Encore wins at the Pine Run 20K for Chris O'Kelley and Sheryl Rosen

"It hurts for the first ten-and-a-half miles," explained Chris O'Kelley. "After that, it's the worst race you've ever run."

Chris O'Kelley

That was O'Kelley's description of the 12.4 miles of the Pine Run 20K at Tall Timbers, an annual fixture on the Tallahassee, Florida distance-running scene. But on Saturday morning, 2 October 2021, O'Kelley was mostly putting the hurt on the other runners at the 42nd Pine Run. He won the race by more than 800 meters, running 78:02. Sheryl Rosen was the top woman in the field, placing eleventh overall in 95:20.


North of the Beadel House at Tall Timbers, the race started at 7:35 AM. Seconds later, Leonardo Canete was in the lead. A Tallahassee master runer, Canete opened a gap of over 100 meters by the end of the first mile. The race wasn't over, though. During the second half, Chris O'Kelley began to close on Canete. Then he caught him.

Leonardo Canete

"It was around eight-and-a-quarter or eight-and-a-half miles," recalled O'Kelley. "When I passed him it was my fastest mile of the race. I was trying to get as far ahead of him as I could before the hills."


The hills come in the last three kilometers of the race, a pair of climbs out of the low area around Lake Iaomnia. O'Kelley had 200 meters on Canete before reaching the base of the first hill, and only widened the gap during the climb. Out of sight and out of reach, O'Kelley came across the finish line first in 78:02. Canete took second in 81:24, the first master runner in the race. Tristan Lanasa was third in 84:45.

Tristan Lanasa

It was O'Kelley's second Pine Run win; he had taken first in 2017 as well. 2017 was also the year of Sheryl Rosen's most recent women's title at the Pine Run. Going into 2021, Rosen had five Pine Run wins, one on the old course and four at Tall Timbers. Her 84:02 at the 2011 Pine Run stood as the fastest time by a woman on the Tall Timbers course.


Rosen didn't need to go that fast in 2021, winning the women's division by over two kilometers in 95:20. 1500 meters into the race she was already leading the women's field, trailed by master runner Laura Reina. Rosen wasn't waiting around for anyone; she passed thirteen kilometers before any of the other women had gone twelve. By then Reina was contesting second place with another master runner, Ali Kelly. Reina broke contact with Kelly during the fifteenth kilometer, while Alison Thumm moved up to challenge Kelly.

Sheryl Rosen

Reina ended the race second in the women's standings, placing 25th overall in 1:46:30. Thumm took third in the women's standings, breaking away from Kelly in the hills and finishing 26th overall in 1:47:07. Kelly was the fourth woman and 28th overall in 1:48:08.


The Pine Run 20K was first run in 1977, conducted by the Troy Track Club in International Paper's Southlands Experimental Forest, south of Bainbridge, Georgia. International Paper sold the property after the 2006 race, and the Pine Run was homeless until 2008, when the Gulf Winds Track Club conducted the first Pine Run 20K at Tall Timbers Research Station.

Laura Reina

Since then, it has been an annual race with interruptions. In 2018 the Pine Run was canceled due to damage from Hurricane Michael. In 2020, Gulf Winds Track Club and Tall Timbers canceled the race again, a casualty of COVID-19. Like everyone else, Tall Timbers had suffered pandemic shutdowns.


"We haven't had any groups out here for twenty months," observed Neil Fleckenstein before the 2021 race. Fleckenstein is Planning Coordinator at Tall Timbers Research Station.

Alison Thumm

Here's hoping that this was just the first group, and the first in another uninterrupted series of annual Pine Runs.


114 athletes finished the 2021 Pine Run 20K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2021 Pine Run 20K

1. 1:18:02, Chris O'Kelley (M, 28) Tallahassee, FL
2. 1:21:24, Leonardo Canete (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:24:45, Tristan Lanasa (M, 28) Miramar Beach, FL
4. 1:27:06, Kyle Kraeft (M, 32) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:30:03, Ryan Truchelut (M, 35) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:30:56, Brad Busboom (M, 33) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:31:11, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 53) Tallahassee, FL
8. 1:32:50, Paul Guyas (M, 43) Tallahassee, FL
9. 1:34:08, Bobby Duggleby (M, 31) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:34:39, Bill McNulty (M, 63) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2021 Pine Run 20K

1. 1:35:20, Sheryl Rosen (F, 37) Tallahassee, FL
2. 1:46:30, Laura Reina (F, 57) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:47:07, Alison Thumm (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL
4. 1:48:08, Ali Kelly (F, 49) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:55:00, Laura Sellati (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:55:28, Tsige Tadesse-Kiros (F, 54) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:56:30, Lorraine Cornillie (F, 30) Orlando, FL
8. 1:57:39, Nancy Stedman (F, 59) Tallahassee, FL
9. 1:59:34, Deirdre McCarthy (F, 42) Tallahassee, FL
10. 2:00:24, Sherri Wise (F, 40) Tallahassee, FL

