Andy Merrill and Harlie Bassitt were tops at the Tortoise

The fourteenth annual Race The Tortoise 5K started in O'Leno State Park on Saturday morning, 9 March 2024, just ahead of the storm sweeping east across North Florida. The stormfront still hadn't arrived when Lake Butler's Andy Merrill crossed the finish line in a wiining 16:47, more than a hundred meters ahead of the next runner. Gainesville marathoner Harlie Bassitt was the first woman in the 5K, coming in sixth overall in 19:01.


David Yinh, a Palm Beach Gardens master runner, placed runner-up to Merrill with a 17:08. Griffin East, an alum of the Canterbury High cross-country team, took third in 17:20.


Lisa Johnson of Gainesville was the first woman master and second female finisher, eleventh overall in 20:22. It was Johnson's third year in a row as the Tortoise 5K's top woman master; she had also been the first overall woman in the 2021 race. Gainesville's Natalie Wright was the third woman and nineteenth overall in 22:38.


193 athletes finished the 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K. The event is a fundraiser for the Friends of O'Leno State Park, who use the proceeds to help provide for the creatures in the park's Nature Center and to help expand the center's exhibits. Timing for the 2024 race was provided by Endurance Sports Timing.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 16:46.59, Andy Merrill (M, 30) Lake Butler, FL
2. 17:07.30, Daniel Yinh (M, 43) Palm Beach Gardens, FL
3. 17:19.57, Griffin East (M, 23) Gainesville, FL
4. 18:40.82, Robert Grote (M, 29)
5. 18:55.50, Joseph Angelillo (M, 26)
6. 19:09.68, Javier Prietu (M, 49) FL
7. 19:13.14, Justin Holstein (M, 39) Jacksonville, FL
8. 19:30.16, Robert Walkiewicz (M, 35) Gainesville, FL
9. 20:19.67, Justin Maynard (M, 40) Gainesville, FL
10. 20:21.59, Dashawn Davis-Anderson (M, 25) Gainesville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 19:00.16, Harlie Bassitt (F, 25) Gainesville, FL
2. 20:21.29, Lisa Johnson (F, 42) Gainesville, FL
3. 22:37.03, Natalie Wright (F, 38) Gainesville, FL
4. 23:34.84, Lauren Porter (F, 31) Gainesville, FL
5. 24:53.09, Leanne Harrison Forbes (F, 51) ,
6. 25:22.45, Mary Drummond (F, 46) Gainesville, FL
7. 26:30.19, Sally Chappell (F, 61) Ocala, FL
8. 27:15.43, Elisabeth Diamond (F, 64) Bell, FL
9. 28:07.98, Olena Carey (F, 60)
10. 28:49.64, Katy Chapman (F, 41) Gainesville, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
7 March 2009	18:22.9, David Robison	20:12.6, Michelle McCollum	109
13 March 2010	16:27.5, Alex Phipps	18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte	114
5 March 2011	19:21.6, Eric Drummond	19:33.0, Tatiana Titova	218
3 March 2012	16:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski	18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika	268
2 March 2013	16:39.7, Dan Clark	20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova	225
1 March 2014	16:52.8, Dan Clark	19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva	247
7 March 2015	18:15.6, Anton Matchev	17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova	165
5 March 2016	16:32, Bobby Hensley	18:16, Ani Veltcheva	177
3 March 2018	15:28, Enoch Nadler	17:34, Ani Veltcheva	215
2 March 2019	17:03, Hutson Rapier	19:35, Courtney Rouse	239
7 March 2020	17:08, Ravi Kumar	19:51, Lara Drondoski	219
5 March 2022	17:30, Michael Rosato	20:00, Lisa Johnson	203
3 June 2023	16:43, Jake Baldauf	19:31, Grace Kelly	193
9 March 2024	16:47, Andy Merrill	19:01, Harlie Bassitt	193
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017 or 2021.

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQFevbXLNV6Wj5HVOd9F7sgi4VxPjtNfsH855cGIL9EZ7TYrxhQt0uU0kcDaJKJIaBIucH5Qp5oi6Dz/pubhtml
  
  
• 2023 story, “Jake Baldauf and Grace Kelly take the Tortoise in O'Leno”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/06/tortoise-2023.html
  
  
• 2022 story, “Michael Rosato and Lisa Johnson make it a Gainesville sweep of the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/03/tortoise-2022.html
  
  
• 2020 story, “Neither Ravi Kumar nor Lara Drondoski ran like a tortoise at the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/03/tortoise-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Hutson Rapier and Courtney Rouse weren't just terrapin at the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/tortoise-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Nadler burns a 15:28 and Veltcheva a 17:34 for new records at the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/tortoise-2018.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Hensley and Veltcheva victorious at Race The Tortoise”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/03/tortoise-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Denisova and Matchev are steady but not slow at Race The Tortoise”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Clark and Veltcheva are more hare than tortoise at O'Leno 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• O'Leno State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/oleno/
  
