At the Shamrock Scurry, green meant go for Daniel Wurgler and Alexis Mayfield

Many road races give each entrant a race T-shirt. And many people will tell you that you aren't supposed to wear your race T-shirt in the race. They'll say that it's back luck. Or that you haven't earned the shirt until you've actually run the race. Or that you haven't tested the shirt in training, so you don't know if it chafes or is otherwise uncomfortable. In spite of this, some athletes do wear their new shirts in competition. Quite a few did so at the 35th annual Shamrock Scurry 5K on Saturday morning, 2 March 2024--including Daniel Wurgler and Alexis Mayfield. Racing in his brand new Shamrock Scurry T-shirt, Wurgler won the Tallahassee, Florida event by close to 400 meters, running 17:24. Likewise, Mayfield won the women's division while wearing her own Shamrock Scurry top, placing fourteenth overall in 21:18.

Daniel Wurgler

When the Shamrock Scurriers assembled at the starting line for their Saturday morning tour of the Killearn Estates neighborhood, defending champion Ryan Truchelut was there. So were 2016 Scurry winner Duane Evans, 2010 winner Jay Wallace, and 2006 champ Michael Martinez. Daniel Wurgler left them all behind, taking the lead shortly after the start. Clutching his phone while racing, Wurgler was nearly 200 meters ahead before the end of the first mile. Caden Vandermeulen held the second spot, closely followed by Ryan Truchelut.


Wurgler still led with less than a kilometer to go. 400 meters behind him, Truchelut and Vandermeulen dueled for the runner-up spot. But the win belonged to Wurgler, who crossed the finish line first in 17:24. Vandermeulen raced past Truchelut to take second in 18:54. Truchelut was third in 18:57. Hong-Guo Yu was the first master runner in the race, coming in fourth overall in 19:10.

Alexis Mayfield

Seven days before the Shamrock Scurry, Alexis Mayfield and master runner Catherine Bond had been the top two finishers in the Make-A-Difference Dash 5K. At the Scurry, they were the first two women. Mayfield led the ladies from the outset and was never challenged on her way to a 21:18 win. Bond, starting off judiciously, was the fifth woman at the mile mark. She moved up through the field after that, passing Anna Grace Lewis during the second half of the race to move into the second women's position. Bond held that position to the finish line, placing as the women's runner-up and eighteenth overall in 21:43. Lewis ended the race third in the women's standings and 25th overall in 22:16.


As in past years, there was a pancake breakfast to look forward to at the finish line, and plenty of race workers along the course encouraging the athletes to get to that victory meal. For anyone who needed fuel to complete the race, there was a doughnut table at the base of Pancake Hill--the final uphill on the course, 800 meters from the finish. A few runners took doughnuts, and a few more ran back to the table after finishing.

Early in the race at the 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K

372 athletes finished the 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K, and another 143 completed a one-mile fun run. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee, Florida chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K

1. 17:24, Daniel Wurgler (M, 24)
2. 18:54, Caden Vandermeulen (M, 20)
3. 18:57, Ryan Truchelut (M, 38)
4. 19:10, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 55)
5. 19:20, Ryan Kunz (M, 41)
6. 19:55, Mickey Moore (M, 54)
7. 20:22, Mike Martinez (M, 58)
8. 20:27, Gavin Dunn (M, 34)
9. 20:32, Jay Wallace (M, 59)
10. 20:55, Bill McNulty (M, 65)

Top Ten Women, 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K

1. 21:18, Alexis Mayfield (F, 12)
2. 21:43, Catherine Bond (F, 43)
3. 22:16, Anna Grace Lewis (F, 25)
4. 22:42, Ava Littlejohn (F, 17)
5. 23:43, Georgina Hernandez (F, 34)
6. 23:45, Sarah Lester (F, 48)
7. 24:10, Nancy Proctor (F, 63)
8. 24:16, Hillary Powell (F, 39)
9. 24:37, Angela Dempsey (F, 55)
10. 24:53, Megan Orcutt (F, 38)

