There are many good places in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. But the place to be on the morning before Saint Patrick's Day, Saturday, 16 March 2019, was the eighth annual Lucky Leprechaun Road Race. Nearly 500 runners thought so, anyway, coming to the Lucky Leprechaun to race either a 10K or a 5K. The fastest of those in the main event, the 10K race, was Derek Sandblom, the winner in a new Lucky Leprechaun record of 35:29. Destin, Florida master runner Gina Kline was the first woman in the 10K, placing seventh overall in 41:58.An alumnus of the United States Air Force Academy, Sandblom lives in Destin, but just a few years ago he was a club runner at the University of Maryland, competing in both track and cross-country. His 35:29 trimmed more than two minutes off the previous Lucky Leprechaun record, the 37:49 posted by master runner Jonathan Campbell in the 2018 race. Timothy Kogge also ran faster than the old mark, finishing runner-up in 36:48. Jordan Furtado took third in 39:25. Rick Neitzey was the first master runner in the 10K and sixth overall in 41:21.
Sarah Stolp was second in the women's standings, coming in ninth overall in 42:54. Master runner Jamie Tassa was the third female finisher and eleventh overall in 43:57.
142 athletes finished the 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 10K.
Top Ten Men, 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 10K
- 35:29, Derek Sandblom (M, 27)
- 36:48, Timothy Kogge (M, 35)
- 39:25, Jordan Furtado (M, 27)
- 40:04, Bobby Flynn (M, 38)
- 40:55, Jerry Kalka (M, 32)
- 41:21, Rick Neitzey (M, 50)
- 42:53, Todd Tompkins (M, 28)
- 43:06, Greg Dawson (M, 40)
- 44:11, David Shearon (M, 49)
- 45:26, John Ebbrecht (M, 49)
Top Ten Women, 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 10K
- 41:58, Gina Kline (F, 42)
- 42:54, Sarah Stolp (F, 33)
- 43:57, Jamie Tassa (F, 41)
- 44:34, Joan Mosher (F, 32)
- 46:34, Margaret Compton (F, 36)
- 46:38, Cassandra Zienin (F, 29)
- 47:45, Claire Jones (F, 43)
- 48:05, Onnie Retkofsky (F, 41)
- 48:08, Jenifer Tomasello (F, 38)
- 48:09, Jennifer Byrne (F, 28)
United States Air Force 2LT Nathan Isaacs of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida won the shorter race, the 5K, running 16:20. A week earlier, Isaacs had run 16:35 in another Irish-themed 5K, the McGuire's Saint Patrick's Day Run. At 17:50, Steve Cornelius took second in the 3.1-mile event. Ken Lawrence was the first master runner in the 5K, edging Deion Cossio for third place, 19:10 to 19:11.
Another Destin athlete, Rachel Staples, was the first woman in the 5K, finishing eighth overall in 19:47. 100 meters back, Amy Yeoman took second in the women's standings, placing eleventh overall in 20:11. Niceville, Florida's Sarah Saris was the first woman master and third female finisher, 48th overall in 24:57.
356 athletes finished the 5K.
Top Ten Men, 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 5K
- 16:20, Nathan Isaacs (M, 25)
- 17:50, Steve Cornelius (M, 38)
- 19:10, Ken Lawrence (M, 51)
- 19:11, Deion Cossio (M, 25)
- 19:18, Walter Piper (M, 16)
- 19:26, Yancey Ream (M, 48)
- 19:48, Jonathan Campbell (M, 41)
- 19:57, Frank McKenzie (M, 54)
- 20:22, Kent Watson (M, 49)
- 20:33, Zachary Cooper (M, 22)
Top Ten Women, 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 5K
- 19:47, Rachel Staples (F, 33)
- 20:11, Amy Yeoman (F, 25)
- 22:31, Sarah Saris (F, 48)
- 22:36, Alex Errington (F, 23)
- 23:18, Laura McIntire (F, 32)
- 23:32, Ashley Tribou (F, 26)
- 23:41, Andrea Korenek (F, 39)
- 23:57, Dita Novak (F, 41)
- 24:52, Paula Piazza (F, 54)
- 24:57, Susan McKenzie (F, 53)
| Fort Walton Beach, Florida Lucky Leprechaun winners, 2012 - 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Distance | Men | Women | Finishers |
| 17 March 2012 | 5K | 17:45, Anthony Stricker | 19:24, Lisa Lewis | |
| 16 March 2013 | 10K | 40:26, Bob Walker | 40:12, Juia Tobias | |
| 5K | 16:37, Mason Powers | 22:18, Cheryl Wolfe | ||
| 15 March 2014 | 10K | 38:32, Ashley Armstrong | 37:21, Cheryl Held | |
| 5K | 16:41, Caden Ewing | 22:53, Cheryl Veltman | ||
| 14 March 2015 | 10K | 42:32, Jason Strong | 41:43, Elizabeth Heering | 96 |
| 5K | 17:23, Jason Nodjomian | 21:06, Nicole Escoffier | 257 | |
| 12 March 2016 | 10K | 40:08, Douglas Bustillo | 45:38, Paula Piazza | 93 |
| 5K | 17:55, Austin Zivney | 19:13, Line Lauritsen | 345 | |
| 16 March 2017 | 10K | 37:59, Drew Bruner | 42:02, Anna Morelock | 82 |
| 5K | 16:20, Jake Fisk | 19:35, Line Lauritsen | 290 | |
| 17 March 2018 | 10K | 37:49, Jonathan Campbell | 41:56, Karina Sterrett | 130 |
| 5K | 17:52, Jacob Knox | 18:54, Katja Blunden | 457 | |
| 16 March 2019 | 10K | 35:29, Derek Sandblom | 41:58, Gina Kline | 142 |
| 5K | 16:20, Nathan Isaacs | 19:47, Rachel Staples | 356 | |
Links
- Complete results of the 2019 Lucky Leprechaun 10K and 5K
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vShnRjjriaNtZAfdxO2hmh7NarRjiWDKfnNLLiYbfYoHhHmwgw6q_rmrDp2he5tZFgx_4xf09ao1RGj/pubhtml
- 2018 story, “Campbell and Sterrett were first to the end of the rainbow at the Lucky Leprechaun 10K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/fwb-lucky-leprechaun-2018.html
- Lucky Leprechaun's 2019 photos
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2304355542947834&type=1&l=586d86389e
- Northwest Florida Track Club
http://nwftc.com
- Lucky Leprechaun on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Lucky-Leprechaun-5k10k-RunWalk-314025588647516/
- Upcoming lucky races in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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