Monday, February 10, 2020

Bryce Kelley and Alyssa Terry race for the win at the Run For The Cookies

“I’m mostly training for the Beer Mile,” said Bryce Kelley. “I’ll definitely run the Palace Saloon 5K.”


But malty brews were not at stake in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, 8 February 2020. The theme on the Tallahassee Community College campus that morning was baked goods, and Kelley won the 27th annual Run For The Cookies 5K, running 17:02. Alyssa Terry was the first woman in the race, placing fourteenth overall in 19:45.

Bryce Kelley
Bryce Kelley

Ever since it was first run in 1994, the Run For The Cookies has been unique in that each person who enters gets a box of Girl Scout cookies. Award winners get additional cookies; Kelley collected five more boxes for finishing first. The team with the most athletes entered takes home a case. Some people leave the race with a lot of cookies.


The folks in the Run For The Cookies set thoughts of sweets aside at 9:00 AM, lining up for the start of the race. Tallahassee Community College cross-country coach Gary Droze was in the field, the winner of the first four races and the fastest Cookie Runner ever; he went 15:17 in the 1997 event. When the athletes got under way, though, it was Lucas Mauch, a frosh-year cross-country runner at Maclay School, who set the pace. Kelley trailed Mauch, followed by master runners Mike Martinez and Gary Droze.

Lucas Mauch
Lucas Mauch

“I didn’t want to go out in first,” said Kelley. “I thought I could catch him later.”


Martinez, trailing, also liked Kelley’s chances. “He looked really good. He had that bouncy look.”

Michael Martinez
Michael Martinez

Before the end of the first mile, Kelley had bounced by Mauch. Kelley was in control of the race after that, edging farther and farther ahead of the field as he cruised along Senator Pat Thomas Boulevard. His lead was nearly 300 meters when he crossed the finish line in a winning 17:02. Martinez overtook Mauch in the last quarter mile of the race to take second in 18:07. Mauch was third in 18:13, and Droze fourth in 18:28.


“Twenty years it took me to catch Gary!” said Martinez. “I had never beaten him before.”

Gary Droze
Gary Droze

Mauch also had reason to be pleased with his performance. “I think that was my best 5K.”


Jamila Allen was the early leader for the women. Brittney Barnes took over that spot a few minutes into the race. Allen stayed with Barnes, and Amanda Sava and Alyssa Terry were right behind--four athletes vying for the women’s title.

Jamila Allen, Brittney Barnes, Amanda Sava
Jamila Allen leading near the one-kilometer mark

“Brittney passed me about half a mile,” said Allen. “I knew she was on my right, and I could hear two girls behind me, but I didn’t know who they were. So I was running scared.”


“Typically, Alyssa goes by me at a mile and a half,” said Barnes. “Today, everybody went by me about one-point-eight.”

Alyssa Terry
Alyssa Terry

“It was during the first uphill, after we turned back onto Pat Thomas Boulevard,” said Terry. “I was feeling good, so I picked it up. They were still pretty close at the turnaround, but after that I increased my pace again.”


After that, no one was close as Terry built up a lead of over a hundred meters. Her winning time of 19:45 was nearly her best ever.

Amanda Sava, Jamila Allen
Amanda Sava and Jamila Allen

“My best 5K was Turkey Trot, and I was only two seconds off that today,” said Terry.


Chasing Terry, Amanda Sava and Jamila Allen left Brittney Barnes behind. Sava held the second women’s spot till the final stretch, when Allen sprinted by, edging Sava 20:11 to 20:13. The two were seventeenth and eighteenth overall. Barnes was fourth in the women’s standings and nineteenth overall in 20:40.

Brittney Barnes
Brittney Barnes

337 athletes finished the 2020 Run For The Cookies 5K, and another 83 completed an earlier one-mile fun run. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed both races.


Top Ten Men, 2020 Run For The Cookies 5K
  1. 17:02, Bryce Kelley (M, 25)
  2. 18:07, Mike Martinez (M, 54)
  3. 18:13, Lucas Mauch (M, 15)
  4. 18:28, Gary Droze (M, 58)
  5. 18:41, Clayton Knox (M, 15)
  6. 18:46, Gannon Hundley (M, 21)
  7. 18:51, Carter Rothell (M, 15)
  8. 19:07, Myles Gibson (M, 53)
  9. 19:30, Thomas Howell (M, 23)
  10. 19:38, Randon Manausa (M, 11)

Top Ten Women, 2020 Run For The Cookies 5K
  1. 19:45, Alyssa Terry (F, 26)
  2. 20:11, Jamila Allen (F, 30)
  3. 20:13, Amanda Sava (F, 25)
  4. 20:40, Brittney Barnes (F, 32)
  5. 20:58, Deanna McVay (F, 37)
  6. 21:05, Mia Wiederkehr (F, 22)
  7. 21:06, Clifton Lewis (F, 11)
  8. 21:11, Stella Lewis (F, 15)
  9. 21:58, Grace Kennedy (F, 31)
  10. 22:45, Nikky Manausa (F, 38)

Run For The Cookies 5K champions, 1994 - 2020
DateMenWomenFinishers
19 February 199416:12, Gary Droze-118:51, Carrie Weyant-185
25 February 199515:42, Gary Droze-218:15, Jane Johnson186
24 February 199616:08, Gary Droze-319:57, Chateau Mangaroo175
22 February 199715:17, Gary Droze-419:02, Carrie Weyant-2150
28 February 199815:38, Jason Ritter17:29, Sarah Docter-Williams-1207
27 February 199916:17, David Ogletree17:38, Sarah Docter-Williams-2258
26 February 200016:23, Robert Pautienus17:53, Kim Winn294
24 February 200115:59, Kevin Danahy17:30, Sarah Docter-Williams-3231
23 February 200215:25, Lee Willis-116:18, Breeda Dennehy-Willis-1248
15 February 200315:49, Lee Willis-216:30, Breeda Dennehy-Willis-2152
14 February 200417:07, Timothy Bolton18:06, Sarah Docter-Williams-493
12 February 200516:23, Justin Jacobs17:43, Sarah Docter-Williams-5258
11 February 200616:49, Kyle Larson19:04, Stephanie Liles-1156
10 February 200715:53, Judson Cake19:06, Zika Rea386
9 February 200816:45, Tripp Southerland19:35, Stephanie Liles-2411
7 February 200916:16, Chris Lake-118:40, Audrey Hand550
13 February 201016:27, Chris Lake-218:11, Amy Hines-1432
12 February 201115:50, Kevin Sullivan19:02, Sheryl Rosen-1431
11 February 201216:07, Alex Smyth17:36, Amy Hines-2685
9 February 201316:00, Stanley Linton-117:43, Chelsi Woodruff602
8 February 201415:24, Stanley Linton-217:54, Carly Thomas369
14 February 201515:40, Remy Tamer18:04, Sheryl Rosen-2332
13 February 201617:15, Clayburn Milford18:53, Alexandra Midgett342
11 February 201716:27, Matthew McCurdy17:35, Ani Veltcheva-1405
10 February 201817:00, Vince Molosky17:59, Adriana Piekarewicz347
9 February 201917:13, Tristan Cravello18:49, Ani Veltcheva-2315
9 February 201917:02, Bryce Kelley19:45, Alyssa Terry337
The Run For The Cookies was held at Tallahassee Mall from 1994 to 1996,
and at Tallahassee Community College from 1997 to the present.
A big thank-you to Mark Priddy for his help in completing this summary.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 4:18 PM
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