Known Shamrock Scurry 5K winners, 1979 - 2024
Date	Men	Women
17 March 1979	15:47, John Morrissey	18:18, Sherry Henry
1980
1981
13 March 1982	17:05, Paul Hodge	21:22, Cathy Shuler
12 March 1983	15:35, Adam Pinkston	19:21, Cheryl Jennings
17 March 1984	16:19, Bobby Shackleford	17:42, Nellie Orr
16 March 1985	14:35, Jeff Wentworth	19:20, Angie Crook
15 March 1986	15:33, David Keen	18:42, Janice Hochstein
7 March 1987	15:21, Richard Corbett	18:15, Janice Hochstein
12 March 1988	16:01, Bill Crooks	19:59, Robin Tanner
11 March 1989	15:57, Bill Crooks	19:32, Yvonne Gsteiger
17 March 1990	15:39, John Charlton	20:07 Jane Henderson
16 March 1991	15:32, Gary Droze	19:15, Vikki Saga
14 March 1992	15:53, Jessie Close	17:50, Paula Johnson
8 May 1993	17:04, John Leslie	19:39, Carrie Hunnicut
19 March 1994	15:17, Robin Rogers	18:38, Jane Johnson
18 March 1995	15:26, John Charlton	19:10, Carrie Weyant
1996
13 March 2004	16:02, Ryder Leary	16:44, Sinead Evans
5 March 2005	16:29, Matthew Dobson	19:21, Breeda Willis
18 March 2006	18:21, Michael Martinez	20:10, Jennifer Emo
17 March 2007	15:43, Joey Zins	21:55, Jun Inoue
15 March 2008	14:47, Mark Carroll	16:55, Barbara Parker
13 March 2010	17:25, Jay Wallace	21:03, Anna Busby
12 March 2011	18:14, Peter Kaus	19:35, Sheryl Rosen
10 March 2012	16:27, Stephen Cox	19:43, Carrie Seiberlich
9 March 2013	16:13, Stanley Linton	20:38, Mary Anne Grayson
8 March 2014	15:44, Stanley Linton	19:48, Katie Sherron
14 March 2015	16:30, Chris Lake	20:45, Emily Molen
12 March 2016	19:51, Duane Evans	22:47, Emma Spencer
4 March 2017	16:38, Matthew McCurdy	19:09, Katie Sherron
3 March 2018	17:22, Vince Molosky	18:40, Katie Sherron
2 March 2019	18:13, Charlie Johnson	21:26, Alyssa Terry
7 March 2020	17:32, Trevor Sununu	19:33, Erika Huerta
5 March 2022	18:01, Wyatt Stafford	18:36, Alison Wells
4 March 2023	18:43, Ryan Truchelut	21:25, Alyssa Terry
2 March 2024	17:24, Daniel Wurgler	21:18, Alexis Mayfield
Originally scheduled for March 13, the 1993 race had to be postponed because of a severe winter storm. The Shamrock Scurry was held from Killearn UMC from 1979 to 1996. The Shamrock Scurry was not held from 1997 to 2003. From 2004 to 2008 the Shamrock Scurry was held from Celebration Baptist Church. The Shamrock Scurry was not held in 2009. From 2010 to 2023 the Shamrock Scurry was held from Killearn UMC.

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRbc5qi40PvFupaS48enxcee44T8Ue0-MgWhld8BbCoDUhtz4oih4wikKmHSY8HxCC_6eD4jKxBdUwh/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2024 Shamrock Scurry 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10121814921539213
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of past Shamrock Scurry 5K Road Races:
  
  
  • 2023 story, “Triumphs for Truchelut and Terry at the Shamrock Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/03/shamrock-scurry-2023.html
    
    
  • 2022 story, “Wyatt Stafford and Alison Wells were the talk of the Shamrock”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/03/shamrock-scurry-2022.html
    
    
  • 2020 story, “Trevor Sununu and Erika Huerta charge through the Killearn hills for Shamrock Scurry wins”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/03/shamrock-scurry-2020.html
    
    
  • 2019 story, “Late to start but early to finish, Charlie Johnson wins the Shamrock Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/shamrock-scurry-2019.html
    
    
  • 2018 story, “Molosky and Sherron were the cocks-of-the-walk at the Shamrock”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/shamrock-scurry-2018.html
    
    
  • 2017 story, “McCurdy and Sherron outrun a sea of green at the Shamrock Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/03/shamrock-scurry-2017.html
    
    
  • 2016 story, “Evans and Spencer scurry to victory in the hills of Killearn”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/03/shamrock-scurry-2016.html
    
    
  • 2015 story, “Lake and Molen were in a hurry at the Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/03/shamrock-scurry-2015.html
    
