South of Tallahassee, Florida at Wakulla Springs State Park, there was a break in the summer heat on Saturday morning, 25 June 2022. Blame it on overnight rain. Whatever the reasons, Chris O'Kelley took advantage of the slightly less toasty weather to throw down a 17:17, winning the Wakulla High Cross-Country Boosters' ninth annual Paul Hoover Freedom 5K. Dr. Katie Sherron was the first woman in the race, placing fourth overall in 18:35.Leonardo Canete had run the race in 2021; he took the lead shortly after the start in 2022. Chris O'Kelley had never run the race before; he passed Canete about half a mile into the run. O'Kelley, seeing the course for the first time, wasn't aware that most of the race was out-and-back on a two-rut gravel road leading to Cherokee Sink.
"I thought it was going to go out onto the Ultra course [State Road 61] when we first started, which would’ve been a little better footing," recalled O'Kelley. "But I enjoyed the trail more than I would’ve enjoyed the road."
O'Kelley also enjoyed leading for four kilometers, crossing the finish line in a winning 17:17--the third fastest time ever recorded on the rugged course. Canete was the first master runner in the race, taking second overall in 17:59. Henry Lewis, an incoming frosh on the Wakulla High cross-country team, ran 18:34 for third.
At 18:35, master runner Katie Sherron was just a couple of steps behind Lewis at the finish line.
"Henry pushed me the whole way," commented Sherron. "Sadly, I was outkicked."
Outkicked she may have been, but her 18:35 was still the fastest time ever run by a woman on the course. The previous best was a 19:10 run by Amy Hines in the 2018 race; Sherron bettered that by over half a minute. In 2015, Sherron had become the first woman to break 20:00 in the Freedom 5K. Her 2022 performance made her the first woman to crack 19:00 in the race.
Isabella Laughton was second in the women's standings, coming in seventeenth overall in 21:22. Laughton is a rising sophomore on the Wakulla High cross-country team. Master runner Laura Reina edged Analecia Ferrell and Lana Hawkins for third in the women's division--Reina 31st overall in 23:52, Ferrell second in 23:52, and Hawkins 33rd in 23:54. Ferrell and Hawkins both run cross-country for Wakulla High, where Ferrell is about to start her junior year and Hawkins her sophomore year.
159 athletes finished the Wakulla High Cross-Country Boosters' ninth annual Paul Hoover Freedom 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed the race.
Top Ten Men, 2022 Freedom 5K
- 17:17, Chris O'Kelley (M, 29)
- 17:59, Leonardo Canete (M, 43)
- 18:34, Henry Lewis (M, 15) Wakulla HS
- 18:41, Mickey Moore (M, 52)
- 19:13, Ryan Truchelut (M, 36)
- 19:50, Joseph Wiedeman (M, 17) Wakulla HS
- 20:01, Trace Giles (M, 17) Wakulla HS
- 20:04, Isaac Peck (M, 17) Wakulla HS
- 20:10, Danny Neustadter (M, 18)
- 20:15, Andrew Nix (M, 17) Wakulla HS
Top Ten Women, 2022 Freedom 5K
- 18:35, Katie Sherron (F, 40)
- 21:22, Isabella Laughton (F, 14) Wakulla HS
- 23:52, Laura Reina (F, 57)
- 23:52, Analecia Ferrell (F, 17) Wakulla HS
- 23:54, Lana Hawkins (F, 15) Wakulla HS
- 24:18, Savannah Stanley (F, 13) Montford MS
- 24:35, Clara Alford (F, 18)
- 24:39, Elizabeth Blitch (F, 18)
- 25:00, Emily Smith (F, 37)
- 25:00, Angela Dempsey (F, 53)
| Paul Hoover Freedom 5K winners, 2013 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women | Finishers |
| 29 June 2013 | 17:33, Stanley Linton | 21:12, Madison Harris | 107 |
| 28 June 2014 | 19:23, Reikan Lin | 20:12, Madison Harris | 82 |
| 27 June 2015 | 17:36, Zack DeVeau | 19:51, Katie Sherron | 173 |
| 25 June 2016 | 17:48, Wright Calhoun | 20:00, Madison Harris | 138 |
| 24 June 2017 | 16:32, Justin Keefe | 21:52, Haleigh Martin | 183 |
| 30 June 2018 | 18:21, Ryan Truchelut | 19:10, Amy Hines | 213 |
| 29 June 2019 | 18:31, Daniel Wiedeman | 21:18, Meg Ogle | 183 |
| 26 June 2021 | 17:07, Brock Granberg | 21:12, Liliana Lewis | 111 |
| 25 June 2022 | 17:17, Chris O'Kelley | 18:35, Katie Sherron | 159 |
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Links
- Complete results of the Wakulla HS Cross-Country Boosters' 2022 Paul Hoover Freedom 5K
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSuPzIpj6z-N5pkO4cl2FRoYyUPqxPeOteRfOSV0fv1NjJXgbByaYZO1Lj4Bgf0qgwkeUV6Bw8F5APd/pubhtml
- 2021 story, “Brock Granberg and Liliana Lewis roll at a rocky Freedom 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/06/freedom-2021.html
- 2019 story, “Harriers Daniel Wiedeman and Meg Ogle run away with the Paul Hoover 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/06/freedom-2019.html
- 2018 story, “Ryan Truchelut and Amy Hines were swift on the sand at the Paul Hoover 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/06/freedom-2018.html
- 2017 story, “It's Justin Keefe with a new course record at the Paul Hoover Freedom 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/06/freedom-2017.html
- 2016 story, “Calhoun and Harris are first in the Freedom 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/06/freedom-2016.html
- 2015 story, “A little rain didn't slow down either DeVeau or Sherron at the Freedom Run 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/06/freedom-2015.html
- 2014 story, “Lin and Harris post Freedom 5K wins”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/06/freedom-2014.html
- 2013 story, “Linton and Harris break loose at Freedom 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/06/freedom-2013.html
- Find another upcoming race supporting scholastic cross country on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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