Chris Haynes goes 31:55 to collect his fourth Rose City 10K title

If you're at a track meet, events are run on a schedule. You'll hear announcements, like "First call for the 800-meter run," or "Third and final call for the 4x400-meter relay."


In Thomasville, Georgia on Saturday morning, 16 April 2022, the 43rd annual Rose City Run was also on a schedule. The announcements were less formal, though.

2022 Rose City 10K winners Rachel Nesmith and Chris Haynes

"I think we'll all gather around," said Dr. James Storey, the race director. "We'll get started in about ten minutes."


As casual as that sounds, the ten-kilometer race started almost exactly at the advertised time of 8:00 AM. And there was nothing casual about the way that Tallahassee, Florida's Chris Haynes ran. The defending champion, Haynes took the lead almost immediately. In what was practically a solo effort, he won the race by more than 900 meters, running 31:55. Thomasville's Rachel Nesmith took the women's title in 43:22, placing tenth overall and finishing over 1000 meters ahead of the next woman.

Chris Haynes

Haynes' first-place showing was his fourth win in a row at Rose City. He had also won the race in 2017 (32:57), 2018 (31:43), and 2019 (31:35). Due to COVID-19 concerns, Thomasville did not host the race in either 2020 or 2021. With so many wins, Haynes holds himself to a higher standard and wasn't entirely satisfied with his 2022 performance.


"No pop today," he said, shaking his head. "I think I ran faster three years ago."

Chris O'Kelley

He did, but both those efforts were sub-32:00, as was his 31:43 win in 2018. Haynes has gone under 32:00 three times on the Rose City course. No other athlete has gone that fast in Thomasville even once since 2007, when Alan Black won the race in 31:21.


Behind Haynes, Leonardo Canete held the second position for the first two kilometers. After that, though, the Tallahassee master runner was overtaken by another Tallahassee runner, Chris O'Kelley. O'Kelley held the position, going on to finish runner-up in 35:12. Canete took third in 36:10. Two high school cross-country runners, Brookwood School frosh Kent Grayson and Cook County High junior Canaan Ponce, duelled for position during the race. Ponce got the advantage in the closing miles to place fourth in 39:34; Grayson was fifth in 40:05.

Rachel Nesmith

It isn't unusual to have high school distance runners in the Rose City 10K. "I ran it ten years ago in 2012, my sophomore year in high school," recalled Rachel Nesmith, the women's champ.


Nesmith actually ran the Rose City 10K twice during her tenure at Thomasville High, going 48:28 as a frosh in 2011 and 46:08 as a sophomore in 2012. After graduating she spent seven years in Atlanta, only recently returning to Thomasville.


Tallahassee realtor Nancy Stedman was the first woman master and second female finisher, placing 24th overall in 48:14. Stedman had also been the top woman master in the 2017 Rose City 10K. Master runners also took the next three places in the women's standings, with Donica Williams (26th, 48:34) third, Kimberly Steele (30th, 49:50) fourth, and April Mathis (35th, 51:47) fifth.

Nancy Stedman

184 athletes finished the 10K at the 2022 Rose City Run and another 78 completed the kids' mile. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed both races.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Rose City Run 10K
31:55, Christopher Haynes (M, 29)
35:12, Chris O'Kelley (M, 29)
36:10, Leonardo Canete (M, 43)
39:34, Canaan Ponce' (M, 16)
40:05, Kent Grayson (M, 16)
41:03, Gabriel Lewis (M, 21)
41:29, Evan Timothy (M, 36)
42:28, Philip Sura (M, 52)
42:37, John Cable (M, 34)
44:04, Sean Landeta (M, 33)

Top Ten Women, 2022 Rose City Run 10K
43:22, Rachel Nesmith (F, 26)
48:14, Nancy Stedman (F, 60)
48:34, Donica Williams (F, 42)
49:50, Kimberly Steele (F, 44)
51:47, April Mathis (F, 53)
52:55, Martha Guyas (F, 37)
53:11, Sarah Dugas (F, 43)
53:21, Melanie Jackson (F, 42)
53:22, Tiffany Nunnally (F, 43)
53:43, Nancy Herring (F, 67)