    
  • 2014 story, “Linton and Sherron score at the Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/shamrock-scurry-2014.html
    
    
  • 2013 story, “Linton and Grayson first up 'Pancake Hill'”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/03/shamrock-scurry-2013.html
    
    
  • 2012 story, “Cox and Seiberlich rock the Shamrock”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/03/shamrock-scurry-2012.html
    
    
  • 2011 story, “No 'Luck of the Irish' needed for either Kaus or Rosen at Scurry”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/03/shamrock-scurry-2011.html
    
    
  • 2010 story, “Wallace and Busby Scurry to Wins”
    https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/03/shamrock-scurry.html
    
    
• Shamrock Scurry
  http://www.shamrockscurry.com/
  
  
• USATF course certification map of the Shamrock Scurry 5K (FL10021EBM)
  https://www.certifiedroadraces.com/certificate/?type=l&id=FL10021EBM
  
  
• Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3055

Kyle Kraeft and Signe Ulsamer win the Swamp Forest Trail 20 on a fast day in Phipps Park

The course for the Gulf Winds Track Club's tenth annual Swamp Forest Trail Race was a loop just short of eleven kilometers, winding through Tallahassee's Phipps Park. Athletes run one, two, or three laps, depending on the race in which they're competing. Somewhere on the second kilometer of the course--or possibly the third--I spied Jeff Bryant shuffling along.


"I really just came to help out today," explained Bryant. "But when I found out I was the only one who had run the race all nine times, I had to try to do at least one lap."


Gotta keep the streak going.


Bryant may be the only athlete to have done all ten Swamp Forest Trail races, but he wasn't the only athlete returning to the event. Kyle Kraeft, who had won the three-lapper in 2020 and 2023, was back at Phipps Park on Saturday morning, 6 January 2024, to win again--this time in 2:40:17. Likewise, the defending women's champ, master runner Signe Ulsamer, revisited the race in 2024 and added another women's title, placing eighth overall in 3:44:44.

Kyle Kraeft

The three Swamp Forest Trail races are sometimes posted as 6-¾ miles, 13-½ miles, and 20 miles. Other times, you'll see them listed as a quarter marathon, a half marathon, and a three-quarters marathon. There is a difference of opinion as to how long the runs actually are, but no one who does the race argues that the courses are short. After negotiating one or more laps of hills, treacherous footing, and narrow bridges, the distances likely seem understated.


Soon after leaving the starting line, Kyle Kraeft was ahead of every other competitor in the three-lap race. Daniel Korecky was the closest pursuer, followed by Bryan Gensits and master runner Mike Tercyak. No one challenged Kraeft, but before the end of the first lap Gensits had overtaken Korecky. Tercyak passed Korecky during the second lap, then left Gensits behind during the third circuit. Kraeft, meanwhile, lengthened his lead, going on to win in a course record 2:40:17. Tercyak was the first master runner in the three-lapper, grabbing the runner-up spot in 2:46:30. Gensits was third in 2:48:44 and Korecky fourth in 2:51.37.

Signe Ulsamer

Signe Ulsamer wasn't always leading the women's field, but in the end she was the only woman to finish the three-quarter marathon. Running more than twenty minutes faster than she had in 2023, Ulsamer took her second straight Swamp Forest women's title with a 3:44:44.


Eleven athletes finished the 2024 Swamp Forest Three-Quarter Marathon.


Top Ten Athletes, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail 20-Mile Challenge

1. 2:40:17, Kyle Kraeft (M, 34)
2. 2:46:30, Mike Tercyak (M, 40)
3. 2:48:44, Bryan Gensits (M, 29)
4. 2:51:37, Daniel Korecky (M, 39)
5. 3:00:35, Matthew Dietrich (M, 45)
6. 3:02:14, Will Hanley (M, 49)
7. 3:08:48, Russell Mick (M, 47)
8. 3:44:44, Signe Ulsamer (F, 46)
9. 3:49:13, Brett Opalinski (M, 52)
10. 4:01:23, Garret Hall (M, 31)

In the two-lap race, Leonardo Canete kept up the theme of repeat winners, taking first in 1:36:16--his third Swamp Forest Half-Marathon win in a row. It was a convincing win--Canete took the lead almost from the start, never trailed, and ended the race more than two kilometers ahead of the competition. At the end of the first lap, Canete was even a minute ahead of the winner of the quarter-marathon race, Sean Blanton.

