Troy Dunkley runs to a new record at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

The Boston Marathon started in 1897 as a race through the Massachusetts countryside commemorating events at the start of the American Revolution. The Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon started in 2015 as a race through the South Georgia countryside commemorating events at the end of the Civil War. The 123rd Boston Marathon was run on Monday, 15 April 2019. The fifth annual Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon was run on Saturday, 4 May 2019.


You can consult the Boston Globe for news about the Boston Marathon winners. As for the Georgia race, Troy Dunkley of Jacksonville, Florida won the 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon by nearly 700 meters, running a course-record 3:01:05. Dalton, Massachusetts master runner Jennifer Bell was the first woman in the marathon, placing fifth overall in 4:12:56.


No one has cracked three hours yet in the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon, but Dunkley came closest. His 3:01:05 clips more than eight minutes off the old Davis Marathon record of 3:09:22, set in the 2016 race by Kerry Hobbs. Master runner Jonathan Ericson also ran faster than Hobbs' record, Ericson was runner-up to Dunkley in 3:04:00. Matt Parks, a Jacksonville master runner, took third in 3:47:33.


Dalton, Massachusetts, the hometown of women's champ Jennifer Bell, is just a two-hour drive from the starting line of the Boston Marathon. In fact, Bell ran 4:03:54 in the 2019 Boston. Kendra Tippens of Winston, Georgia was second to Bell in the women's standings of the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon, placing seventh overall in 4:28:54. Fayettville, Georgia master runner Karilena Harwitz was the third woman and fourteenth overall in 5:04:39.


23 athletes finished the 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon.


Top Five Men, 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 3:01:05, Troy Dunkley (M, 32) Jacksonville, FL
2. 3:04:00, Jonathan Ericson (M, 41)
3. 3:47:33, Matt Parks (M, 46) Jacksonville, FL
4. 4:08:50, Eric Hartman (M, 39) Saint Petersburg, FL
5. 4:19:11, Paul Oeland (M, 48) Conyers, GA

Top Five Women, 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 4:12:56, Jennifer Bell (F, 53) Dalton, MA
2. 4:28:54, Kendra Tippens (F, 31) Winston, GA
3. 5:04:39, Karilena Harwitz (F, 48) Fayetteville, GA
4. 5:05:50, Susie Lee Leuthold (F, 47) Odessa, FL
5. 5:36:04, Jenny Worthington (F, 41) Cincinnati, OH

At the Boston Marathon there isn't a Half Marathon option, but there is at the Chasing Jefferson Davis race. Score one for Georgia! Score one, also for Edward Ostrander. The Lee County High frosh-year cross-country runner won the Chasing Jefferson Davis Half-Marathon for the second year in a row, covering the 21.1-kilometer course in 1:37:11--more than nine minutes faster than his winning time in 2018. Russell Coleman of Warner Robins, Georgia was the first master runner in the half marathon, placing second overall in 1:43:01.


Bianca Orr, a cross-country runner for the Brenau University's Golden Tigers, was the first woman in the half marathon, coming in third overall in 1:45:32. Tiffany Brantley of Eastman, Georgia was the first woman master in 21.1-kilometer race, finishing fifth overall in 1:55:57.


27 athletes finished the 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half-Marathon.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 1:37:11, Edward Ostrander (M, 15) Leesburg, GA
2. 1:43:01, Russell Coleman (M, 42) Warner Robins, GA
3. 1:45:25, Wes Denney (M, 37) Newnan, GA
4. 1:58:54, Henry Rutherford (M, 41)
5. 1:59:53, John Fetner (M, 70)
6. 2:02:52, Joshua Quay (M, 23) Fort Benning, GA
7. 2:03:39, Ron Crosby (M, 70)
8. 2:11:05, Bob Lushen (M, 34) Newnan, GA
9. 2:14:56, Nick Norwood (M, 45) Cleveland, TN
10. 2:29:59, David Glass (M, 37) Alma, GA