43 years of Rose City Run 10K champions, 1978 - 2022
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
29 April 1978	31:25, Gary Slayton	36:45, Janice Hochstein
28 April 1979	31:47, Mike Rasper	37:49, Janice Hochstein
26 April 1980	31:18, George West	38:14, Colleen Joiner
25 April 1981	30:21, Mabry McCray	40:26, Nicole Batchelder
1982	30:33, Ernie McKee	38:31, Nicole Batchelder
1983	30:47, Noel Shuman	34:57, Darien Andreu
1984	33:05, Gary Slayton	37:51, Barbara Balzer
27 April 1985	32:36, Rick Miller	37:41, Barbara Balzer
26 April 1986	32:05, Rick Miller	37:35, Janice Hochstein
1987	29:57, Herb Wills	37:39, Karen MacHarg
1988	31:55, Jessie Close	37:59, Karen MacHarg
1989	31:39, Jessie Close	36:49, Karen MacHarg
1990	31:56, Jessie Close	37:04, Karen MacHarg
1991	31:15, Jessie Close	38:33, Vikki Saga
1992	33:04, Trent Smith	37:48, Vikki Saga
24 April 1993	31:28, Gary Droze	38:24, Vikki Saga
23 April 1994	30:19, Robin Rogers	37:37, Lisa Herman
29 April 1995	31:52, Jessie Close	35:37, Suzanne Rigg
27 Aprl 1996	32:18, Jessie Close	39:37, Carrie Weyant	390
26 April 1997	32:29, Brian Erb	36:40, Sarah Docter-Williams
25 April 1998	31:58, Alan Black	36:07, Sarah Docter-Williams
24 April 1999	32:21, Alan Black	37:14, Sarah Docter-Williams	394
29 April 2000	34:15, Sean Daniels	35:20, Anna Pichrtova	344
28 April 2001	32:05, Paul Spangler	36:22, Sarah Docter-Williams	338
27 April 2002	30:53, Alan Black	39:35, Jane Johnson	384
26 April 2003	31:58, Matt Kalinski	41:53, Julie Carico	299
25 April 2004	33:44, Jessie Close	39:52, Kate Remillard	282
23 April 2005	33:44, Jessie Close	37:08, Sarah Docter-Williams	292
29 April 2006	34:32, Jessie Close	38:38, Barbara Jarnagin	302
28 April 2007	31:21, Alan Black	39:02, Sheryl Rosen	341
26 April 2008	33:10, Malcolm Campbell	37:40, Donna Garcia	320
25 April 2009	32:34, Nathaniel Haskins	41:38, Mary Anne Grayson	354
24 April 2010	32:51, Chris Lake	37:42, Amy Hines	410
23 April 2011	32:46, Chris Lake	38:58, Donna Garcia	490
28 April 2012	32:51, Chris Lake	36:51, Sheryl Rosen	464
27 April 2013	32:52, Will Stanford	37:08, Sheryl Rosen	417
26 April 2014	33:21, Chris Lake	38:58, Amy Hines	463
25 April 2015	32:04, Nathan Haskins	41:32, Beth Sweeny	428
23 April 2016	34:37, Roger Schmidt	38:11, Ani Veltcheva	358
29 April 2017	32:57, Christopher Haynes	40:56, Ann Centner	392
28 April 2018	31:43, Christopher Haynes	38:27, Ann Centner	310
27 April 2019	31:35, Christopher Haynes	36:57, Ann Centner	397
16 April 2022	31:55, Christopher Haynes	43:22, Rachel Nesmith	184

Links

• Complete results of the 2022 Rose City Run 10K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQd1LPUKFdkbA3Y71x5Mm8-8Hux2cTAujW_4FZxxQT2ibULmYOWl1K3PEVXMg1qUPrUjJLnY2mAEk0f/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2022 Rose City Run 10K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10119051069870113
  
  
• 2019 story, “31:35 for Chris Haynes and 36:57 for Ann Centner, Rose City 10K champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/04/rose-city-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Chris Haynes and Ann Centner repeat at Rose City”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/rose-city-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Haynes and Centner gather roses in Thomasville”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/rose-city-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Schmidt and Veltcheva bloom at the Rose City Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/rose-city-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Warriors of the Roses, Haskins and Sweeny win the Rose City Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/rose-city-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Fog and Flowers, Lake and Hines win again at Rose City”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/04/rose-city-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “No stopping to smell the roses for Stanford or Rosen”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/04/rose-city-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Lake and Rosen collect more Rose City titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/04/rose-city-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Lake and Garcia go for two at Rose City”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/04/rose-city-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Lake and Hines beat the storm at Rose City”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/04/rose-city-2010.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map GA12003WC for the 2018 Rose City Run 10K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA12003WC
  
  
• Find the next Rose City Run on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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