Leonardo Canete

After finishing, Blanton quipped about Canete: "I'll bet that other guy wasn't even breaking a sweat."


Master runner Hans Hassell was runner-up in the half-marathon, running 1:47:41. Another master runner, Ryan Kunz, placed third in 1:51:56.

Megan Noonan

Megan Noonan, a newcomer to the Swamp Forest Run, was the first woman in the half-marathon, coming in sixth overall in 1:56:30. Monica Judd was the the first woman master in the two lap race, the second female finisher and tenth overall in 2:10:34. Judd was a past women's champ of both the Swamp Forest Marathon and Swamp Forest Three-Quarter Marathon. Master runner Brandi Campbell took third in the women's standings, coming in fourteenth overall in 2:23:09.


47 athletes finished the 2024 Swamp Forest Half-Marathon.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail Half Marathon

1. 1:36:16, Leonardo Canete (M, 45)
2. 1:47:41, Hans Hassell (M, 41)
3. 1:51:56, Ryan Kunz (M, 41)
4. 1:56:22, Mickey Moore (M, 53)
5. 1:56:29, Gregory Noonan (M, 40)
6. 2:00:12, Bill McNulty (M, 65)
7. 2:07:00, Michael Vincent (M, 32)
8. 2:08:56, Brian Burch (M, 49)
9. 2:11:33, Albert Hayes (M, 36)
10. 2:13:17, Fanxiu Zhu (M, 55)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail Half Marathon

1. 1:56:30, Megan Noonan (F, 39)
2. 2:10:34, Monica Judd (F, 49)
3. 2:23:09, Brandi Campbell (F, 48)
4. 2:24:24, Ruffian Tyner (F, 48)
5. 2:29:38, Anna Brook Opalinski (F, 26)
6. 2:32:59, Tyler Mendelsohn (F, 35)
7. 2:36:06, Aditi Mukhirala (F, 16)
8. 2:36:21, Kelley Coe El-Urfali (F, 59)
9. 2:37:08, Kelsey Mezzina (F, 29)
10. 2:37:23, Angela Dempsey (F, 55)

Sean Blanton may have trailed half-marathon winner Leonardo Canete, but he never trailed anyone in his own race, the quarter marathon, winning by over 800 meters in 47:08, a course record.


"It was a blast!" said Blanton. "Everything was well marked. I really had fun out there."

Sean Blanton

Two Leon High cross-country runners were next across the finish line, with junior Cadden Maxwell coming in just ahead of sophomore Mark Moore. Both Maxwell and Stanley were clocked in 50:56.


Twelve-year-old Alexis Mayfield was first in the women's standings, placing fifth overall in 57:23--the women's course record. Mayfield is an eighth-grader on the Swift Creek Middle School cross-country team. Averi Lewis, women's champ at the 2022 Swamp Forest Half-Marathon, was runner-up to Mayfield in the one-lap race, placing ninth overall in 63:56. Just behind Lewis, Olivia Willoughby was the third woman and tenth overall in 64:05.

Alexis Mayfield

Chris Stanley was the first master runner in the quarter-marathon and the eighth-male finisher, twelfth overall in 65:15. Sarrah Glassner was the first woman master, the fifth female finisher and thirteenth overall in 65:24.


74 athletes finished the 2024 Swamp Forest Trail Quarter Marathon. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed the races.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail Quarter Marathon

1. 47:08, Sean Blanton (M, 37)
2. 50:56, Cadden Maxwell (M, 17)
3. 50:56, Mark Moore (M, 15)
4. 53:15, Jason Eick (M, 36)
5. 57:46, Samuel Boatright (M, 27)
6. 61:42, Mason Olimb (M, 15)
7. 62:54, Andrew Mannheimer (M, 36)
8. 65:15, Christopher Stanley (M, 46)
9. 67:44, Matt Vermeer (M, 36)
10. 68:21, Scott Nelson (M, 30)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail Quarter Marathon

1. 57:23, Alexis Mayfield (F, 12)
2. 63:56, Averi Lewis (F, 26)
3. 64:05, Olivia Willoughby (F, 27)
4. 65:14, Savannah Stanley (F, 15)
5. 65:24, Sarrah Glassner (F, 41)
6. 71:20, Georgina Hernandez (F, 33)
7. 73:06, Kim Sims (F, 44)
8. 74:16, Nancy Proctor (F, 62)
9. 74:32, Danielle Gereg (F, 38)
10. 74:35, Tina Bahmer (F, 49)

