Chris Zablocki and Tamara Kozulina each add another "W" to their Tallahassee Marathon tally

Chris Zablocki took first in the Tallahassee Marathon in 2013. Tamara Kozulina was the first woman in 2008. Both runners were back in Tallahassee, Florida on Sunday morning, 3 February 2019, when Zablocki won the 45th annual Tallahassee Marathon, going 2:34:41. Kozulina was the first woman in the race for the fourth year in a row, placing fourteenth overall in 3:04:00. 155 athletes finished the 26.2-mile race.

Chris Zablocki

When Zablocki and Kozulina logged their first Tallahassee Marathon victories, the race had started at Florida State University, running down to Woodville before turning around and returning to campus. Since then the course had changed, and the 2019 Marathon started downtown in front of the Leon County Courthouse. Marathon morning was foggy. Behind the starting line the upper floors of the Capitol were obscured by the mist. The Old Capitol, closer and not as tall, was still visible, the backdrop for the 7:30 AM start.

Tamara Kozulina

Zablocki was a New Englander at the time of his 2013 visit to Tallahassee, but he had managed to do some impressive racing in the South, including wins at the 2014 Jacksonville Marathon, the 2015 Albany Marathon, and the 2016 Albany Marathon. A second Tallahassee title had eluded him, though. In the 2015 Tallahassee Marathon he had finished runner-up, 300 meters behind Mark Chepses.


No one was that close to Zablocki in 2019. Now based in Chicago, eight kilometers into the Marathon he was already 400 meters ahead. By halfway, that margin was 1500 meters. Zablocki slowed during the second half and his lead narrowed slightly, but he was never challenged on his way to the finish line on West Madison Street in College Town, where he arrived in a winning 2:34:41. Austin Whitelaw ran a strong second half to take second in 2:39:34. Charlie Johnson, runner-up in the 2018 Tallahassee Marathon, placed third in 2:41:31. Columbia, South Carolina athlete Orinthal Striggles edged Ian Brown of Americus, Georgia for top master runner honors in the marathon, 2:54:18 to 2:54:28. Striggles and Brown were seventh and eighth overall.

Austin Whitelaw

While Zablocki was wrapping up his second Tallahassee Marathon win, Tamara Kozulina was working on her fifth title in the race and her fourth in a row--a streak that started in the 2016 race. Kozulina kept that streak alive and then some. A marathon is just over 42 kilometers long, and the Clermont master runner finished just over four kilometers ahead of the next woman in the race. 3:04:00 wasn't her fastest Tallahassee Marathon, but it didn't have to be. San Ramon, California master runner Jennifer Bayliss was second in the women's standings, placing 22nd overall in 3:23:48. Alyssa Terry of Tallahassee took third in the women's standings and and 25th overall in 3:31:01.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tallahassee Marathon

1. 2:34:41, Christopher Zablocki (M, 30) Chicago, IL
2. 2:39:34, Austin Whitelaw (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
3. 2:41:31, Charlie Johnson (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
4. 2:51:28, Chris Jones (M, 25) Warner Robins, GA
5. 2:52:36, Chris O'Kelley (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
6. 2:52:36, Charlie Kline (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
7. 2:54:18, Orinthal Striggles (M, 43) Columbia, SC
8. 2:54:28, Ian Brown (M, 53) Americus, GA
9. 2:58:36, James Buchanan (M, 37) Niceville, FL
10. 2:58:37, Stephen Stiegel (M, 39) Elon, NC

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tallahassee Marathon

1. 3:04:00, Tamara Kozulina (F, 43) Clermont, FL
2. 3:23:48, Jennifer Bayliss (F, 48) San Ramon, CA
3. 3:31:01, Alyssa Terry (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
4. 3:37:48, Caroline May Poor (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
5. 3:38:33, Laura McDermott (F, 39) Tallahassee, FL
6. 3:39:42, Sarah Miller (F, 21) Tallahassee, FL
7. 3:40:59, Cecilia Bouaichi (F, 23) Tallahassee, FL
8. 3:49:59, Amy McClenathan (F, 59) Saint Petersburg, FL
9. 3:52:23, Laura Segrera (F, 40) Saint Petersburg, FL
10. 3:52:52, Jenny Early (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL

In the Half-Marathon race, Gainesville, Florida athlete Sergey Zyrianov led at eight kilometers, but Will Christian was on his trail. Lieutenant Commander Christian had been in Tallahassee with the All-Navy Cross-Country Team, competing in the 2019 USATF Cross-Country National Championship. Less than 24 hours after posting a 31:02 in a ten-kilometer cross-country race at Apalachee Regional Park, Christian was on the streets of Tallahassee chasing Zyrianov. Christian caught the Gainesville runner, leaving him over 400 meters behind as he raced to a 67:47 win. Zyrianov took second in 69:09, and Ryan Barrow of Thiboxaux, Louisiana was third in 78:54. David Graf of Tallahassee, Florida was the fastest master runner in the half marathon, placing fourth overall in 79:49.

