Monday, July 4, 2022

Matt Mizereck and Sheryl Rosen were the cream of a crop of over 300 runners at the Firecracker 5K

If you're in Tallahassee, Florida on Indpendence Day then in the morning you need to go to the Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K. Before you fire up the grill, before you watch the hot dog eating contest, before you take in the fireworks--you need to head downtown to Cascades Park and run the Firecracker 5K. It's the patriotic thing to do.

Matt Mizereck
Matt Mizereck

Matt Mizereck, a thirty-year-old American, followed that advice on 4 July 2022 and won the 39th annual Firecracker 5K, covering the 3.1 miles in 17:05. Another American, Sheryl Rosen, was the first woman in the race, placing seventh overall in 19:32.


"My splits were 5:23, 5:30, 5:30," recalled Mizereck. "I wanted to go out conservatively because this was my first race after ACL surgery. That was back in February. Everything felt great today."

Chris O'Kelley
Chris O'Kelley

Mizereck's so-called conservative early race was still fast enough to put him out in front of the field seconds after the 8:00 AM start of the race. No one challenged him on his way to the finish line and a 17:05 win. It was not a surprise victory. Mizereck is a three-time state champion in high school cross-country and a former varsity distance runner at both the University of Florida and Florida State University.


"Some days you just race for second," said Chris O'Kelley. "I managed to keep him in sight, though."

Sheryl Rosen
Sheryl Rosen

O'Kelley led the group chasing Mizereck through the first half of the race. Early in the second half of the race, O'Kelley was the last one left in the pursuit pack. He gained a few seconds on Mizereck during that second half, but not enough to get back in contention. O'Kelley crossed the finish line second in 17:26. Brad Busboom took third in 18:21. Hong-Guo Yu was the fastest master runner in the Firecracker, running 18:53 for fifth overall.


O'Kelley managed to keep Mizereck in sight, but none of her rivals in the women's field could say the same about Sheryl Rosen. Rosen's winning 19:32 put her 300 meters ahead of the next woman in the race. Brittney Barnes took the runner-up spot, placing eighteenth overall in 20:48. Annabelle Wiktorski was third in the women's standings and 22nd overall in 21:15. Wiktorski, a rising eighth-grader at Montford Middle School, is the defending girls' cross-country champion in Leon County middle schools.

Brittney Barnes
Brittney Barnes

Judge Angela Dempsey was the top woman master and twelfth female finisher, 49th overall in 24:14.


324 athletes finished the Capital City Kiwanis' 2022 Firecracker 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race. Look for the 40th annual Firecracker 5K in Cascades Park on Tuesday morning, 4 July 2023.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 17:05, Matt Mizereck (M, 30)
  2. 17:26, Chris O'Kelley (M, 29)
  3. 18:21, Brad Busboom (M, 34)
  4. 18:43, Kyle Kraft (M, 33)
  5. 18:53, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 53)
  6. 19:23, Ethan Cole (M, 20)
  7. 19:36, Alex Moran (M, 28)
  8. 19:48, Hans Hassell (M, 39)
  9. 19:50, Gregory Noonan (M, 39)
  10. 19:53, Gary Droze (M, 61)

Top Ten Women, 2022 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 19:32, Sheryl Rosen (F, 38)
  2. 20:48, Brittney Barnes (F, 34)
  3. 21:15, Annabelle Wiktorski (F, 13)
  4. 22:51, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 39)
  5. 23:03, Haley Heitmeyer (F, 12)
  6. 23:16, Andi Vilardo (F, 13)
  7. 23:18, Kendall Meikenhous (F, 34)
  8. 23:22, Savannah Stanley (F, 13)
  9. 23:38, Madison Sims (F, 15)
  10. 23:46, Stacy Taylor (F, 39)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 202217:05, Matt Mizereck19:32, Sheryl Rosen324
4 July 202116:56, Tristan Cravello18:36, Alyson Churchill329
4 July 201917:43, Michael Niezgoda18:03, Ann Centner521
4 July 201815:34, Ricardo Estremera19:12, Katie Sherron479
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman180
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman128
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout73
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman87
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness78
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark88
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola76
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey56
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell127
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein80
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams94
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams155
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.
Due to COVID-19, there was no 2020 Firecracker 5000.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 5:18 PM
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