Gulf Winds Track Club's Swamp Forest Trail Marathon winners, 2014 - 2024
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
4 January 2014	Marathon	4:07:10, Douglas Bell	5:26:39, Carla McDonald	23
	Half Marathon	1:54:23, Jon Mason	2:02:14, Brook Pace	65
	Quarter Marathon	56:03, David Hill	1:05:38, Shelley Yaun	35
3 January 2015	Marathon	4:06:02, Dink Taylor	5:04:46, Jamie Harris	21
	Half Marathon	1:43:54, Taylor Buzzard	2:17:32, Kenzie Mazziotta	82
	Quarter Marathon	54:34, Jim Halley	1:01:22, Angela Dempsey	55
3 January 2016	Marathon	3:59:49, Douglas Bell	5:07:47, Danielle Zemola	17
	Half Marathon	1:36:58, Taylor Buzzard	2:20:54, Isabel Anderson	56
	Quarter Marathon	54:17, Jose Fernandez	1:02:50, Lindsay James	68
7 January 2017	Marathon	3:28:44, Gary Gellin		15
	Half Marathon	1:34:17, Charlie Johnson	2:08:19, Sandy Johnson	56
	Quarter Marathon	52:34, Eric Sager	1:13:24, Sonya Dudley	56
6 January 2018	Marathon	4:24:26, Zachary Grossman	5:15:36, Monica Judd	25
	Half Marathon	1:28:44, Charlie Johnson	2:04:55, Kat Sack	58
	Quarter Marathon	52:51, Eric Sager	59:08, Rachael Stockel	70
5 January 2019	50K	5:27:12, Zachary Grossman	5:30:07, Rachel Wombles	5
	Marathon	4:39:22, Kevin Hanna	6:04:00, Anne Carroll	5
	Half Marathon	1:57:14, Tristan Lanasa	2:07:27, Alyssa Terry	56
	Quarter Marathon	52:50, Jim Halley	1:04:14, Laura Sellati	64
4 January 2020	20 Mile	3:02:27, Kyle Kraeft	3:25:57, Monica Judd	36
	Half Marathon	1:41:46, Tristan Lanasa	2:03:20, Ali Kelly	55
	Quarter Marathon	51:18, Gary Droze	58:51, Alyssa Terry	65
2 January 2021	No Race Held
2 January 2022	20 Mile	2:59:50, Thomas Parker	3:46:54, Sherri Wise	10
	Half Marathon	1:41:56, Leonardo Canete	2:24:39, Averi Lewis	32
	Quarter Marathon	47:34, Leo Rutledge	62:04, Angely Jimenez	65
7 January 2023	20 Mile	2:43:14, Kyle Kraeft	4:06:02, Signe Ulsamer	11
	Half Marathon	1:37:18, Leonardo Canete	2:28:03, Brandi Campbell	34
	Quarter Marathon	50:10, Cadden Maxwell	58:38, Madi Sims	74
6 January 2024	20 Mile	2:40:17, Kyle Kraeft	3:44:44, Signe Ulsamer	14
	Half Marathon	1:36:16, Leonardo Canete	1:56:30, Megan Noonan	46
	Quarter Marathon	47:08, Sean Blanton	57:23, Alexis Mayfield	73

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail races
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRcGnLfsxyQuReOrDuTPGs8ax2hPnY0_bq1nHs3I8BV12worv2C2T-sAwIj2r1RQIyufzc_PzQqG81P/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2024 Swamp Forest Trail races
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10121673758116843
  
  
• 2020 story, “Kyle Kraeft and Monica Judd romp in the Swamp”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/01/swamp-forest-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “More tales of the Swamp Forest Trail”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/01/swamp-forest-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Grossman and Judd were the top marathoners on the Swamp Forest Trail”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/01/swamp-forest-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Gary Gellin crushes the Swamp Forest Trail Marathon record”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/01/swamp-forest-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Bell and Zemola survive the Swamp Forest Trail”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/01/swamp-forest-2016.html
  
  
• Find upcoming trail races, long and longer, on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3029

Jonah Berry and Alexis Mayfield lead a youth takeover of the Tannenbaum Trail 6K

When someone writes the history of Gulf Winds Track Club's Tannenbaum Trail 6K, they'll record that 2023 was the year that the prep runners took over.

