Michael Nesius and Katie Sherron get cold-weather wins at the GWTC 30K

In Tallahassee, Florida, Saturday morning, 16 January 2021, was a time to rediscover how to use a credit card to scrape the ice off your windshield. There was also frost on the grass at Bradley's Pond, where shivering runners waited to start the 44th annual Gulf Winds Track Club 30K. By the time the race was done, temperatures had risen and Michael Nesius had won the 18.6-mile race by nearly a mile, running 2:03:29. Dr. Katie Sherron was the first woman in the race, placing fourth overall in 2:13:40. Jake Rogers won the shorter 15K event, covering the 9.3 miles in 51:15. Master runner Laura DiBella repeated as the top woman in the 15K, coming in ninth overall in 61:53.

Michael Nesius

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a different race than in past years. Entries were limited to 50 in the 30K and 100 in the 15K. In each event, the start was broken down into waves of no more than fifteen athletes. Race management checked the temperature of each athlete. The course was the same, though. The hills were just as steep, the clay roads just as resilient, and the distance just as long.


Michael Nesius knew about the hills and the clay and the distance, having led much of the 2020 GWTC 30K before finishing second to Chris O'Kelly. In the 2021 race Nesius also set the early pace, building up a lead of nearly two minutes after the first seven kilometers. Unlike the previous year, Nesius continued to lead, drawing out of sight of the pursuit.

Tristan Lanasa

"How far ahead is he?" Tristan Lanasa called out near the twenty kilometer mark. "Three minutes?"


It was closer to six minutes. Ten kilometers later, Nesius crossed the line more than six minutes before the next runner in a winning 2:03:29. Lanasa was second in 2:09:39. Kyle Kraeft passed a few runners in the late miles to place third in 2:11:41. Jon Nash edged Tony Guillen for the top master runner spot, 2:13:58 to 2:14:06. Nash was the fourth male runner and fifth overall, Guillen the fifth male and sixth overall.

Dr. Katie Sherron

It was Nesius' first win at the Gulf Winds Track Club 30K. For Katie Sherron on the women's side it was her seventh. Dr. Sherron first ran the race in 2011, then collected her first women's title in the 2012 30K. In the ten races from 2012 to 2021, Sherron logged seven victories. Leading the women's field from start to finish in the 2021 race, Dr. Sherron's 2:13:40 put her across the finish line just shortly after the next woman had gone 27 kilometers.


Jamila Allen, the women's champ in the 2020 30K, placed second to Sherron and ninth overall in 2:24:24. Deanna McVay was the third woman and eleventh overall in 2:26:59. Ruffian Tyner was the first woman master and ninth female finisher, 23rd overall in 2:44:52.

Jamila Allen

Top Ten Men, 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K

1. 2:03:29, Michael Nesius (M, 36) Tallahassee, FL
2. 2:09:39, Tristan Lanasa (M, 27) Tallahassee, FL
3. 2:11:41, Kyle Kraeft (M, 31) Tallahassee, FL
4. 2:13:58, Jon Nash (M, 41) Tallahassee, FL
5. 2:14:06, Tony Guillen (M, 52) Tallahassee, FL
6. 2:20:15, Carter Hay (M, 49) Tallahassee, FL
7. 2:21:11, Christian Glover (M, 21) Jacksonville, FL
8. 2:26:47, Timothy Qualls (M, 41) Tallahassee, FL
9. 2:29:47, Phillip Simon (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
10. 2:37:06, Philip Sura (M, 50) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K

1. 2:13:40, Katie Sherron (F, 39) Tallahassee, FL
2. 2:24:24, Jamila Allen (F, 31) Tallahassee, FL
3. 2:26:59, Deanna McVay (F, 38) Tallahassee, FL
4. 2:33:08, Kendall Meikenhous (F, 33) Tallahassee, FL
5. 2:37:18, Nikky Manausa (F, 39) Tallahassee, FL
6. 2:37:28, Nancy Moody (F, 36) Tallahassee, FL
7. 2:40:31, Cecilia Bouaichi (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
8. 2:41:49, Nikki Hurst (F, 38) Coolidge, GA
9. 2:44:52, Ruffian Tyner (F, 45) Tallahassee, FL
10. 2:51:56, Monica Judd (F, 46) Tallahassee, FL

The first wave of the 30K started at 7:45 am. The first wave of the 15K followed at 8:00 am. Tristan Cravello, a Florida State University undergrad, set the early pace in the shorter race. Trailing him were two Leon High All-State cross-country runners, sophomore Jake Rogers and frosh Pat Koon. Rogers and Koon caught Cravello near the end of the seventh kilometer, taking over the lead before the halfway turnaround. During the return trip, Rogers dropped Koon, going on to cross the finish line first in 51:15. Koon took second in 52:12, and Cravello was third in 52:57. Leonardo Canete of Tallahassee was the first master runner in the race, placing sixth overall in 58:57.

