Joshua Grant goes 16:33 to win the first National Grits Festival 5K

It's not far from Albany to Warwick, less than a half drive from a South Georgia city to a South Georgia small town. That's the trip that Joshua Grant made on Saturday morning, 14 April 2018, to get to the inaugural. National Grits Festival 5K. Grant won the five-kilometer race by nearly a kilometer, running 16:33. Ashley Coleman of Decatur, Georgia was the first woman in the race, placing fifth overall in 25:01.


A New Englander from Nashua, New Hampshire who studied at Lyndon State College in Vermont, Grant probably never had a chance to develop a taste for grits. Still, he was the first champion of the National Grits Festival 5K. John Coleman finished runner-up in 21:12, just ahead of the 21:19 posted by third-place finisher Brian Kelley. Harold Benton was the top master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 24:58.


Whitney Diers was second in the women's standings, placing sixth overall in 25:29. Teresa Greene was the first woman master and third female finisher, seventh overall in 32:21.


Warwick, Georgia hosts the National Grits Festival annually on the second Saturday in April, except for the years 2013 to 2016 when the Festival was on hiatus. The 5K was a new addition to the Festival in 2018. 24 athletes finished the 2018 National Grits Festival 5K.


Top Five Men, 2018 National Grits Festival 5K

1. 16:33, Joshua Grant (M, 25-29) Arabi, GA
2. 21:12, John Coleman (M, 35-39)
3. 21:19, Brian Kelley (M, 35-39)
4. 24:58, Harold Benton (M, 60-64)
5. 33:48, David Perry (M, 70-98)

Top Five Women, 2018 National Grits Festival 5K

1. 25:01, Ashley Coleman (F, 30-34) Decatur, GA
2. 25:29, Whitney Diers (F, 25-29)
3. 32:21, Teresa Greene (F, 55-59)
4. 32:48, Autumn Perry (F, 70-98)
5. 33:55, Tammy Middlebrooks (F, 55-59)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 National Grits Festival 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQpZDwA-vp7-fQtox18a8NsGR9baDeMs9p-7JvA-CujBywM_Y6ZMJtTYKbwtlprFsKGvVftVnTDQECg/pubhtml
  
  
• National Grits Festival
  https://gritsfest.com/
  
  
• Find upcoming runs at festivals on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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