Jonah Berry

In 2022, that Tallahassee, Florida cross-country race was all about master runners, with Leonardo Canete taking the men's title and Dr. Katie Sherron placing second overall to nab the women's title. Canete was back at Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Course on Saturday morning, 16 December 2023, to defend his title, but the win that day went to Jonah Berry, a senior at Indian Rocks Christian School. Rolling up a lead of more than 300 meters, Berry took first in 20:42. Alexis Mayfield was first in the women's competition; an eighth-grader who races for the Swift Creek Middle School cross-country team, Mayfield took eleventh overall in 26:18.


The Tannenbaum was Canete's third weekend in a row of racing at Apalachee Regional Park. On 2 December 2023 he had raced in the Open 5K at the AAU Cross-Country Nationals on a sloppy wet course. The course was a bit drier a week later on 9 December 2023 when Canete raced on a Gulf Winds Track Club team in the Masters Men's 10K at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Jonah Berry had also competed previously on the Apalachee Regional Park course, but not since 17 November 2023, when he had placed sixth in the Class 1A boys' 5K at the FHSAA Cross-Country State Finals.

Leonardo Canete

The race started at 9:00 AM, with the Tannenbaum athletes set to do two laps around the Apalachee Regional Park course. Canete ran aggressively from the start, like an athlete determined to become the first man to win two Tannenbaum 6K titles. He held the lead till the second kilometer, when Jonah Berry overtook him.


"He caught me back on the dirt part of the course," recalled Canete.

Alexis Mayfield

Berry rolled by Canete then opened up a gap, reaching the halfway point almost half a minute before anyone else. That lead had grown to over a minute by the time Berry crossed the finish line in a winning 20:42. At 21:47, Canete was runner up and the top master. Xavier England, Xavier England, a senior on the Florida State University School cross-country team, ran away from Jacob Littleton during the second half of the race to take third in 22:34. Littleton, Littleton, an alum of the Suwannee High cross-country team, took fourth in 23:25.


Halfway through the 6K, Madi Sims was setting the pace for the women's field. Sims, a junior on the Leon High cross-country team, had fifteen seconds on the next girl in the race, Alexis Mayfield, and another twenty seconds on ten-year-old Acadia Hassell. Mayfield erased Sims' lead during the second lap around the course, passing the Leon harrier during the final kilometer. Mayfield was widening her lead when she finished in 26:18, taking the Tannenbaum women's title. Sims ran 26:27, placing second in the women's standings and thirteenth overall. Acadia Hassell was the third woman and fourteenth overall in 27:12. Ruffian Tyner of Tallahassee was the first woman master and fourth female finisher, 22nd overall in 29:09.

Madison Sims

98 athletes finished the 2023 Tannenbaum Trail 6K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2023 Tannenbaum Trail Cross-Country Race

1. 20:41.55, Jonah Berry (M, 17) Fort Walton Beach, FL
2. 21:46.81, Leonardo Canete (M, 45) Tallahassee, FL
3. 22:33.20, Xavier England (M, 17) Tallahassee, FL
4. 23:24.16, Jacob Littleton (M, 20) Live Oak, FL
5. 24:02.71, Rickey Albert (M, 27) Tallahassee, FL
6. 24:06.65, Mickey Moore (M, 53) Tallahassee, FL
7. 25:33.29, Duane Evans (M, 56) Crawfordville, FL
8. 25:46.93, Bill McNulty (M, 65) Tallahassee, FL
9. 25:59.65, Carl Nordhielm (M, 61) Tallahassee, FL
10. 26:14.17, Kevin Ethridge (M, 46) Thomasville, GA

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2023 Tannenbaum Trail Cross-Country Race

1. 26:17.33, Alexis Mayfield (F, 12) Tallahassee, FL
2. 26:26.77, Madi Sims (F, 16) Tallahassee, FL
3. 27:11.66, Acadia Hassell (F, 10) Tallahassee, FL
4. 29:08.90, Ruffian Tyner (F, 48) Tallahassee, FL
5. 29:14.66, Sara Jordan (F, 43) Fairfax, VA
6. 30:15.83, Signe Ulsamer (F, 46) Tallahassee, FL
7. 31:34.92, Aliyah Young (F, 27) Tallahassee, TN
8. 31:47.92, Nancy Stedman (F, 62) Tallahassee, FL
9. 31:50.77, Rylee Lunt (F, 17) Tallahassee, FL
10. 32:13.67, Deanna Dupont (F, 49)