Top Ten Women, 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 1:45:32, Bianca Orr (F, 20) Buford, GA
2. 1:55:57, Tiffany Brantley (F, 40) Eastman, GA
3. 1:57:07, Alma Ostrander (F, 13) Leesburg, GA
4. 2:00:28, Nancy Nevarez-Myrick (F, 33) Warner Robins, GA
5. 2:02:43, Kate Norwood (F, 40) Cleveland, TN
6. 2:04:09, Donielle Powell (F, 29)
7. 2:10:02, Alexandra Lowery (F, 27) Milan, GA
8. 2:10:16, Elizabeth Richards (F, 35) North Potomac, MD
9. 2:15:09, Tiffany O'Brien (F, 37) Blackshear, GA
10. 2:20:28, Teresa Ward (F, 43)

The Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon commemorates the capture of Jefferson Davis by the United States military near Fitzgerald, Georgia in 1865. Run annually from 2015 to 2019, the race has now lasted as long as the Slaveholders' Rebellion of 1861-1865, when Davis was the president of the rebels. Classic Race Services timed the 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon and Half Marathon.

Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon winners, 2015 - 2019
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
9 May 2015	Marathon	3:14:03, Jack McDermott	4:15:59, Christine Stahl	27
	Half-Marathon	1:34:38, Elder Cobler	1:48:26, Allison Cauthen	15
14 May 2016	Marathon	3:09:22, Kerry Hobbs	3:29:42, Elizabeth Magato	39
	Half-Marathon	1:23:02, Hunter Tucker	1:28:10, Kelli Squires	19
29 April 2017	Marathon	3:10:46, Kevin Sweeny	3:10:25, Suzanne Hutchins	37
	Half-Marathon	1:53:49, Edward Ostrander	2:02:53, Betsy Goslin	15
4 May 2019	Marathon	3:01:05, Troy Dunkley	4:12:56, Jennifer Bell	23
	Half-Marathon	1:37:11, Edward Ostrander	1:45:32, Bianca Orr	27

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon and Half Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSOY-Q0eVK5OkAzLRNUra-AWSm_OlWiEvtAzlXn-EYXWpAVDvjpqRe8BWIyi3poX3o7E35pZ8PblyA4/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Meredith DeFranco leads a women's charge at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/05/jeff-davis-marathon-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “No one catches Suzanne Hutchins at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/05/jeff-davis-marathon-2017.html
  
  
• Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://chasingjeffersondavis.com/
  
  
• USATF certification map GA15012WC for the 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA15012WC
  
  
• Find more historically-themed runs on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2510

Meredith DeFranco leads a women's charge at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

In the chaos at the end of the Rebellion of 1861-1865, it's questionable as to whether or not rebel leader Jefferson Davis had any clear plan as to where he was fleeing when United States troops arrested him in South Georgia on 10 May 1865. He could have been heading for Cuba to regroup and continue the Rebellion. Texas is also a possibility, or Mexico. His luggage ended up in Florida, which goes to show that the airlines didn't invent the art of losing suitcases.


But if Davis was indeed headed for Mexico, then it's entirely appropriate that the fourth annual Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon was run on Saturday morning, 5 May 2018, the anniversary of a famous Mexican military victory and a day to celebrate Mexican-American culture. Meredith DeFranco of Gainesville, Florida won that Cinco de Mayo marathon by almost two kilometers, running 3:28:59. It was the second year in a row that a woman had won the race, coming after the 3:10:25 victory of Suzanne Hutchins in 2017. In fact, women athletes took the first three places (and five of the first six places) in the 2018 marathon. Jennifer Bell was overall runner-up and the first master runner in the race, running 3:38:47. Master runner Donna Hodges was third overall in 3:59:37.


Nicholas Beard was the first man in the marathon, placing fourth overall in 4:02:06. Rhett Evans was second in the men's standings and and seventh overall in 4:17:14. Larry McQuiston was the first male master and third male finisher, eighth overall in 4:22:57.


23 athletes finished the 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon.