  
• The Friends of O'Leno
  https://friendsofoleno.org/
  
  
• Race The Tortoise 5K course certification map USATF #FL09011EBM
  https://www.certifiedroadraces.com/certificate/?type=l&id=FL09011EBM
  
  
• Any reptile race within 100 miles of Tallahassee will be here
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3061

Andy Merrill and Erika Huerta drew a bead on first place in the Mardi Gras 5K

Shrove Tuesday is a movable feast. It can be as early as February 3 (as it was in 1818) or as late as March 9 (as it will be in 2038). That means that the Mardi Gras 5K in Panama City Beach, Florida, held each year on the Saturday before Shrove Tuesday, could be run as early as January 31 or as late as March 6. The twentieth annual Mardi Gras 5K, though, was on Saturday morning, 22 February 2020, and Andy Merrill of Starke, Florida won the race by nearly a minute, running 17:03. Miami, Florida realtor Erika Huerta took the women's title, placing third overall in 18:50.


Eddie Kepran, a frosh-year cross-country runner at Arnold High, finished runner-up to Merrill in 18:02. Chris Jones placed third in the men's standings, coming in fourth overall in 20:09. Tracey Burch was the fastest master runner in the race and the fourth male finisher, fifth overall in 20:20.


Rebecca Pitts, a junior on the Bay High girls' cross-country squad, took second on the women's side, finishing sixteenth overall in 22:26. Jill Moore snapped up the third women's spot with a 25:03, good for 25th overall. Michelle Phy was the first woman master and eighth female finisher, placing 35th overall in 26:31.


181 athletes finished the 2020 Mardi Gras 5K. Another 50 competed in the 5K walk, and five finished the one-mile fun run.


Top Ten Men, 2020 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K

1. 17:03, Andy Merrill (M, Overall)
2. 18:02, Eddie Kepran (M, 15 - 19)
3. 20:09, Chris Jones (M, 25 - 29)
4. 20:20, Tracey Burch (M, Master)
5. 20:28, Tom Dever (M, Grandmaster)
6. 20:37, Rilly Hammonds (M, 15 - 19)
7. 20:38, JJ Garcia (M, 15 - 19)
8. 20:57, David Shearon (M, 50 - 54)
9. 21:18, Austin Bradley (M, 20 - 24)
10. 21:19, Ethan Koss (M, 15 - 19)

Top Ten Women, 2020 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K

1. 18:50, Erika Huerta (F, Overall)
2. 22:26, Rebecca Pitts (F, 15 - 19)
3. 25:03, Jill Moore (F, 35 - 39)
4. 25:47, Madison Hancock (F, 15 - 19)
5. 26:03, Chloe’ Rook (F, 15 - 19)
6. 26:03, Emilia Kelley (F, 15 - 19)
7. 26:17, Kelly Goodson (F, 30 - 34)
8. 26:31, Michelle Phy (F, Master)
9. 26:52, Patti Furr (F, Grandmaster)
10. 27:30, Jennifer Heilmann (F, 35 - 39)

Mardi Gras 5K winners, 2001 - 2020
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
14 February 2004	17:39, Brian Goddin	23:51, Karen Hutchinson	96
20 January 2005	26:59, Robert Fudge	26:16, Lori Hunt
11 February 2006
17 February 2007
21 February 2009	18:02, Fritz Stoppelbein	22:17, Michaela Ashley	177
13 February 2010
26 February 2011	19:12, Jeff Cassel	19:18, Michaela Ashley	187
11 February 2012	17:48, Jordan Lance	20:38, Michaela Ashley	265
1 March 2014	18:12, David Shearon	21:32, Amy Mann	124
14 February 2015	18:32, David Shearon	21:22, Jessica Berschwinger	172
6 February 2016	18:30, Charles Abbinanti	23:34, Danielle Mulick	140
25 February 2017	17:18, John Nay	23:32, Kiersten Hughes	178
10 February 2018	19:02, David Shearon	23:48, Mariia Solomonova	145
2 March 2019	19:12, Sam Martinez	20:46, Rory Claussen	165
22 February 2020	17:03, Andy Merrill	18:50, Erika Huerta	181

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ2wnV_wfeE8aulIxyVTo4j8k6yxrwEGlrwKv0SRjiqEGfGaYdcNtIaMZvRpdSGAJwgk8jR0cHMK65J/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Sam Martinez and Rory Claussen weren't slowing up for Lent at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/pcb-mardi-gras-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “The good times keep on rolling, and so does David Shearon at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Bon temps rouler as Nay and Hughes roll at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Abbinanti and Mulick precede Fat Tuesday with a Fast Saturday”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2016.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Bon temps for Shearon and Mann at Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/pcb-mardi-gras-2014.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “St. Andrews Mardi Gras 5K is all Cassel and Ashley”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/03/pc-mardi-gras-2011.html
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! coverage of races in Panama City Beach, Florida
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Panama%20City%20Beach
  
  
• Upcoming race before, during, and after Lent on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2683