Jake Rogers and Pat Koon

Leon High senior Lilli Unger ran the 15K for the fourth time in four years, running her best time yet at 62:37--faster than the third-place 64:40 she posted in 2020, and faster than Laura DiBella's 2020 winning time of 63:08. However, Dibella had also improved on her 2020 performance, successfully defending her women's title with a winning 61:53. Unger was second in the women's standings and twelfth overall. Another Leon High harrier, sophomore Lillee Tang, was the third female finisher and fourteenth overall in 63:49. Tallahassee master runner Amy Hines was the fourth woman and fifteenth overall in 64:26.

Laura DiBella

40 athletes finished the 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K, and another 86 completed the 15K event. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the races.


Top Ten Men, 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 15K

1. 51:15, Jake Rogers (M, 15) Tallahassee, FL
2. 52:12, Patrick Koon (M, 15) Tallahassee, FL
3. 52:57, Tristan Cravello (M, 21) Tallahassee, FL
4. 56:14, Clayton Knox (M, 15) Tallahassee, FL
5. 57:22, Will Winsor (M, 14) Tallahassee, FL
6. 58:57, Leonardo Canete (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
7. 60:10, Quinn Carrasquilla (M, 15) Tallahassee, FL
8. 61:26, Chance Logan (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
9. 62:18, William Springer (M, 14) Tallahassee, FL
10. 62:27, Myles Gibson (M, 54) Donalsonville, GA

Top Ten Women, 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 15K

1. 61:53, Laura Dibella (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL
2. 62:37, Lilli Unger (F, 18) Tallahassee, FL
3. 63:49, Lillee Tang (F, 16) Tallahassee, FL
4. 64:26, Amy Hines (F, 40) Tallahassee, FL
5. 67:46, Clifton Lewis (F, 12) Tallahassee, FL
6. 67:47, Lily Moore (F, 16) Tallahassee, FL
7. 68:03, Mallory Robinson (F, 15) Tallahassee, FL
8. 69:08, Stella Lewis (F, 16) Tallahassee, FL
9. 74:31, Ali Kelly (F, 48) Tallahassee, FL
10. 79:46, Samantha Fillmore (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL

