammate.

Lauren Aronson

“We’re part of the Seminole Striders Running Club at FSU,” said Aronson. “This is our first race of the season.”


It wasn’t the first race of the season for Alyssa Terry, who had won the women’s title at the Florida High 5K a week earlier, running 20:46. For the first half of the Race For Readiness, Terry wasn’t far behind Aronson and Baird.


“I was stalking them the whole way,” said Terry.

Alyssa Terry and Lucy Baird

Early in the second half of the 5K, Terry overtook Baird. Terry picked up the pace and caught Aronson less than 200 meters from the finish line, then raced home to take the women’s title in 21:52. Aronson was second in the women's standings and eleventh overall in 21:59, while Baird was the third woman and twelfth overall in 22:03.


With the 5K over, some of the athletes were already looking forward to their next race. Tristan Cravello has his scheduled.


“Next week I’m racing the Trash Dash 5K,” said Cravello. “At Apalachee Regional Park. I remember racing there in high school. It was just a remarkable experience.”

Lauren Aronson & Alyssa Terry

Indeed, Cravello made three trips to Apalachee Regional Park for the State Cross-Country Championship when he was racing for Doctors Charter High School. Lucy Baird, who made a trip to the State Meet in 2015, is also a fan of Apalachee Regional Park.


“I love that course!” said Baird. “I might check that out.”


171 athletes finished the 2017 Race For Readiness 5K, and another 124 completed the one-mile fun run. Age group and overall winners were awarded a medal and a folding camp chair. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the races.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Race For Readiness 5K

1. 18:57, Tristan Cravello (M, 18)
2. 19:34, Gary Droze (M, 56)
3. 19:43, Carter Hay (M, 46)
4. 19:52, Christian Glover (M, 18)
5. 20:01, Matthias Laywell (M, 19)
6. 20:16, Kurt Dietrich (M, 26)
7. 21:20, Paul Waters (M, 44)
8. 21:26, Jack Schwenkler (M, 10)
9. 21:29, Duane Evans (M, 50)
10. 22:23, Juan Padron (M, 48)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Race For Readiness 5K

1. 21:52, Alyssa Terry (F, 24)
2. 21:59, Lauren Aronson (F, 21)
3. 22:03, Lucy Baird (F, 18)
4. 23:49, Megan Hutchinson (F, 20)
5. 23:58, Michelle Hadden (F, 28)
6. 25:38, Claire Gallo (F, 23)
7. 26:00, Simone Gable (F, 19)
8. 27:23, Alissa McShane (F, 23)
9. 27:54, Christina Portaullo (F, 19)
10. 28:11, Jhenai Chandler (F, 30)

Race For Readiness 5K winners, 2014 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
18 October 2014	18:12, Paul Guyas	20:25, Dionis Gauvin	177
31 October 2015	16:30, Joseph Garcia	22:17, Layla Thompson	199
1 October 2016	18:14, Mickey Moore	23:43, Layla Thompson	206
1 October 2016	18:14, Mickey Moore	23:43, Layla Thompson	206
21 October 2017	18:57, Tristan Cravello	21:52, Alyssa Terry	171
The Race For Readiness 5K was run near Northwood Mall in 2014 and 2015. The race was run in Southwood in 2016. The race was run in Tom Brown Park in 2017.

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Race For Readiness 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2017/RaceforReadiness5k2017.html
  
  
• More photos of the 2017 Race For Readiness 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10110753933398113.1073742325.5215641&type=1&l=ca30eed709
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2017 Race For Readiness 5K
  https://plus.google.com/photos/112560881455823075870/album/6479516253090312257
  
  
• 2016 story, “Moore and Thompson were ready for anything at the Race For Readiness”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/readiness-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Garcia and Thompson were ready to race at the Race For Readiness”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/11/readiness-2015.html
  
  
• Ready to race? Find your next run on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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