Will Christian

As a Colquitt High senior, Elizabeth Funderburk had raced the 2018 Tallahassee Half-Marathon, running 88:56 and coming in third in the women's division. As a Florida State frosh taking a redshirt season in indoor track, Funderburk was back in 2019 with visions of running 80:00 and moving up to first. Another Georgia native, Ann Centner, also had ambitions of winning the women's title. Centner, a Ph.D. candidate in nutrition science at Florida State, had a personal best of 85:02 from the 2018 Albany Snickers Half Marathon. Based on past performance, you'd give the edge to Centner.

Elizabeth Funderburk & Ann Centner

Funderburk, however, was giving nothing to Centner. At eight kilometers the two were racing together, leading the women's field. During the next few kilometers, Funderburk broke away, and with seven kilometers to go she was a little over 30 meters ahead of Centner. Funderburk stretched out that lead to nearly 300 meters on the way to College Town, where she crossed the finish line in 80:00, the first woman and fifth overall in the half marathon. Centner finished runner-up on the women's side and seventh overall in 81:00. Lyubov Denisova of Gainesville, Florida was the first woman master and third female finisher in the half marathon, eighth overall in 84:18.

Elizabeth Funderburk

813 athletes finished the 2019 Tallahassee Half-Marathon. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed both races, with help from RaceSmith of Saint Augustine, Florida.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tallahassee Half-Marathon

1. 1:07:47, Will Christian (M, 35) Chesapeake, VA
2. 1:09:09, Sergey Zyrianov (M, 34) Gainesville, FL
3. 1:18:54, Ryan Barrow (M, 31) Thibodaux, LA
4. 1:19:49, David Graf (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:20:44, Michael Rhodes (M, 50) Perry, FL
6. 1:24:24, Michael Niezgoda (M, 30) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:25:32, Blake Scott (M, 49) Orlando, FL
8. 1:25:56, Tony Guillen (M, 50) Tallahassee, FL
9. 1:27:59, Bobby Duggleby (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:29:10, Peter Kaus (M, 34) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tallahassee Half-Marathon

1. 1:20:00, Elizabeth Funderburk (F, 19) Moultrie, GA
2. 1:21:00, Ann Centner (F, 27) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:24:18, Lyubov Denisova (F, 47) Gainesville, FL
4. 1:28:33, Lucy Baird (F, 19) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:28:58, Blair Bodenmiller (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:34:55, Elisha Boggs (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:36:28, Brittney Barnes (F, 31) Tallahassee, FL
8. 1:37:13, Melissa Thompson (F, 34) Thomasville, FL
9. 1:38:35, Carrie Murphy (F, 47) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:38:53, Corinne Porcher (F, 49) Tallahassee, FL

