Leonardo Canete and Stephanie Liles-Weyant lead the way at the Nesmith Way 5K

According to Clifton Paisley's From Cotton To Quail, there hasn't been much agriculture going on in Tallahassee, Florida since the late twentieth century. But on North Meridian Road you will find The Farm. Rather than planting or harvesting, on Saturday morning, 27 April 2024, The Farm hosted the fifth annual Nesmith Way 5K. Tallahassee master runner Leonardo Canete won the cross-country event for the third year in a row, this time posting an 18:18 for his run through the fields and forests. Stephanie Liles-Weyant, a Tallahassee master runner and triathlete, was the first woman in the race, coming in fifth overall in 20:41.

Leonardo Canete

A week before the Nesmith 5K, Leonardo Canete had posted a 5:00 clocking at the Big Chief Tire Mile in Jacksonville, designated the Florida USATF road-mile state championship. That performance earned Canete the masters' title, but it had also taken its toll.


"I spent the week recovering," said Canete.


He seemed fully recovered at Nesmith. The race started at 8:30 AM, and before 8:31 Canete was already well ahead of the field. Uphill and downhill, past ponds, bee hives, and mountain laurel, no one challenged Canete as he extended his lead to over 300 meters. He crossed the line in 18:18, his best Nesmith mark in three years of winning the race. Master runner Gregory Noonan took the runner-up spot in 19:38. Another Tallahassee master runner, Ryan Kunz, was third in 20:15.

Stephanie Liles-Weyant

Stephanie Liles-Weyant had a similar run in the women's competition, taking an early lead and never looking back. She ended the race first woman by over 400 meters, her 20:41 the best time by a woman in the five years of Nesmith Way 5K history. Master runners Megan Noonan and Nancy Proctor took second and third in the women's standings; Noonan was twelfth overall in 22:37 and Proctor 22nd overall in 24:53.


108 athletes finished the 2024 Nesmith Way 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Nesmith Way 5K

1. 18:17.4, Leonardo Canete (M, 45)
2. 19:37.7, Gregory Noonan (M, 41)
3. 20:14.4, Ryan Kunz (M, 41)
4. 20:30.4, Mickey Moore (M, 54)
5. 21:09.4, Kevin Etheridge (M, 47)
6. 21:25.2, Abel Adams (M, 14)
7. 21:33.3, Bill McNulty (M, 65)
8. 21:50.7, Duane Evans (M, 56)
9. 22:01.1, Paul Guyas (M, 46)
10. 22:23.9, Camilo Ordonez (M, 45)

Top Ten Women, 2024 Nesmith Way 5K

1. 20:40.3, Stephanie Liles-Weyant (F, 51)
2. 22:36.9, Megan Noonan (F, 40)
3. 24:52.4, Nancy Proctor (F, 63)
4. 25:08.2, Hillary Powell (F, 39)
5. 25:10.1, Ruffian Tyner (F, 48)
6. 25:44.8, Angela Dempsey (F, 55)
7. 25:51.7, Sarah Lester (F, 48)
8. 26:05.5, Megan Orcutt (F, 39)
9. 26:51.4, Kelsey Mezzina (F, 29)
10. 26:58.2, Laura Dennis (F, 37)

Nesmith Way 5K winners, 2019 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
11 May 2019	18:47, Brad Busboom	25:53, Brandi Campbell	45
17 July 2021	23:00, Anthony Walker	24:38, Alexa Poage	45
30 April 2022	18:37, Leonardo Canete	24:27, Alexa Poage	38
29 April 2023	29:11, Leonardo Canete	37:36, Alexis Mayfield	47
27 April 2024	18:18, Leonardo Canete	20:41, Stephanie Liles-Weyant	108

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Nesmith Way 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT-fGFTdSMktC3hFgD0DAPZJE97o9LPmR7uO73fqgpz_Znzs0vj_MIJ2fYHxxqeakTOp0m9ir0MVNj1/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2024 Nesmith Way 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10121985207829123
  
  
• 2019 story, “Racing the Nesmith Way 5K the Brad Busboom way”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/05/nesmith-2019.html
  
  
• Find upcoming races in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3038