Gulf Winds Track Club 30K champions, 1978 - 2021
Dates	Race	Men	Women	Finishers
16 January 2021	30K	2:03:29, Michael Nesius	2:13:40, Katie Sherron	40
	15K	51:15, Jake Rogers	61:53, Laura Dibella	86
18 January 2020	30K	1:56:45, Chris O'Kelley	2:28:05, Jamila Allen	66
	15K	51:21, Caleb Carmichael	63:08, Laura Dibella	140
19 January 2019	30K	1:46:53, Austin Whitelaw	2:33:55, Lourena Maxwell	59
	15K	56:27, Jackson Yarbrough	60:09, Ann Centner	191
20 January 2018	30K	1:43:01, Christopher Haynes	2:10:13, Katie Sherron	81
	15K	57:39, Tate Wallenfelsz	66:08, Megan Churchill	185
14 January 2017	30K	1:46:13, Stan Linton	2:15:31, Katie Sherron	56
	15K	54:46, Matthew Cashin	65:27, Sheryl Rosen	219
16 January 2016	30K	1:54:12, Charlie Johnson	2:16:21, Katie Sherron	73
	15K	52:17, Matt Mizereck	60:54, Adriana Piekarewicz	192
17 January 2015	30K	1:53:19, Nate Kaiser	2:22:32, Katie Sherron	107
	15K	50:11, Sukhi Khosla	58:37, Sheryl Rosen	165
11 January 2014	30K	1:57:29, Vince Molosky	2:34:23, Laura McDermott	55
	15K	51:06, Sukhi Khosla	61:27, Seeley Gutierrez	169
12 January 2013	30K	1:48:22, Stanley Linton	2:16:41, Katie Showman	150
	15K	52:57, Sukhi Khosla	64:19, Kristin Sweeney	200
14 January 2012	30K	1:51:30, Charlie Johnson	2:17:38, Katie Showman	150
	15K	53:29, Stanley Linton	60:42, Pasca Cheruiyot	176
15 January 2011	30K	1:51:48, Vince Molosky	2:17:15, Heather Griffis	103
	15K	53:03, Stephen Cox	59:55, Lisa Johnson	169
16 January 2010	30K	1:56:14, Vince Molosky	2:14:22, Sheryl Rosen	90
	15K	51:50, Matt Mizereck	63:45, Lisa Johnson	101
17 January 2009	30K	1:54:06, Vince Molosky	2:11:41, Sheryl Rosen	87
	15K	51:05, Will Stanford	61:49, Lisa Johnson	96
12 January 2008	30K	2:00:29, Vince Molosky	2:17:24, Sheryl Rosen	77
	15K	54:23, Matt Mizereck	63:13, Lisa Johnson	126
13 January 2007	30K	2:01:23, Justin Dickieson	2:04:21, Sheryl Rosen	70
	15K	58:18, Matthew Mizereck	73:40, Anna Busby	50
21 January 2006	30K	2:03:36, Michael Douma	2:09:27, Stephanie Liles	65
	15K	58:51, Chris Holland	60:30, Sarah Docter-Williams	59
22 January 2005	30K	1:56:18, Art Remillard	2:13:50, Jane Johnson	38
16 January 2004	30K	1:56:00, Timothy Bolton	2:09:27, Jane Johnson	69
18 January 2003	30K	2:02:28, Larry Mengelkoch	2:07:46, Jane Johnson	59
15 December 2001	30K	2:09:43, Tom Ratliffe	2:22:56, Carrie Weyant	31
3 February 2001	30K	2:00:29, Kevin Porter	2:02:27, Jane Johnson	43
5 February 2000	30K	1:57:47, Garth Grumme	1:53:04, Anne Van Schuppen	77
6 February 1999	30K	1:58:17, Doug Gorton	2:11:20, Jane Johnson	87
10 January 1998	30K	1:57:45, Clarence Calloway	2:04:34, Jane Johnson	79
7 January 1997	30K	1:54:26, Tracy Burch	2:00:28, Jane Johnson
13 January 1996	30K	1:46:14, John Viitanen	2:12:30, Eileen Telford	50
14 January 1995	30K	1:49:45, Herb Wills	2:22:18, Nancy Stuparich	50
22 January 1994	30K	1:43:50, Herb Wills	2:07:27, Lisa Herman	51
16 January 1993	30K	1:43:54, Herb Wills	2:12:42, Carrie Hunnicutt	60
4 January 1992	30K	1:46:36, Jessie Close	2:13:46, Lynda Nilges	79
12 January 1991	30K	1:37:31, David Keen	2:06:03, Paula Johnson	92
13 January 1990	30K	1:43:57, Herb Wills	2:12:00, Paula Johnson	87
14 January 1989	30K	1:45:31, Jessie Close	2:22:07, Mary Jean Yon	98
16 January 1988	30K	1:45:24, Tom Burr	2:10:04, Mae Cleveland	102
10 January 1987	30K	1:44:45, Larry Greene	2:11:59, Karen Macharg	82
18 January 1986	30K	1:38:54, Herb Wills	2:10:48, Missy James	92
14 January 1985	30K	1:45:10, Herb Wills	2:17:56, Mae Cleveland	94
14 January 1984	30K	1:43:32, Noel Shumann	2:04:20, Barbara Balzer	99
15 January 1983	30K	1:48:18, Andrew Wills	2:18:18, Christy Orthman	100
16 January 1982	30K	1:44:41, Rick Miller	1:56:57, Laura Ledbetter	74
1981	30K
12 January 1980	30K	1:51:19, Steve Ray	2:48:31, Robyn Anderson	70
3 February 1979	30K	1:42:13, Ken Misner	2:12:44, Lynda Heimann	124
11 March 1978	30K	1:46:19, Tim Simpkins	2:22:31, Donna Glotzbach	25
In 1978 the race was run on Apalachicola National Forest roads, starting and finishing near Hilliardville. From 1979 to 1981 the race was run on Natural Bridge Road. From 1982 to February 2001 the race was run in the Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge. From December 2001 to 2005 the race was run at Natural Bridge. From 2006 to 2021 the GWTC 30K was run on Old Centerville Road and Sunny Hill Road, starting and finishing at Bradley's Retreat in Felkel.

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K and 15K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQPKefX3igDh0RXa7NhgZcE3b3-Abegfu364vHfy1oc6I5XDdScy-0XRiIhW0OqLcX9WEsaq8wuCnkG/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2021 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K and 15K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10117284844844223
  
  
• 2020 story, “Chris O'Kelley and Jamila Allen are the newest champs on Old Centerville Road”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/01/gwtc-30k-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Austin Whitelaw and Lourena Maxwell were the new champions on Old Centerville at the GWTC 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/01/gwtc-30k-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Chris Haynes runs a CR 1:43:01 in the Gulf Winds Track Club 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/01/gwtc-30k-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Fast times on a sloppy road for Linton and Sherron at the GWTC 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/01/gwtc-30k-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Charlie Johnson outlasts Roger Schmidt in the long run at the GWTC 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/01/gwtc-30k-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Kaiser wins the GWTC 30K while Khosla and Rosen tumble records in the 15K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/01/gwtc-30k-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Tough mudders Molosky and McDermott win a messy GWTC 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/01/gwtc-30k-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “A no-excuse 30K for Linton and Showman”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/01/gwtc-30k-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Johnson and Showman roll through the Red Hills in the GWTC 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/01/gwtc-30k-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Molosky and Griffis run top 30K times on timeless Old Centerville Road”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/01/gwtc-30k-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Molosky and Rosen defend titles at a muddy 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/molosky-and-rosen-defend-titles-at.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “2009 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K / 15K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-gulf-winds-track-club-30k-15k.html
  
  
• 2008 story, “2008 Gulf Winds Track Club 30K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2008/01/2008-gulf-winds-track-club-30k.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL16079TY for the Gulf Winds Track Club 30K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL16079TY
  
  
• USATF course certification map FL16080TY for the Gulf Winds Track Club 15K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL16080TY
  
  
• Find upcoming races, long and short, in the Tallahassee region
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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