Tallahassee Marathon winners, 1975 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
8 March 1975	3:00:07, John Hargreaves		2
25 April 1976	2:58:00, John Hargreaves		7
1977	2:35:59, Tim Simpkins	3:38:59, Betty Ely	22
1978	2:39:00, Tim Simpkins	3:45:00, Donna Glotzbach	19
24 February 1979	2:45:37, Steve Figard	3:03:16, Shirley Silsby	54
2 February 1980	2:35:32, Steve Figard	3:30:33, Victoria Myers	71
7 February 1981	2:37:39, Jim Dickson	3:49:48, Linda Abele	41
13 February 1982	2:28:11, Chris Lingle	3:14:31, Marianne Crawford	95
12 February 1983	2:23:55, Mike Patterson	3:15:06, Christy Orthmann	81
11 February 1984	2:35:00, Rick Miller	3:11:34, Donna Glotzbach	49
9 February 1985	2:41:50, Felton Wright	3:17:09, Debbie Moore	44
23 February 1986	2:40:57, Felton Wright	3:37:35, Joyce Hodges	44
1987	2:40:09, Scott Hinkle	3:14:57, Laura Meighan	72
1988	2:31:39, Tom Swiersz	3:19:54, Lana Hayden	49
1989	2:38:28, TC Carroll	3:07:13, Paula Johnson	93
1990	2:28:43, Jessie Close	3:02:18, Claudia Kasen	107
1991	2:44:41, Steve Carney	2:56:10, Paula Johnson	118
1992	2:28:41, Jessie Close	3:04:52, Paula Johnson	115
1993	2:27:20, Louis Floyd	2:56:22, Fran Fidler	83
1994	2:32:27, Louis Floyd	3:22:21, Lori Karison	133
1995	2:43:45, Paul Hough	3:10:56, Paula Johnson	124
1996	2:43:24, William Flynn	3:29:44, Krista Prentice	70
1997	2:50:45, Daniel Widener	3:33:22, Dee Farnell	111
18 January 1998	2:29:02, Bryon Law	3:09:08, Carrie Weyant	73
17 January 1999	2:56:17, Tom Minor	3:13:51, Martha Vidal	80
16 January 2000	2:46:53, Michael Peck	3:16:13, Melissa Knechtel	51
17 January 2001	2:57:24, David Yon	3:36:01, Carrie Weyant	86
20 January 2002	3:02:32, Ronnie Godwin & Felton Wright	3:21:17, Carrie Weyant
14 December 2003	2:50:32, Michael Western	3:34:48, Kathy Pike	38
15 February 2004	2:55:19, Jack McDermott	3:18:18, Kim Bruce	75
20 February 2005	2:43:38, Jeff Dobias	3:24:24, Lisa Purul	129
19 February 2006	2:51:58, Michael Douma	3:32:11, Teresa Lafleur	79
4 February 2007	2:28:15, Judson Cake	2:46:09, Valerie Gortmaker	168
3 February 2008	2:24:01, Scot Mullins	3:03:38, Tamara Kozulina	209
1 February 2009	2:20:29, George Towett	2:45:05, Nina Kraft	203
7 February 2010	2:26:49, James Kiptoo	3:16:05, Beth Moras	233
6 February 2011	2:28:38, Esteban Vanegas	2:43:32, Karen Harvey	234
5 February 2012	2:27:23, Solomon Kandie	2:40:06, Leah Thorvilson	270
3 February 2013	2:23:26, Chris Zablocki	2:52:49, Nina Kraft	307
2 February 2014	2:24:29, Bryan Morseman	2:46:29, Esther Erb	361
8 February 2015	2:19:12, Mark Chepses	2:46:59, Sarah Crouch	335
7 February 2016	2:31:34, Kennedy Kemei	3:03:20, Tamara Kozulina	224
5 February 2017	2:27:12, Bryan Morseman	3:09:25, Tamara Kozulina	180
4 February 2018	2:26:56, Bryan Morseman	3:03:10, Tamara Kozulina	153
3 February 2019	2:34:41, Christopher Zablocki	3:04:00, Tamara Kozulina	155

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRfQSCdBwpbMJUHiq4Dx8QwPHCYjS6jKkZBTGubj4N80AexXz6yMDHxAX1OXh09ePEshuWyJ2ZqmJ12/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon
  
  • Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10113108088946523&type=1&l=8d3edef33d
    
  • Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10113110556756013&type=1&l=e4d07d3aa2
    
  
  
• 2018 story, “No one rains on Bryan Morseman's parade at the Tallahassee marathon”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/02/tallahassee-marathon-2018.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Strong finishes and Tallahassee Marathon titles for Chepses and Crouch”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/02/tallahassee-marathon-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Morseman and Erb champions at the largest Tallahassee Marathon yet”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/02/tallahassee-marathon-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Tallahassee Marathon comes down to the final sprint for Zablocki”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/02/tallahassee-marathon-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 Story, “Tallahassee Marathon 2012”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/02/tallahassee-marathon-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Vanegas wins and Harvey sets record at Tallahassee Marathon XXXVII”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/02/tallahassee-marathon-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Big wins for Cheruiyot and Moras at the 36th annual Tallahassee Marathon”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/02/tallahassee-marathon.html
  
  
• Website for Gulf Winds Track Club's Tallahassee Marathon
  http://www.tallahasseemarathon.com/
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL17089TY for the 2018 Tallahassee Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL17089TY
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL17066TY for the 2018 Tallahassee Half Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL17066TY
  
  
• Longer than a marathon or shorter, you'll find your next Tallahassee region race here:
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2422