Champions of Gulf Winds Track Club's Pine Run 20K, 1977 - 2021
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
15 October 1977	67:19, Herb Wills	86:21, Rosemary Desloge	124
14 October 1978	69:30, Jim Eastman	81:21, Janice Gage	167
13 October 1979	71:28, Louis Floyd	86:29, Laura Ledbetter	144
11 October 1980	71:57, Kirk Fechter	98:20, Michelle Jernigan	134
10 October 1981	75:05, Jeff Doherty	99:40, Marianne Crawford	101
9 October 1982	67:00, Herb Wills	97:17, Kathe Brookover	106
22 October 1983	69:32, Herb Wills	85:43, Patti Sudduth	128
20 October 1984	72:37, Kirk Fechter	89:55, Donna Miller	107
19 October 1985	68:54, Herb Wills	88:22, Patti Sudduth	71
18 October 1986	71:20, Bill Crooks	87:31, Janice Gage Hochstein	146
17 October 1987	68:58, Tom Swiersz	85:56, Kay Capozzi	125
15 October 1988	65:36, Herb Wills	82:29, Paula Johnson	170
14 October 1989	69:46, Herb Wills	89:53, Jodi Waldron	139
13 October 1990	69:55, Herb Wills	85:10, Donna Miller	113
12 October 1991	65:43, Jessie Close	88:16, Mary Jean Yon	150
17 October 1992	66:34, Gary Droze	82:17, Carrie Hunnicutt	141
16 October 1993	75:26, Paul Hoover	80:53, Paula Johnson	134
15 October 1994	72:45, Tim Simpkins	80:18, Jane Johnson	147
14 October 1995	77:39, Tim Simpkins	82:46, Jane Johnson	146
12 October 1996	74:32, Tim Simpkins	80:30, Jane Johnson	172
11 October 1997	71:36, Gary Droze	80:12, Sarah Docter-Williams	156
10 October 1998	73:12, Gary Droze	81:35, Jane Johnson	125
9 October 1999	80:41, Robert Pautienus	82:23 Sarah Docter-Williams	170
14 October 2000	79:28, Art Remillard	82:43, Jane Johnson	150
13 October 2001	80:57, Tim Unger	84:03, Sarah Docter-Williams	128
12 October 2002	83:37, Tim Bolton	86:46, Jane Johnson	137
11 October 2003	84:14, David Yon	97:27, Lisa Whitworth	79
9 October 2004	83:01, David Guerra	91:55, Jane Johnson	94
9 October 2005	79:41, Myles Gibson	89:55, Jane Johnson	136
14 October 2006	78:22, Jay Wallace	81:31, Sheryl Rosen	108
No race held in 2007
11 October 2008	77:45, Vince Molosky	87:32, Kati Gosnell	142
2 October 2009	75:22, Jay Wallace	86:21, Sheryl Rosen	155
9 October 2010	73:39, Vince Molosky	90:21, Jane Johnson	243
8 October 2011	73:15, Kevin Sullivan	84:02, Sheryl Rosen	180
13 October 2012	74:48, Vince Molosky	95:05, Jane Johnson	199
12 October 2013	74:27, Stanley Linton	85:36, Sheryl Rosen	171
11 October 2014	72:10, Chris Lake	87:09, Elspeth Turner	164
10 October 2016	69:46, Stan Linton	83:54, Allison Eagen	181
7 October 2017	80:31, Chris O'Kelley	91:59, Sheryl Rosen	103
Race canceled in 2018
5 October 2019	84:34, Chris Jones	97:40, Katie Sherron	111
Race canceled in 2020
2 October 2021	78:02, Chris O'Kelley	95:20, Sheryl Rosen	114
From 1977 to 2006 the race was run at International Paper's Southlands Experimental Forest south of Bainbridge, Georgia. From 2008 to 2021 the race has been run at Tall Timbers Research Station at the north end of Leon County, Florida.

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2021 Pine Run 20K at Tall Timbers
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSFHllspC8OSWfjXaKXcQs4rQP4ml5Lorn3oqyV73srFslNWOl1Ev9ZS8v1hOEhaTpB-MwQhrEcX6gk/pubhtml
  
  
• More "Trouble Afoot!" photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2021 Pine Run 20K at Tall Timbers
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118426073857133
  
  
• 2019 story, “Chris Jones and Katie Sherron take top billing at the return of the Pine Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/10/pine-run-2019.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “O'Kelley and Rosen tear it up at Tall Timbers in the Pine Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/10/pine-run-2017.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Miedema and Skalski are tough at Tall Timbers in the Pine Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/pine-run-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Sterling debuts for Lake and Turner at Tall Timbers”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/pine-run-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Linton and Rosen are the twin terrors of Tall Timbers in Tallahassee's Pine Run 20K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/10/pine-run-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Molosky and Johnson take titles at Tall Timbers”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/10/pine-run-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Sullivan and Rosen tumble records at Tall Timbers”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/10/pine-run-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Molosky and Johnson find their way to wins at Pine Run 20K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/pine-run-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Wallace, Rosen winners at the 2009 Pine Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/10/wallace-rosen-winners-at-2009-pine-run.html
  
  
• Beautyberry and other wildflowers on the Pine Run 20K course
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101068395887923.3217016.5215641&l=45b43048ac
  
  
• If there's another cross-country race like the Pine Run scheduled, it'll be listed here
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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