Top Five Women, 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 3:28:59, Meredith DeFranco (F, 34) Gainesville, FL
2. 3:38:47, Jennifer Bell (F, 52)
3. 3:59:37, Donna Hodges (F, 49)
4. 4:05:20, Kristin Wilmot (F, 40)
5. 4:11:11, Kendra Tippens (F, 30)

Top Five Men, 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 4:02:06, Nicholas Beard (M, 18)
2. 4:17:14, Rhett Evans (M, 32)
3. 4:22.57, Larry McQuiston (M, 52)
4. 4:24:58, Michael Gregory (M, 42)
5. 4:47:07, Brady Bauer (M, 21)

On his last day of flight, Jefferson Davis covered 26.2 miles from Abbeville, Georgia to the spot near Irwinville where he was arrested. But even though it's not a historic distance, there is also a 13.1-mile Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon. Edward Ostrander won the shorter race for the second year in row, finishing close to a kilometer ahead of the next runner. A cross-country runner in the eighth-grade at Lee County middle school, Ostrander ran 1:46:29, an improvement of more than seven minutes over his 2017 winning time of 1:53:49.


James Meyer was the first master runner in the race, placing second overall in 1:51:44. Nancy Myrick took the women's title in the half marathon, finishing third overall in 1:54:20. Twelve-year-old Alma Ostrander, a sixth-grader on the Lee County middle school cross-country team, was second in the women's standings and fifth overall in 2:04:01. Laura Beth Johnston was the first woman master and third female finisher, sixth overall in 2:06:52.


Seventeen athletes finished the half-marathon.


Top Five Men, 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 1:46:29, Ed Ostrander (M, 14)
2. 1:51:44, James Meyer (M, 42)
3. 1:57:47, Carl Line (M, 57)
4. 2:09:46, Bob Moon (M, 63)
5. 2:15:46, Jim Russell (M, 53)

Top Five Women, 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 1:54:20, Nancy Myrick (F, 32)
2. 2:04:01, Alma Ostrander (F, 12)
3. 2:06:52, Laura Beth Johnston (F, 53)
4. 2:20:33, Brook Holt (F, 20)
5. 2:20:34, Rebecca Rhodes (F, 30)

Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon winners, 2015 - 2018
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
9 May 2015	Marathon	3:14:03, Jack McDermott	4:15:59, Christine Stahl	27
	Half-Marathon	1:34:38, Elder Cobler	1:48:26, Allison Cauthen	15
14 May 2016	Marathon	3:09:22, Kerry Hobbs	3:29:42, Elizabeth Magato	39
	Half-Marathon	1:23:02, Hunter Tucker	1:28:10, Kelli Squires	19
29 April 2017	Marathon	3:10:46, Kevin Sweeny	3:10:25, Suzanne Hutchins	37
	Half-Marathon	1:53:49, Edward Ostrander	2:02:53, Betsy Goslin	15
5 May 2018	Marathon	4:02:06, Nicholas Beard	3:28:59, Meredith DeFranco	23
	Half-Marathon	1:46:29, Edward Ostrander	1:54:20, Nancy Myrick	17

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon and Half Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTo85E4sWEG4ZVpnvm64K0jIPCAX20Sj0s0jTTr4sFxLQdatHoNJiEwD37eO44O4Qeopvg5x68mhN5S/pubhtml
  
  
• Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://chasingjeffersondavis.com/
  
  
• 2017 story, “No one catches Suzanne Hutchins at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/05/jeff-davis-marathon-2017.html
  
  
• USATF certification map GA15012WC for the 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA15012WC
  
  
• Find more historically-themed runs on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2270

No one catches Suzanne Hutchins at the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

A month after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the United States, rebel leader President Jefferson Davis was fleeing through rural South Georgia. On the morning of 10 May 1865 his flight ended when Davis was captured by the United States Army. 30 years later, Fitzgerald, Georgia was founded 15 miles away from where Davis was caught as a colony for veterans of the Rebellion. Later still, the Jefferson Davis Historic Site was established at the spot where the soldiers snared Davis. 150 years later locals noticed that the site was almost exactly the length of a marathon--26.2 miles--from Abbeville, Georgia, inspiring the first Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon in 2015.


The marathon has become an annual affair, and the third Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon was run from Abbeville to the Historic Site on Saturday morning, 29 April 2017. Suzanne Hutchins of Gastonia, North Carolina was the overall winner of the race, as well as the fastest master runner and the first woman, running 3:10:25. Close behind Hutchins at 3:10:46, Kevin Sweeny was the overall runner-up, the first man, and the first male master.


