Cameron Watson and Ann Centner scorch the streets at the Blaze The Day 5K

Finishing well over 300 meters ahead of the next runner, Cameron Watson ran 17:16 to win the thirteenth annual Blaze The Day 5K in Valdosta, Georgia on Saturday morning, 25 August 2018. In the same race, Ann Centner outkicked Sheryl Rosen for the women's title, 18:37 to 18:39.


Watson is a sophomore at Coffee High in Douglas, Georgia where he runs on the cross-country team. In cross-country, race times are seldom meaningful because of the differences in courses. A cross-country course might be hilly or flat; sandy, muddy, or hard-packed. The runners might have to traverse water, fences, or other obstacles. Even the distance can come into question--a five-kilometer cross-country course could very well be shorter or longer than the advertised distance.


There was no question about the distance of the Blaze The Day 5K, however. The five-kilometer road course was measured by race director Todd Smoot and USATF-certified (course number GA18010WC). You could look it up. So when you see that Cameron Watson ran 17:20 on 18 August 2018 at the Midstate Cross-Country Classic, you might well wonder about the distance. But Watson's winning time of 17:16 at the Blaze The Day 5K a week later is indisputable. Also beyond debate is the 18:28 posted by the Blaze The Day runner-up, James East of Raleigh, North Carolina.


Two weeks before the Blaze The Day 5K, Blakely, Georgia's Ann Centner and Sheryl Rosen of Tallahassee had tangled in the Gulf Winds Track Club Mile at the Breakfast On The Track. In that Tallahassee race, Sheryl Rosen had come out on top in a tight race, running 5:15.26 to Centner's 5:16.68. The Blaze The Day 5K featured another close match between Rosen and Centner, but this time Centner was the victor, 18:37 to 18:39. Centner has plans to run one more fast 5K this summer at the Macon, Georgia Labor Day Road Race.


Zachary Gregory of Ray City, Georgia was fifth overall and the third male finisher in the Blaze The Day 5K, running 20:42. Hahira, Georgia athlete Jim O'Connor was the fastest master in the race and the fourth male, sixth overall in 20:49. Sandra Griffin of Valdosta was the first woman master and third female finisher, ninth overall in 21:57.


87 athletes finished the 2018 Blaze The Day 5K. The race was a fundraiser for the Valdosta State University Blazer cross-country teams.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Blaze the Day 5K

1. 17:15.4, Cameron Watson (M, 15) Douglas, GA
2. 18:28.0, James East (M, 25) Raleigh, NC
3. 20:41.1, Zachary Gregory (M, 21) Ray City, GA
4. 20:48.7, Jim O'Connor (M, 55) Hahira, GA
5. 21:15.2, Augusto Soltero (M, 40) Albany, GA
6. 21:30.2, Carl Hook (M, 32) Valdosta, GA
7. 22:05.3, Bryan Presler (M, 28) Valdosta, GA
8. 22:20.4, Joseph Mastropierro (M, 30) Palm Coast, FL
9. 24:02.0, Rob McGhin (M, 38) Valdosta, GA
10. 24:09.1, Corey McGlynn (M, 27) Valdosta, GA

Top Ten Women, 2018 Blaze the Day 5K

1. 18:36.6, Ann Centner (F, 26) Blakely, GA
2. 18:38.3, Sheryl Rosen (F, 34) Tallahassee, FL
3. 21:56.8, Sandra Griffin (F, 51) Valdosta, GA
4. 22:30.0, Abbey Arnett (F, 16) Douglas, GA
5. 24:15.6, Pollyanna Bass (F, 46) Pavo, GA
6. 24:55.3, Katie Presler (F, 27) Valdosta, GA
7. 26:16.4, Kelly Lunceford (F, 28) Valdosta, GA
8. 25:17.3, Katie Adams (F, 44) Lake Park, GA
9. 25:41.9, Gunawati Gunawan (F, 46) Tifton, GA
10. 26:34.4, Melissa Roe (F, 40) Valdosta, GA

Valdosta State University Community 5K champions, 2006 - 2018
Date	Men	Women
19 August 2006	16:54, Derek Storbeck	20:06, Melissa Daugherty
18 August 2007	16:58, John Seppala	20:12, Jana Grygarova
23 August 2008	17:17, Austin McDonald	20:12, Jordanne Helton
22 August 2009	16:15, Christopher Rice	20:03, Ashley McGee
21 August 2010	16:40, Christopher Rice	20:13, Sarah Turner
20 August 2011	17:03, Christopher Rice	20:23, Jordanne Helton
25 August 2012	16:33, Christopher Rice	20:22, Jessie Usry
24 August 2013	20:04, Colin Prinsloo	21:55, Alice Smoot
23 August 2014	20:13, Shaundon Moore	22:33, Carsen Pastirik
29 August 2015	18:22, Greg George	22:04, Anne Price
27 August 2016	18:00, Jackson Green	21:47, Alice Smoot
26 August 2017	19:00, Ryan Kelly	22:22, Vanessa Spry
25 August 2018	17:16, Cameron Watson	18:37, Ann Centner

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Blaze The Day 5K courtesy of A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta, Georgia
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTJ7vrzSTzmjklZ5_PbXLZZRrzLiwbje22PDs2y3y3kbxvmqTTPxrI2JB1DYJEUQ-Dj3t08EFhekEE2/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Kelly and Spry light up the course at Blaze The Day”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/08/vsu-community-2017.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “George and Price celebrate in a hurry at the Blazer Dash's tenth anniversary”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/08/vsu-community-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Moore and Pastirik are the fastest Blazer Dashers in 2014”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/08/vsu-community-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Prinsloo and Smoot say 'Welcome to VSU!' in the Community 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/08/vsu-community-2013.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Rice goes for three and Helton for two at VSU Community 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/08/vsu-community-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Rice and Turner victorious at VSU Community 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/vsu-community-2010.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA18010WC for the 2018 Blaze The Day 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA18010WC
  
  
• Upcoming races on and off university campuses listed on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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