Duane Evans and Alexis Mayfield lead the field at the Tate's Hell 5K

Florida's Tate's Hell Swamp is purportedly named after Cebe Tate, who, as the tale goes, got lost in the swamp near Sumatra and wandered for miles, snakebit and feverish, before stumbling out again near Carrabelle.


The athletes in the eighth annual Tate's Hell And Back 5K had an easier time of it than the storied Cebe. Instead of a trackless slog through the swamp, on Saturday morning, 7 October 2023, they had a well-marked run on the grounds of Carrabelle, Florida's Saint James Bay Golf Resort. Crawfordville, Florida master runner Duane Evans took first in the 5K, running 20:42. Alexis Mayfield, a member of the Swift Creek Middle School girls' cross-country team, was overall runner-up and first in the women's division with a 21:02.


It was the second Tate's Hell 5K win for Evans, who had also won the race in 2021. Christopher Coddington was second to Evans in the men's standings, placing third overall in 21:21. Chris Matechik was the third male finisher and fifth overall in 23:39.


Laura McDermott was the first woman master in the race as well as the second female finisher, fourth overall in 22:56. A teacher at Buck Lake Elementary in Tallahassee, Florida, McDermnott is also a coach of the Swift Creek team that Alexis Mayfield belongs to. Jessica Brieno took third in the women's standings with a 24:21.


The Tate's Hell 5K was run in conjunction with Carrabelle's Bay Fest, an annual charity event.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Tate's Hell And Back 5K

1. 20:42.8, Duane Evans (M, 50-99)
2. 21:21.8, Christopher Coddington (M, 00-49)
3. 23:39.7, Chris Matechik (M, 00-49)
4. 25:21.6, Alexander Lewis (M, 00-49)
5. 25:23.4, David Mayfield (M, 00-49)
6. 25:47.7, Jimmy Sims (M, 50-99)
7. 26:34.0, Morris Davis (M, 50-99)
8. 27:21.8, Dennis Harvey (M, 00-49)
9. 27:49.8, Nate Harvey (M, 00-49)
10. 28:20.9, Darren Robinette (M, 50-99)

Top Ten Women, 2023 Tate's Hell And Back 5K

1. 21:02.2, Alexis Mayfield (F, 00-49)
2. 22:56.4, Laura McDermott (F, 00-49)
3. 24:21.6, Jessica Brieno (F, 00-49)
4. 25:18.0, Sara Jordan (F, 00-49)
5. 25:43.0, Izzy Coddington (F, 00-49)
6. 26:03.4, Donna Starrenburg (F, 50-99)
7. 26:46.9, Rebekah Mayfield (F, 00-49)
8. 27:36.0, Lynn Varner (F, 50-99)
9. 27:45.6, Lydia Coddington (F, 00-49)
10. 27:57.6, Debbie Peters (F, 50-99)

Tate's Hell And Back 5K winners, 2016 - 2023
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
23 April 2016	16:47, Ryan Slyter	22:27, Sara Collins	104
22 April 2017	22:33, Mark Collins	22:37, Melissa Hooke	68
28 April 2018	18:23, Chance Logan	26:17, Chelsa Marshall Hirvela	89
27 April 2019	22:37, Tate Danford	23:38, Liliana Lewis	83
26 September 2020	19:03, Bailey Harter	24:15, Kate Wharton
2 October 2021	19:59, Duane Evans	24:48, Kate Wharton	92
1 October 2022	17:15, Leonardo Canete	25:21, Sara Collins
7 October 2023	20:42, Duane Evans	21:02, Alexis Mayfield	85

Links

• Complete results, 2023 Tate's Hell And Back 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRhY6rtP7alvXBtGB0VJU14xDRoo4_7XIwjl8k_cocjPhWqJtzIBrtA8E5ndoffBPHE6vnhKS7kk3yj/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Tate Danford and Liliana Lewis run to Hell and back”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/04/tates-hell-and-back-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Chance Logan makes a fast trip to Tate's Hell And Back”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/tates-hell-and-back-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Collins and Hooke win a Hell of a race in Carrabelle”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/tates-hell-and-back-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Ryan Slyter leads over 100 athletes to Hell and back”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/tates-hell-and-back-2016.html
  
  
• Tate's Hell State Forest
  http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Tate-s-Hell-State-Forest
  
  
• Find an upcoming race in a legendary marsh using the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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