Monday, July 29, 2019

Bryan Gensits and Rachel Durbin were tough on the trail in Tom Brown

Gulf Winds Track Club has been conducting its Summer Trail Series since 2013--four races each year on four different Tallahassee trails. Master runner Stephen Gensits first joined the Series in 2018 and hasn't missed a race since. On Saturday morning, 27 July 2019, his son, Bryan Gensits, was visiting from Allentown, Pennsylvania. That was also the morning of the third event in the 2019 Summer Trail Series, a five-mile race in Tom Brown Park. Why not both run?

Bryan Gensits
Bryan Gensits

So they did. And Bryan Gensits won, running 37:13, first in a field of 108 finishers. Rachel Durbin was the first woman in the race, placing eleventh overall in 44:47.


The run started just after 7:30 AM on the Goose Pond Trail. The course soon took the runners to the Magnolia Trail, then the Lafayette Heritage Trail and the Cadillac Trail. The athletes were still on the Magnolia Trail when Bryan Gensits took the lead from Zach DeVeau, winner of the first two races in this year's Series.

Zach DeVeau
Zach DeVeau

"About 0.75 miles into the race," said Gensits. "The first place I could pass. I looked back every once in a while after that, and I could see Zach and them. But after two miles I couldn't."


Those others had fallen too far back to see. Gensits' closest competitor was a full 500 meters behind him by the time he finished first in 37:13. DeVeau was second in 38:38. Austin Dodson was third in 41:30, just ahead of a battle between Tristan LaNasa and Tim Qualls. LaNasa grabbed fourth in 41:37, while Qualls was fifth in 41:38, the first master runner in the race.


"A very technical course," said Gensits about the run through Tom Brown. "Just beautiful."

Rachel Durbin
Rachel Durbin

Gensits had to wait till a wider spot on the narrow trails to pass DeVeau and take the lead. In the women's competition, Rachel Durbin did no such waiting. Durbin led the women's field from the start of the race, and her lead only grew on the way to a 44:47 finish and the win. It was Durbin's third win in three Summer Trail Series races. Eleven-year-old Clifton Lewis took second in the women's standings, placing twentieth overall in 47:11. Megan Chapman was the third woman and 24th overall in 49:36. Laura Sellati was the first woman master and fifth female finisher, 31st overall in 50:15.


Five miles on Tom Brown Park's hilliest paths would be plenty of running for most athletes, but not for Bryan Gensits. After winning the race in Tom Brown Park, Gensits headed up to Albany, Georgia for the Southern Discomfort Six-Hour Run, where he logged just under 41 miles. Gensits has his eye on an even longer race on 10 August 2019, the Eastern States 100-Mile Run.

Clifton Lewis
Clifton Lewis

"That's in Pennsylvania, so it's close to home," said Gensits.


Back in Tallahassee, the Summer Trail Series concludes on Saturday morning, 24 August 2019, with the fourth race of this year's circuit, a four-and-a-half mile race on the trails of Maclay Gardens State Park.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tom Brown Park Five-Mile Trail Race
  1. 37:13, Bryan Gensits(M, 24) Allentown, PA
  2. 39:38, Zach DeVeau (M, 31)
  3. 41:30, Austin Dodson (M, 21)
  4. 41:37, Tristan Lanasa (M, 26)
  5. 41:38, Tim Qualls (M, 40)
  6. 41:42, Eric Chiotti (M, 21)
  7. 41:51, Ryan Baumbach (M, 39)
  8. 42:17, Kyle Kraeft (M, 30)
  9. 44:08, Paul Guyas (M, 41)
  10. 44:21, Philip Sura (M, 49)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Tom Brown Park Five-Mile Trail Race
  1. 44:47, Rachel Durbin (F, 24) Memphis, MI
  2. 47:11, Clifton Lewis (F, 11)
  3. 49:36, Megan Chapman (F, 28)
  4. 50:10, Cecilia Bouaichi (F, 23)
  5. 50:15, Laura Sellati (F, 40)
  6. 50:25, Monica Toth (F, 30)
  7. 51:18, Mary Jane Hayden (F, 39)
  8. 51:18, Katasha Cornwell (F, 42)
  9. 53:19, Kaley Ford (F, 24)
  10. 53:38, Becky Leckinger (F, 56)

Gulf Winds Track Club's Summer Trail Series race winners, 2013 - 2019
YearDateRaceTop MaleTop FemaleFinishers
2013June 22Cadillac Trail 5½M37:38, Kevin Sullivan45:07, Stephanie Liles-Weyant121
July 13Swamp Forest Trail 4½M30:19, Kevin Sullivan34:12, Micah Adriani124
July 27Magnolia Trail 3½M21:44, Kevin Sullivan24:45, Stephanie Liles-Weyant114
August 3Red Bug Trail 4½M33:31, Bryce Van Dam43:46, Stephanie Liles-Weyant92
2014June 21Red Bug Trail 4½M38:30, Charn McAllister42:02, Brook Pace114
July 12Swamp Forest Trail 4½M29:06, Charn McAllister33:13, Brook Pace109
July 26Magnolia Trail 3½M26:03, Charn McAllister30:16, Emily Molen108
August 2Cadillac Trail 5½M41:38, Brian Molen48:25, Emily Molen88
2015May 30Cadillac Trail 5½M39:15, Zach Deveau42:51, Alyson Churchill158
June 13Oak Hammock Trail 5M32:59, Zach Deveau35:10, Alyson Churchill129
July 18Coon Bottom Trail 4M28:42, Zach Deveau29:14, Alyson Churchill112
August 1Red Bug Trail 4½M35:14, Greg Bargo35:24, Alyson Churchill112
2016May 21Magnolia Trail 3½M25:18, Dan Baur27:05, Katie Gorman133
June 4Oak Hammock Trail 5½M42:53, Eric Godin45:24, Katie Gorman123
July 9Red Bug Trail 4½M33:14, Dan Baur35:04, Katie Gorman130
July 30Cadillac Trail 5½M43:06, Paul Guyas42:29, Alyson Churchill95
2017June 10Munson Hills 6M36:45, Chris O'Kelley46:34, Emily Molen87
July 1Red Bug Trail 4½M37:34, Chris O'Kelley48:24, Emily Molen90
July 15Oak Hammock/Swamp Forest 5M33:35, Charles Biberg39:36, Kat Sack89
August 5Tom Brown Park 4½M32:40, Chris O'Kelley36:36, Jennifer Bayliss71
2018June 23Munson Hills 6M38:02, Vince Molosky45:10, Emily Molen124
July 7Phipps Park 4M30:49, Jim Schafer33:39, Kat Sack127
July 21Maclay Gardens 5M38:26, Brad Busboom44:39, Kat Sack110
August 4Tom Brown Park 4½M28:39, Brad Busboom32:29, Kat Sack109
2019June 22Red Bug Trail 4½M35:27, Zach DeVeau38:53, Rachel Durbin125
July 6Munson Hills 6M38:24, Zach DeVeau43:56, Rachel Durbin86
July 27Tom Brown Park 5M37:13, Bryan Gensits44:47, Rachel Durbin108
August 24Maclay Gardens 4½M


Links
#2562
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Herb Wills at 2:51 PM
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)