Evan Cain of Fort Gordon, Georgia was second in the men's standings and third overall in 3:11:07. Fort Mill, South Carolina master runner Jeremy Sisler was the third man and fourth overall in 3:27:57.


Thomaston, Georgia's Aprille Oxenford was the women's runner-up, placing ninth overall in 4:19:23. Master runner Donna Morris of Brooksville, Florida was the third woman and twelfth overall in 4:24:54.


Top Five Women, 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 3:10:24.1, Suzanne Hutchins (F, 42) Gastonia, NC
2. 4:19:22.3, Aprille Oxenford (F, 34) Thomaston, GA
3. 4:24:53.7, Donna Morris (F, 49) Brooksville, FL
4. 4:26:26.4, Lori Lyons (F, 34) Kathleen, GA
5. 4:26:45.1, Mariette De Meillon (F, 41) Marietta, GA

Top Five Men, 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon

1. 3:10:45.5, Kevin Sweeny (M, 47)
2. 3:11:06.8, Evan Cain (M, 27) Fort Gordon, GA
3. 3:27:56.9, Jeremy Sisler (M, 41) Fort Mill, SC
4. 3:29:53.7, William McGill (M, 47) Minerva, OH
5. 3:56:56.5, Benjamin Power (M, 42) Spring Hill, FL

Since the inception of the Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon in 2015, the event has also included a half marathon race. Edward Ostrander, a seventh-grader on the Lee County Middle School cross-country team, won the 2017 edition of the 13.1-mile race, running 1:53:49. Master runner Brian Trotter of Lake Wylie, South Carolina was runner-up in 1:55:07. Jacksonville, Florida's Igor Tavuzhnyanskiy was third overall in 2:02:35.


Hawkinsville, Georgia master runner Betsy Goslin captured the women's title, finishing fourth overall in 2:02:53. Stephanie Freeman of Rochelle, Georgia was the women's runner-up and fifth overall in 2:06:42. Abbeville, Georgia athlete Rebecca Rhodes took third in the women's standings and sixth overall in 2:14:19.

15 athletes finished the 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon.


Top Five Men, 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 1:53:48.1, Edward Ostrander (M, 13) Leesburg, GA
2. 1:55:06.8, Brian Trotter (M, 42) Lake Wylie, SC
3. 2:02:34.7, Igor Tavuzhnyanskiy (M, 29) Jacksonville, FL
4. 2:27:05.8, Dean Hettenbach (M, 55) Alpharetta, GA
5. 2:32:20.3, Greg Waters (M, 52)

Top Five Women, 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Half Marathon

1. 2:02:52.2, Betsy Goslin (F, 40) Hawkinsville, GA
2. 2:06:41.7, Stephanie Freeman (F, 38) Rochelle, GA
3. 2:14:18.5, Rebecca Rhodes (F, 29) Abbeville, GA
4. 2:29:52.1, Kelly Holland (F, 38) Kathleen, GA
5. 2:46:30.9, Megan Sharrow (F, 35) Douglasville, GA

Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon winners, 2015 - 2017
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
9 May 2015	Marathon	3:14:03, Jack McDermott	4:15:59, Christine Stahl	27
	Half-Marathon	1:34:38, Elder Cobler	1:48:26, Allison Cauthen	15
14 May 2016	Marathon	3:09:22, Kerry Hobbs	3:29:42, Elizabeth Magato	39
	Half-Marathon	1:23:02, Hunter Tucker	1:28:10, Kelli Squires	19
29 April 2017	Marathon	3:10:46, Kevin Sweeny	3:10:25, Suzanne Hutchins	37
	Half-Marathon	1:53:49, Edward Ostrander	2:02:53, Betsy Goslin	15

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon and Half Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_RYZJg_ouXPfQImiFQZJ9sT3rpG1R13JZFLexfYBRQQ/pubhtml
  
  
• Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://chasingjeffersondavis.com/
  
  
• USATF certification map GA15012WC for the 2017 Chasing Jefferson Davis Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA15012WC
  
  
• Find more historically-themed runs on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1969