Tannenbaum Trail 6K Champions, 2011 - 2023
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
17 December 2011	19:49, Chris Lake	25:33, Katie Showman	173
15 December 2012	19:35, Kevin Sullivan	21:56, Stefanie Slekis	182
21 December 2013	20:51, Bryan Koon	22:30, Jodie McGuff	76
20 December 2014	20:17, Kyle Harris	25:21, Jillian Heddaeus	149
19 December 2015	20:36, Joseph Garcia	23:30, Katie Sherron	192
17 December 2016	20:30, Josh Andrews	22:33, Alyson Churchill	87
16 December 2017	20:19, Charlie Johnson	22:46, Katie Sherron	112
15 December 2018	18:03*, Charlie Kline	22:29*, Michelle Allen	136
21 December 2019	22:16, Filippo Aldrovandi-Reina	24:30, Alyson Churchill	105
19 December 2020	No Race
18 December 2021	No Race
17 December 2022	21:45, Leonardo Canete	22:16, Katie Sherron	129
16 December 2023	20:42, Jonah Berry	26:18, Alexis Mayfield	98
* The 2018 race was shortened to 5,500 meters because of course conditions.

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2023 Tannenbaum Trail 6K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PJ4EaVUfghvjWMZXs-kLU5xZQUounujEe_JAyTUEVCU/edit#gid=0:~:text=https%3A//docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX%2D1vRJ1_EOodXn1ZNn4aqpXDeQN0J2923v0FdN_Yasc%2DFXrIF6fQ8zEijQQcrSB1R%2DErGOhyMpTBqku2M3/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of Gulf Winds Track Club's 2023 Tannenbaum Trail 6K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10121618862777543
  
  
• 2019 story, “Chiles harriers Filippo Aldrovandi-Reina and Alyson Churchill sweep the Tannenbaum 6K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/12/tannenbaum-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Charlie Kline and Shelly Allen are the 2018 Florida RRCA State Cross-Country Champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/12/tannenbaum-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Johnson and Sherron rule the Tannenbaum Trail”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/12/tannenbaum-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Tannenbaum Trail titles for Josh Andrews and Alyson Churchill”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/12/tannenbaum-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Garcia and Sherron take the Tannenbaum”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/12/tannenbaum-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Berry College Viking Kyle Harris wins Tallahassee's Tannenbaum Trail 6K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/12/tannenbaum-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Koon and McGuff traipse the Tannenbaum Trail”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/12/tannenbaum-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Sullivan and Slekis take Tannenbaum for Capital City Runners”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/12/tannenbaum-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Lake and Showman trail no one at Tannenbaum Trail 6K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/tannenbaum-2011.html
  
  
• Find another upcoming race named after a tree on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3019

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
  
  

#2992

Alexis Mayfield and Hudson Champion nab wins at the South Georgia Invitational

Rain fell on Thomasville, Georgia on Tuesday afternoon, 26 September 2023, making for a wet day at the races for Thomas County Middle School's fifth South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet. The Deerfield-Windsor boys and the Lowndes girls each took a team title, with Deerfield-Windsor putting up 33 points and Lowndes scoring a mathematically unbeatable 26. Swfit Creek eighth-grader Alexis Mayfield won the girls' race in 13:15, while Colquitt County seventh-grader Hudson Champion took first in the boys' race with an 11:42.

Alexis Mayfield

The girls raced first that afternoon. That event developed into a duel between two eighth-grader, with Alexis Mayfield of Swift Creek and Deerfield-Windsor's Sophie Logan well out ahead of the rest of the field. Mayfield had the advantage at the finish line, beating Logan home 13:15 to 13:19. Deerfield-Windsor eighth-graders took the next two places; Kaylee Hatcher was third in 14:19 and Sydney Daniel was fourth in 14:39.


Eighth-graders Ann Margaret Barrow and Abigail Lane finished the scoring for the Deerfield-Windsor Knights, with Barrow fourteenth in 16:02 and Lane fifteenth in 16:02. The Knights had tallied 33 points, good enough for first in the seven-team field.


Berrien County, led by eighth-grader Autumn Pearson (6th, 15:18), took second with 56 points. Hosts Thomas County was third, logging 78 points behind their top runner, seventh-grader Emma Thompson (11th, 15:59).


