Sunday, June 20, 2021

At the Melon Run, first time out means first place for Leonardo Canete, Mia Wiederkehr

"Is there anyone behind?" asked Leonardo Canete, as he raced through the streets of Monticello, Florida.


He asked again 600 meters later, as the finish line of the Melon Run 5K came into sight. Both times the answer was the same--no one. No one close, that is. There were actually more than 200 runners behind the Tallahassee master runner, but the closest was 200 meters back. More importantly, no runners were ahead of Canete. He went on to win Monticello's 42nd annual Melon Run on Saturday morning, 19 June 2021, running 18:06. Another Tallahassee athlete, Mia Wiederkehr, was the first woman in the race, placing fourteenth overall in 20:53.

Leonardo Canete

The race got started right at 8:15 AM on in sight of the Jefferson County Courthouse and the Monticello Opera House on West Washington Street, known to those who only drive through Monticello as US Highway 90. It was a cloudy morning with the occasional raindrop, the moisture coming from Tropical Storm Claudette several hundred miles to the west. Shortly after the start the race turned north onto Hickory Street, which took the runners to the end of the first half kilometer. Canete was leading before the race left Hickory Street.


He hit the mile mark in 5:35 with a 50-meter lead. On the way to the two-mile mark, Perry, Florida master runner Michael Rhodes moved into second. Meanwhile, Canete had stretched his lead to over a hundred meters. By the end of the third mile, it was no wonder that Canete was asking about his pursuers--they were that far behind. He finished the race with a 400-meter climb up the Water Street hill, then crossed the finish line first in 18:06. Rhodes was second in 18:49. Behind Rhodes, Wyatt Stafford and Tristan Lanasa dueled for third as they labored up Water Street. A recent alum of the Aucilla Christian Academy cross-country team, Stafford outkicked Tallahassee's Lanasa, both runners clocked in 18:57.

Michael Rhodes

Mia Wiederkehr, an alum of the Tallahassee Community College cross-country and track teams, was an early leader in the women's competition of the 2021 Melon Run.


"There was a girl ahead of me at half a mile," said Wiederkehr. "I caught her before the mile. After that I just ran with the men. I was 6:35 for the first mile."

Mia Wiederkehr

Leaving the rest of the women farther and farther behind, Wiederkehr continued on to run a winning 20:53. Just before she crossed the finish line, the next three women arrived at the bottom of the Water Street Hill, separated by only a few steps--Deanna McVay, Mary Fran Andree, and Stacie Elliott. Elliott overtook the other two women during the final climb to claim second in the women's standings with a 21:52, placing nineteenth overall. Andree was the first woman master and third female finisher, 21st overall in 21:56. McVay placed fourth in the women's division and 23rd overall in 22:02.

Deanna McVay, Stacie Elliot, Mary Fran Andree

233 athletes finished the Monticello Kiwanis' 2021 Melon Run 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2021 Melon Run 5K
  1. 18:06, Leonardo Canete (M, 42)
  2. 18:49, Michael Rhodes (M, 52)
  3. 18:57, Wyatt Stafford (M, 18)
  4. 18:57, Tristan Lanasa (M, 28)
  5. 19:39, Jon Nash (M, 41)
  6. 19:48, William Demott (M, 24)
  7. 19:50, Landon Ryan (M, 16)
  8. 19:59, Walker Elrod (M, 13)
  9. 20:04, Sam Howard (M, 27)
  10. 20:16, Jonathon Feltgen (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, 2021 Melon Run 5K
  1. 20:53, Mia Wiederkehr (F, 23)
  2. 21:52, Stacie Elliott (F, 38)
  3. 21:56, Mary Fran Andree (F, 40)
  4. 22:02, Deanna McVay (F, 38)
  5. 23:07, Susan Seibert (F, 56)
  6. 23:39, Laura McDermott (F, 41)
  7. 24:04, Ana Garcia (F, 28)
  8. 24:10, Michaela Metcalfe (F, 26)
  9. 25:21, Kory Skrob (F, 50)
  10. 25:26, Genevieve Printiss (F, 20)

Known winners of the Monticello Melon Run 5K, 1979 - 2021
DateMenWomenFinishers
23 June 197915:39, Gary Slayton20:36, Carolyn Crochet
28 June 198015:28, Gary Slayton19:49, Debbie Dickson
1981

19 June 198215:10, Andy Whitener17:38, Laura Ledbetter
18 June 1983
23 June 198415:37, Gary Slayton19:45, Cindy Walker
22 June 198516:09, Felton Wright19:12, Barbara Balzer
21 June 198615:55, Bill Crooks18:32, Karen MacHarg
20 June 198716:14, Bill Crooks19:33, Peggy Johnson257
25 June 198815:47, Bill Crooks18:18, Karen MacHarg324
24 June 198915:02, Jeff Pigg19:05, Vikki Saga
23 June 199015:20, Jessie Close18:06, Karen MacHarg
22 June 199115:23, Phillip Rowan19:34, Vikki Saga
20 June 199215:10, Jessie Close18:35, Lynda Nilges386
26 June 199316:07, Bill Crooks19:37, Sue Kany
29 June 199416:13, Gary Droze18:49, Sarah Heeb
24 June 199514:57, John Charlton19:54, Sissi Carroll
22 June 1996

28 June 1997

27 June 199816:33, Tommy Kunish17:51, Sarah Docter-Williams
26 June 199916:23, Tommy Kunish21:05, Peggy Simpson193
17 June 200017:08, Tim Simpkins18:32, Kim Winn141
16 June 200116:29, Ryan Deak17:54, Sarah Docter-Williams238
22 June 200217:54, Doug Gorton21:41, Laura Atlee139
21 June 2003

19 June 200417:18, Tim Unger20:30, Kate Remillard121
18 June 200518:31, Jack McDermott18:07, Sarah Docter-Williams123
17 June 200617:36, Nathan Haskins22:35, Loranne Ausley170
16 June 200716:28, Nathan Haskins18:50, Sarah Docter-Williams261
21 June 200816:08, Nathan Haskins20:16, Deb Jones194
20 June 200916:54, Charlie Johnson23:49, Sandy Holt267
19 June 201018:07, Gabriel Leitz19:59, Micah Adriani283
18 June 201116:38, Sammy Palmer19:28, Katie Showman258
16 June 201216:28, Stephen Cox18:59, Seeley Gutierrez379
15 June 201316:42, Stanley Linton18:49, Sheryl Rosen284
21 June 201416:17, Chris Lake19:08, Seeley Gutierrez244
20 June 201518:03, Roger Schmidt20:49, Teresa Ristow232
18 June 201615:50, Stanley Linton19:44, Brittney Skiles212
17 June 201716:55, Charlie Johnson19:13, Katie Sherron326
16 June 201819:15, Elvis Maradzike19:40, Sheryl Rosen202
15 June 201918:39, Scott Lloyd20:27, Alyssa Terry194
19 June 202118:06, Leonardo Canete20:53, Mia Wiederkehr232
Thank you to Pat Dugan for providing information about the 1987 race.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 12:09 PM
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