Ryan Kelly and Elizabeth Smith display mastery at the James Eunice Legacy 5K

Saturday, 13 April 2019, was a day for master runners at the eighth annual James Eunice Legacy 5K. Half of the first ten finishers in the Valdosta, Georgia road race were master runners. More significantly, the overall male winner and the overall female winner were both master runners. Lake Park, Georgia master runner Ryan Kelly took the men's crown, coming in first overall at 19:24. Elizabeth Smith of Valdosta was the first woman in the race, placing third overall in 22:29.


Kelly, the Valdosta High cross-country coach, had been third in the 2018 Eunice Legacy 5K, but ran ten seconds faster in his 2019 win. Daniel Carver of Hahira, Georgia was the overall runner-up, running 19:52. Hahira Middle School distance runner Connor Lites took third in the men's standings and fourth overall in 22:46. Nathan Smith edged Steve Plymale for the fourth men's spot, 22:58 to 23:00. The two Valdosta master runners were fifth and seventh overall.


Pinetta, Florida master runner Tracey Cole placed second in the women's division, finishing right between Smith and Plymale at 22:59. Natalie Ochoa of the USAF was the third woman and tenth overall in 24:23. Currently stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Ochoa was a high school cross-country runner back home in Arizona. She finished just ahead of a high school cross-country coach, Lowndes High's Martha Mazurkiewicz, the fourth woman and eleventh overall in 24:26.


80 athletes finished the 2019 James Eunice Legacy 5K. A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta timed the race and provided finish line services.


Top Ten Men, 2019 James Eunice Legacy 5K

1. 19:23.5, Ryan Kelly (M, 40) Lake Park, GA
2. 19:51.3, Daniel Carver (M, 34) Hahira, GA
3. 22:45.7, Connor Lites (M, 13) Valdosta, GA
4. 22:57.5, Nathan Smith (M, 40) Valdosta, GA
5. 22:59.3, Steve Plymale (M, 69) Valdosta, GA
6. 23:20.4, Leif Horn (M, 14) Ray City, GA
7. 24:21.0, Rob McGhinn (M, 39) Valdosta, GA
8. 24:36.9, Karl Brown (M, 43) Valdosta, GA
9. 24:43.2, Alan Johnson (M, 58) Valdosta, GA
10. 24:46.8, Richard Vaden (M, 37) Hahira, GA

Top Ten Women, 2019 James Eunice Legacy 5K

1. 22:28.9, Elizabeth Hoover Smith (F, 40) Valdosta, GA
2. 22:59.0, Tracey Cole (F, 40) Pinetta, FL
3. 24:23.0, Natalie Ochoa (F, 19) Moody A F B, GA
4. 24:25.2, Martha Mazurkiewicz (F, 51) Valdosta, GA
5. 26:04.9, Pollyanna Bass (F, 47) Pavo, GA
6. 26:24.8, Jacinta Howelll (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
7. 26:47.7, Shannon Emanuel (F, 31) Lakeland, GA
8. 27:46.7, Kelsie Crouch (F, 24) Valdosta, GA
9. 28:52.9, Sara Taylor (F, 24) Valdosta, GA
10. 29:27.9, Kaley Clay (F, 23) Valdosta, GA

James Eunice Legacy 5K winners, 2012 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
14 April 2012	16:04, Parker Childree	20:30, Gretchen Bielmyer	92
13 April 2013	21:25, Josh Perry	23:33, Angie Bruhl	93
12 April 2014	17:40, Andrew Elam	21:41, Makenzee Page	51
11 April 2015	17:54, Nathan Crews	21:23, Kelsey Morse	64
9 April 2016	18:43, Dan Butzin	21:23, Alison Thornhill	77
8 April 2017	18:46, Cameron Watson	22:30, Kelly Davis	60
14 April 2018	18:47, Thomas Dever	23:20, Ericka Bitz	78
13 April 2019	19:24, Ryan Kelly	22:29, Elizabeth Smith	80
There was also a Jogging For James 5K race on 25 June 2011. Stephen Robbins (17:55) and Mary Alice Smoot (21:55) were the winners of that earlier event, which had 145 finishers.

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 James Eunice Legacy 5K, courtesy of A Course/Line, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTXtDfCO0o4kY71YyIA1C2PRq1gECxbg1ipBVgLNUgJKnn3wkn4Yxk9Rk249dDjS_VLqKqa4WuvYkOO/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Dever and Bitz grab wins at the James Eunice Legacy 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/james-eunice-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Watson and Davis win at the James Eunice Legacy 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/james-eunice-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Butzin wins by a ton, Thornhill by ounces at the James Eunice 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/james-eunice-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Crews and Morse lead a youth movement at the Eunice Legacy 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/james-eunice-2015.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Robbins and Smoot outrun their elders at Jogging For James”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/06/james-2011.html
  
  
• The James Eunice Fund
  https://jameseunice23.com/
  
  
• Check the Trouble Afoot! calendar for the next running of the James Eunice Legacy 5K
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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