Monday, September 23, 2019

Ann Centner goes 18:00 on Tallahassee's hills to win the Women's Distance Festival 5K

It wasn't exactly cool and dry in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday morning, 21 September 2019, but it wasn't quite as hot nor nearly as humid as it had been. Encouraged by the pleasant change in the weather, Ann Centner tore through an 18:00 5K in Indianhead Acres, winning Gulf Winds Track Club's 38th annual Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival. Paul Allen won the men's 5K, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16:17.

Ann Centner
Ann Centner

Allen may have run a bit faster, but Centner crossed the finish line first. At the Women's Distance Festival, the women start the 5K in a separate wave, five minutes before the men. The race is part of the Road Runners Club of America Women's Distance Festival series of races, founded to celebrate and encourage women's running. The first Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival was held in 1982, a time when women were a small minority of the field in most road races. Today, it's not unusual for the majority of athletes in a race to be women. Still, in most of those events, the women are running with male competitors. That's not the case at the Women's Distance Festival.


"It was different, running all by myself," said Centner.

Katie Sherron, Brittney Barnes, Alyssa Moore
Katie Sherron, Brittney Barnes, & Alyssa Moore

Centner did spend most of the race by herself. The women's wave of the 5K started at 8:00 AM, with the athletes headed north on East Indianhead Drive. By the first turn, half a kilometer into the run, Centner was already 70 meters ahead of the field and pulling away. Dr. Katie Sherron, winner of the race in 2015 and 2017, was part of the pursuit.


"We couldn't see Ann after a mile and a half," said Sherron.

Brittney Barnes, Alyssa Moore
Brittney Barnes & Alyssa Moore

As Centner disappeared from view, Sherron, Alyssa Moore, and Brittney Barnes raced for the runner-up spot.


"We raced together till somewhere after a mile and a half, where Brittney fell off," said Sherron. "Then near two miles I got away from Alyssa."

Paul Allen
Paul Allen

Extending her lead to nearly half a kilometer, Centner raced home in a winning 18:00. Sherron was second in 19:58. Moore and Barnes ended up in a battle for third, with Moore prevailing 20:30 to 20:33. Nancy Stedman was the first master runner in the women's race, placing seventh in 22:45.


Centner's time was her third fastest of the year. 18:00 was also faster than the 18:09 that she had run a week earlier at the Sickle Cell 5K, a nearly flat course. Bryce Parry, who won the men's 5K at the 2018 Women's Distance Festival, confirmed that the route through Indianhead Acres featured a hill or two.

Michael Niezgoda, Tristan Cravello, Bryce Parry, Paul Allen
Michael Niezgoda, Tristan Cravello, Bryce Parry, & Paul Allen

"Especially that one after two miles!" said Parry.


By two miles Parry was chasing Paul Allen. Early in the race, Allen was setting the pace for a lead group that included Parry, Tristan Cravello, and Michael Niezgoda. With a kilometer to go, Allen was well out ahead. Parry was starting to pull away from Cravello, and Niezgoda had already dropped back. Unchallenged, Allen made it home first in 16:17. Parry was second in 16:56, just ahead of Cravello at 17:02. Niezgoda took fourth in 17:21. Dr. Hong-Guo Yu was the fastest master runner in the men's race, seventh in 18:40.

Bryce Parry
Bryce Parry

99 women and 72 men finished the 2019 Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival 5K. Another 39 athletes completed a one-mile fun run. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the races.


Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Women's Distance Festival
  1. 18:00, Ann Centner (F, 27)
  2. 19:58, Katie Sherron (F, 37)
  3. 20:30, Alyssa Moore (F, 25)
  4. 20:33, Brittney Barnes (F, 31)
  5. 21:55, Kendall Ward (F, 19)
  6. 22:15, Laura McDermott (F, 39)
  7. 22:45, Nancy Stedman (F, 57)
  8. 22:53, Kaley Ford (F, 25)
  9. 23:04, Leah Kiros (F, 13)
  10. 23:09, Angela Dempsey (F, 51)

Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2019 Women's Distance Festival
  1. 16:17, Paul Allen (M, 20)
  2. 16:56, Bryce Parry (M, 20)
  3. 17:02, Tristan Cravello (M, 20)
  4. 17:21, Michael Niezgoda (M, 30)
  5. 18:15, Ryan Truchelut (M, 33)
  6. 18:19, Zach Deveau (M, 31)
  7. 18:40, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 51)
  8. 18:46, Elvis Maradzike (M, 33)
  9. 19:18, Keshawn Nelson (M, 22)
  10. 19:20, Paul Guyas (M, 41)

Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival 5K Champions, 1982 - 2019
DateWomenMen
24 July 198220:14, Cheryl JenningsNo Boys Allowed
23 July 198318:33, Barbara BalzerNo Boys Allowed
21 July 198418:11, Barbara BalzerNo Boys Allowed
20 July 198519:11, Barbara Balzer15:24, Herb Wills
19 July 198618:20, Janice Hochstein16:32, Rick Miller
18 July 198718:54, Janice Hochstein15:47, Rick Miller
16 July 198817:58, Michele Farrell15:09, Jessie Close
15 July 198917:20, Sue Addison15:09, Jessie Close
14 July 199018:50, Janice Hochstein15:38, Gary Droze
13 July 199118:51, Angie Crook15:18, Gary Droze
11 July 199217:36, Paula Johnson15:09, Gary Droze
17 July 199318:00, Lynda Nilges15:45, Steve Wilcox
1 October 199418:06, Jane Johnson15:46, Andy Palmer
7 October 199517:47, Jane Johnson15:40, Gary Droze
5 October 199618:41, Tracy Pepoon16:34, Tim Simpkins
4 October 199717:13, Sarah Docter-Williams16:20, Tim Simpkins
3 October 199818:02, Sarah Docter-Williams16:36, Tim Simpkins
2 October 199917:31, Sarah Docter-Williams15:37, Lee Willis
7 October 200019:18, Kingsley Broughton16:26, Art Remillard
6 October 200119:13, Kate Remillard18:06, Reid Vannoy
2 November 200220:27, Mari Leitner16:33, Nate Timm
1 November 200318:52, Kara Newell17:39, Justin Dickieson
6 November 200418:09, Sarah Docter-Williams17:24, Art Remillard
5 November 200521:38, Lydia Veal18:16, Jimmy Graham
7 October 200618:36, Sheryl Rosen17:55, Tim Unger
15 September 200719:02, Sheryl Rosen17:04, Jay Wallace
20 September 200818:52, Lisa Johnson17:29, David Altmaier
19 September 200919:00, Kelsey Scheitlin16:34, John Robida
18 September 201018:39, Lisa Johnson16:34, Vince Molosky
17 September 201117:11, Jackie Drouin15:00, Kevin Sullivan
15 September 201217:06, Georgia Peel16:03, Chris Rego
14 September 201316:51, Kayleigh Tyerman15:58, Stanley Linton
20 September 201420:45, Anna Busby16:45, Roger Schmidt
19 September 201518:53, Katie Sherron17:08, Zach DeVeau
17 September 201618:38, Adriana Piekarewicz15:29, Stan Linton
23 September 201718:13, Katie Sherron16:28, Charlie Johnson
22 September 201818:30, Sheryl Rosen18:02, Bryce Parry
21 September 201918:00, Ann Centner16:17, Paul Allen


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