Girls' Team Scores, 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet

1. Deerfield-Windsor, 33
2. Berrien County, 56
3. Thomas County, 78
4. Colquitt County, 114
5. Lowndes, 127
6. MacIntyre Park, 128
7. Whigham, 185
8. Swift Creek, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet

1. 13:14.70, Alexis Mayfield (Swift Creek) 8
2. 13:18.70, Sophie Logan (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
3. 14:18.80, Kaylee Hatcher (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
4. 14:38.80, Sydney Daniel (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
5. 14:59.70, Lydia Chambers (Lowndes) 7
6. 15:17.60, Autumn Pearson (Berrien County) 8
7. 15:18.80, Peyton Vowell (Berrien County) 7
8. 15:38.90, Rileigh Proctor (Berrien County) 6
9. 15:41.70, Sadie Kate Scarbrough (MacIntyre Park) 8
10. 15:43.40, Pari Patel (Lowndes) 6

After the girls had churned up the muddy spots on the course, it was time for the boys to take their turn. Like the girl' race, it ultimately came down to two athletes--Colquitt County seventh-grader Hudson Champion and Lowndes eighth-grader River Thurston. Champion prevailed in that match, 11:42 to 11:46. Lowndes seventh-grader Andrew Chick took third in 12:01 and Lowndes eighth-grader fourth in 12:08.


Lowndes had one more Viking in the top ten, eighth-grader Masa Hammond, who was tenth in 13:09. Less than two seconds later, Lowndes sixth-grader Dominic Johnson came across the line eleventh in 13:11, all five Viking scorers were home, and the boys of Lowndes had a winning score of 26 points.


Led by eighth-grader Daniel Roland (7th, 12:35), Deerfield-Windsor scored 71 points, placing second among the seven teams in the race. MacIntyre Park was third with 84 points behind the fifteenth-place finish of their top Bulldog, seventh-grader Luke Ridley (13:29).


Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet.


Boys' Team Scores, 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet

1. Lowndes, 26
2. Deerfield-Windsor, 71
3. MacIntyre Park, 84
4. Colquitt County, 94
5. Thomas County, 103
6. Berrien County, 113
7. Saint John Catholic, NTS
   Whigham, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet

1. 11:41.70, Hudson Champion (Colquitt County) 7
2. 11:45.30, River Thurston (Lowndes) 8
3. 12:00.70, Andrew Chick (Lowndes) 7
4. 12:07.30, Max Shelly (Lowndes) 8
5. 12:17.60, Holten Dennard (Thomas County) 7
6. 12:20.60, Juan Ledesma-Rodriguez (Saint John Catholic) 7
7. 12:34.10, Daniel Roland (Deerfield-Windsor) 8
8. 12:37.70, Christopher Wallace (Saint John Catholic) 8
9. 13:04.10, Connor Stephens (Thomas County) 8
10. 13:08.90, Masa Hammond (Lowndes) 8

South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet Winners, 2016 - 2023
Middle School Girls
Date	Team	Athlete
22 October 2016	Pike County, 46	13:46, Allison Drummond (Unattached) 8
21 October 2017	Pike County, 45	15:21, Emma Powell (Unattached) 8
18 October 2019	Thomas County, 38	14:42, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 7
30 September 2021	Tift Area, 50	16:16, Savannah Dodd (Thomas County) 8
26 September 2023	Deerfield-Windsor, 33	13:15, Alexis Mayfield (Swift Creek) 8
Middle School Boys
Date	Team	Athlete
22 October 2016	Valdosta, 40	12:35, Parker Jackson (Valdosta) 7
21 October 2017	Pike County, 39	12:48, Parker Jackson (Valdosta) 8
18 October 2019	Berrien County, 20	13:41, Robert Lindquist (Thomas County) 8
30 September 2021	Tift Area, 56	13:42, Brody Jennings (Thomas County) 7
26 September 2023	Lowndes, 26	11:42, Hudson Champion (Colquitt County) 7
The meet was not held in 2018, 2020, or 2022.

Links

• Complete results, 2023 South Georgia Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT5pX2KZCCAoZlb1scIvDwqHt2ng9EqOkFG7t_Hl1bXe2tdN9vsL7P37rhYStzMkZm7nnkgDyU-N1Dn/pubhtml
  
  
• Find upcoming races in Thomasville or other Tallahassee-region towns on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2986