Neither Gary Rowan nor Kelly Lunceford were loafing at the Bun Run

Valdosta, Georgia is built on the South Georgia alluvial plain, a level expanse made of the pulverized remains of ancient mountains far to the north. The flatness is interrupted here and there by river valleys; in Valdosta, that of the Withlacoochee River. The Wood Valley neighborhood is situated on those slopes, and on Saturday morning, 8 June 2024, the thirteenth annual Break Bread Bun Run 5K was run in Wood Valley. The runners rose to the challenge of the hills, particularly Gary Rowan. An Adel, Georgia athlete, Rowan won the 3.1-mile contest, running 18:08. Valdosta's Kelly Lunceford was the first woman in the race, placing seventeenth overall in 23:35.


High school track season had ended a few weeks earlier and high school cross-country season wouldn't begin for more than two months. But running never ends, and the next two runners who followed Gary Rowan over the finish line were both high school athletes. The first of those was Brandon Reyes, a rising senior on the Valdosta High cross-country team. Reyes took theGary Rowan runner-up spot in 18:16. Another senior-to-be from Valdosta High, David Boatright, was third in 18:19. The Valdosta High cross-country coach, Ryan Kelly of Lake Park, Georgia, was the first master runner in the race, coming in seventh overall in 20:09. A past champion of the Bun Run, Kelly had won the race in 2013 and 2014.


Ryan Kelly Kelly Lunceford hadn't won the Bun Run women's title before, but she had been runner-up in 2023 with a 23:45. She improved that mark ten seconds to get the win in 2024. Lydia Chambers, a Hahira Middle School athlete, grabbed second in the women's standings with a 24:21, placing eighteenth overall. Tamara Martin of Valdosta was the first woman master in the race and the third female finisher, twentieth overall in 24:29.


85 athletes finished the 2024 Break Bread Bun Run 5K. A Course/Line, LLC, of Valdosta timed the race and provided finish line services.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Break Bread Bun Run 5K

1. 18:07.3, Gary Rowan (M, 36) Adel, GA
2. 18:15.3, Brandon Reyes (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
3. 18:18.1, David Boatright (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
4. 18:34.1, Jacob Howington (M, 17) Hahira, GA
5. 19:15.0, River Thurston (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
6. 20:00.3, Geavon Tribble (M, 16) Valdosta, GA
7. 20:08.4, Ryan Kelly (M, 45) Lake Park, GA
8. 21:39.7, David Jones (M, 28) Valdosta, GA
9. 21:55.5, Aaron Farris (M, 38) Hahira, GA
10. 22:08.1, Ridge Cole (M, 15) Dahlonega, GA

Top Ten Women, 2024 Break Bread Bun Run 5K

1. 23:35.0, Kelly Lunceford (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
2. 24:20.8, Lydia Chambers (F, 13) Hahira, GA
3. 24:28.8, Tamara Martin (F, 46) Valdosta, GA
4. 25:39.2, Alex Wetherill (F, 25) Valdosta, GA
5. 26:39.6, Allison Tolman (F, 29) Hahira, GA
6. 26:43.7, Kelsey Ricci (F, 27) Hahira, GA
7. 27:43.7, Reagan Barker (F, 29) Adel, GA
8. 27:53.2, Logan Cole (F, 26) Valdosta, GA
9. 31:27.0, Rachel Rouland (F, 24) Moody A F B, GA
10. 31:33.8, Tia Oleary (F, 36) Adel, GA

Break Bread Bun Run 5K champions, 2010 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
24 July 2010	18:28, Scott Gardner	24:16, Nicole Kump	49
23 July 2011	18:47, Masked Avenger	23:07, Minerva Arreguin	78
21 July 2012	18:21, Mark McLeod	21:11, Alice Smoot	56
20 July 2013	18:54, Ryan Kelly	22:30, Alison Peters	71
12 July 2014	18:19, Ryan Kelly	21:20, Makenzee Page	49
11 July 2015	17:49, Matthew Baun	21:10, Erica Schloemer	38
23 July 2016	18:58, Jackson Green	23:10, Debbie Green	65
22 July 2017	18:55, Brishen House	22:58, Vanessa Spry	87
21 July 2018	18:45, Alec Munger	23:39, Brenna Clark	88
20 July 2019	17:51, Alec Munger	22:53, Sandra Griffin	76
4 June 2022	17:36, Isaac Chambers	25:33, Bella Weyand	51
10 June 2023	17:13, Adam Mastrobuono	23:36, Stella McClain	70
8 June 2024	18:08, Gary Rowan	23:35, Kelly Lunceford	85

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Break Bread Bun Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQKXjptUOMl5Hdt2v_fOmKJXi2tcsyWn0c4LI387CfqC-_dQ8_FN9up6q-liV9vmFVWhQsWFzpnxgB1/pubhtml
  
  
• 2023 story, “Blazer harrier Adam Mastrobuono sets a new Break Bread Bun Run record”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/06/bun-run-2023.html
  
  
• 2022 story, “Isaac Chambers throws down the fastest Break Bread Bun Run ever”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/06/bun-run-2022.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Alec Munger and Sandra Griffin take the cake at the Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/07/bun-run-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Alec Munger and Brenna Clark were on a roll at the Break Bread Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/bun-run-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “House and Spry were the athletic upper crust of the Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/07/bun-run-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Green and Green pour on some flour power at Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/07/bun-run-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Baun and Schloemer bake some fresh records in the Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/07/bun-run-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Kelly and Page rise to the occasion at Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/07/bun-run-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Kelly and Peters break away at Break Bread Bun Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/bun-run-2013-.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “McLeod and Smoot kick some buns in Valdosta's Wood Valley”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/07/bun-run-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Avenger and Arreguin emerge from the Wood Valley Hills as Bun Run Champs”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/07/bun-run-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Gardner conquers Valdosta's Wood Valley hills to win the Bun Run 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/07/break-bread-2010.html
  
  
• Find another baked good race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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