Molosky and Mathis win through 50K of river bluffs and rain showers at Draggin' Tail

It isn't the case that weather never affects the Draggin' Trail Ultra Trail Challenge. Why, as recently as 2009, the race had to be delayed for a month because of wet conditions. Of course, those wet conditions were that the Apalachicola River had risen out of its banks, covering a great deal of Florida's Torreya State Park, its trails, and the race course with several fathoms of floodwaters. For anything less severe, the race has always gone on as scheduled.


So the eleventh annual Draggin' Tail Ultra Challenge, the 50K as well as the 25K, went on as scheduled on Saturday morning, 7 April 2018, even though the forecast called for heavy rains and high winds. Tallahassee, Florida's Vince Molosky won the 50K for the ninth time in eleven years, running 5:13:30. Verity Mathis of Gainesville, Florida was the first woman in the 50K, pacing fourth overall in 6:47:05.


Despite the warnings of meteorologists, the rain didn't really start in earnest till after 11:00 AM, by which time the race was well under way and Molosky was nearly finished. In the history of the Draggin' Tail Ultra Challenge, Molosky is one of the few runners to have finished the in under five hours; at the 2018 race he was the only athlete to run it in less than six hours. Kenneth Hart took second place in the 50K, running 6:05.28. Jason Seitz was the first master runner and third overall in 6:46:22.


Heather Davenport was the first woman master and second female finisher, eighth overall in 7:24:59. Master runner Paula Lunt was third in the women's standings and tenth overall in 7:43:04.


Fourteen athletes finished the 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail Ultra Trail Challenge 50K.


Top Five Men, 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail 50K

1. 5:13:30, Vince Molosky (M, 38)
2. 6:05:28, Kenneth Hart (M, 29)
3. 6:46:22, Jason Seitz (M, 45)
4. 6:47:46, Patrick Bateman (M, 30)
5. 6:49:24, Jay Lund (M, 47)

Top Five Women, 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail 50K

1. 6:47:05, Verity Mathis (F, 39)
2. 7:24:59, Heather Davenport (F, 51)
3. 7:43:04, Paula Lunt (F, 52)
4. 8:05:50, Amy Guevara (F, 33)
5. 8:12:25, Edna Reed (F, 43)

Elliot Smith of Tallahassee took first in the 25K, covering the fifteen-plus miles of Torreya trails in 2:32:14. Matthew Rowan of Quincy, Florida was the top master runner in the 25K, finishing runner-up in 2:39:12. Ken Thrasher, the first master runner in the 2017 Draggin' Tail 25K, placed third in the shorter race in 2018, running 2:48:27.


Tallahassee master runner Monica Judd won the women's title in the 25K for the second year in a row, finishing eighth overall in 3:05:17. Judy Alexander, another Tallahassee master runner, took second in the women's standings and eleventh overall in 3:11:21. Lacey Randolph was the third woman and seventeenth overall in 3:27:24.


56 athletes finished the 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail Ultra Trail Challenge 25K.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail 25K

1. 2:32:14, Elliot Smith (M, 35)
2. 2:39:12, Matthew Rowan (M, 49)
3. 2:48:27, Ken Thrasher (M, 52)
4. 2:56:13, Regis Smeltz (M, 44)
5. 2:58:05, Michael Kennett (M, 44)
6. 2:58:49, Ronald Hall (M, 53)
7. 3:04:23, Will Spivey (M, 38)
8. 3:05:18, Erik Anderson (M, 35)
9. 3:11:08, Greg Skinner (M, 47)
10. 3:14:49, Joe Patton (M, 52)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Torreya Draggin' Tail 25K

1. 3:05:17, Monica Judd (F, 43)
2. 3:11:21, Judy Alexander (F, 56)
3. 3:27:24, Lacey Randolph (F, 29)
4. 3:28:30, Marien Dimacali (F, 56)
5. 3:44:58, Rebecca Bourdreaux (F, 45)
6. 3:44:59, Renee Tavakoli (F, 35)
7. 3:45:16, Iris Smeltz (F, 41)
8. 3:46:47, Carla Elliot (F, 56)
9. 4:00:54, Adrianne Simmons (F, 37)
10. NTA, Celina Hale (F, 37)

Winners of Torreya State Park's Draggin' Tail Ultra Trail Challenge, 2008 - 2018
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
19 April 2008	50K	5:52:53, Vince Molosky	7:21:59, Casey Rodgers	12
	25K	2:34:59, Brian Corbin	2:49:16, Lisa Purul	25
23 May 2009	50K	5:10:06, Vince Molosky	6:38:20, Shana Ryberg	15
	25K	2:28:40, Michael Kennett	3:02:57, Kirsten Baggett	20
10 April 2010	50K	4:59:06, Vince Molosky	6:42:39, Chrissy Coutts	17
	25K	2:19:29, Mike McConnell	3:10:30, Kate McCabe	23
9 April 2011	50K	4:44:35, Vince Molosky	6:27:34, Chrissy Coutts	11
	25K	2:26:59, Paul Brannon	2:44:03, Ashley Daily	33
7 April 2012	50K	4:53:55, Vince Molosky	6:09:44, Chrissy Coutts	15
	25K	2:15:43, Camilo Ordonez	2:45:07, Kate Chunka	41
6 April 2013	50K	4:40:06, Vince Molosky	5:47:48, Ashley Daily	19
	25K	2:18:46, Michael Kennett	2:58:15, Melissa Hooke	38
5 April 2014	50K	4:45:02, Vince Molosky	6:05:30, Kathleen Baker	20
	25K	2:32:41, Joel Piotrowski	3:00:30, Amanda Hudson	48
11 April 2015	50K	4:54:04, Charn McAllister	6:15:07, Ashley Daily	18
	25K	2:18:40, Eric Godin	3:03:15, Kristen Bowers	50
2 April 2016	50K	4:57:01, Vince Molosky	6:42:20, Juanita Chalmers	24
	25K	2:36:48, Andy Roberts	2:59:43, Lydia Miles	55
8 April 2017	50K	4:29:36, Jonathan Clinthorne	5:16:34, Ashley Daily	20
	25K	2:08:22, Eric Godin	2:48:52, Monica Judd	63
7 April 2018	50K	5:13:30, Vince Molosky	6:47:05, Verity Mathis	14
	25K	2:32:14, Elliot Smith	3:05:17, Monica Judd	56

Links

• Complete results of Torreya State Park's 2018 Draggin' Tail 50K & 25K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSwD6BZOnOh58jl25pHKfLkyqby52LvxTL98fkYyUYZHFuThMpQXjKOrZhx08_kxypWWFx31YbeFwHv/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Record runs on the Torreya trails for Clinthorne and Daily at the Draggin' Tail Ultra”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/torreya-ultra-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Vince Molosky returns to the top at Torreya”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/torreya-ultra-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “McAllister and Daily master the Draggin' in Torreya”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/torreya-ultra-2015.html
  
  
• Torreya State Park's Draggin' Tail 25k/50k Ultra Trail Challenge on Facebook
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Torreya-State-Parks-Draggin-Tail-25k50k-Ultra-Trail-Challenge/112939732129824
  
  
• Torreya State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Torreya
  
  
• If there's a race involving dragons, unicorns, or basilisks, you'll find it on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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