Ashlee Romani takes the whole pile of sand at the Life Is A Beach 5K

In August the sultry climate of South Alabama might lead you to believe that life is a beach. At least that was the conclusion of Dothan, Alabama's Dothan Runners Club back in 2001 when they named their August cross-country race through Westgate Park the Life Is A Beach 5K.


On Saturday morning, 13 August 2016, Ashlee Romani was not only the top woman at the Life Is A Beach 5K, she was the overall winner of the 16th annual race. Finishing more than 300 meters ahead of the next runner, Romani covered the 5K loop around Westgate Park in 20:44, the second fastest time posted by a female athlete in the sixteen-year history of the Life Is A Beach race. The only woman to run faster at the Life Is A Beach 5K was Casey McDermott, who won the race with a 17:55 in 2011.


Will Scott, just weeks away from starting his frosh year cross-country season at Headland High, was the first male runner in the race, placing second overall in 22:06. Tony Spicer was the fastest master runner in the race and second in the men's standings, fourth overall in 22:57. Master runner Mark McCarra was the third male finisher and fourth overall in 23:18.


Ella Richards, a seventh-grader on the Headland High cross-country team, was second in the women's standings and fifth overall in 24:15. At 25:59 Kimberly Floyd was the third woman and eleventh overall. Southwest Georgia Academy eighth-grade cross-country runner Katie Sheppard took the fourth woman's spot, finishing sixteenth overall in 27:56. Cassie Logan was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, running 28:03 for seventeenth overall.


44 athletes finished the Dothan Runners Club's 2016 Life Is A Beach 5K cross-country race.


Top Ten Women, 2016 Life Is A Beach 5K

1. 20:44, Ashlee Romani (F, 29)
2. 24:15, Ella Richards (F, 12)
3. 25:59, Kimberly Floyd (F, 38)
4. 27:56, Katie Sheppard (F, 13)
5. 28:03, Casssie Logan (F, 53)
6. 28:27, Chris Fox-Flowers (F, 58)
7. 28:51, Michele Chesnut (F, 37)
8. 30:08, Kristi Holland (F, 40)
9. 32:07, Emma Richards (F, 13)
10. 32:43, Amanda Robinson (F, 35)

Top Ten Men, 2016 Life Is A Beach 5K

1. 22:06, Will Scott (M, 14)
2. 22:57, Tony Spicer (M, 49)
3. 23:18, Mark McCarra (M, 51)
4. 24:28, Dave Durbin (M, 56)
5. 25:27, Sonny Chesnut (M, 14)
6. 25:37, David Butler (M, 51)
7. 25:42, Sean Costello (M, 36)
8. 25:58, Xavier Clayton (M, 25)
9. 26:03, David Forrester (M, 37)
10. 26:30, Bruce Hall (M, 48)

Dothan Runners' Life is a Beach 5K Trail Run Champions, 2001 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
11 August 2001	18:18, Matt Parker	24:09, Piper Stockman	68
18 August 2002	18:55, Shawn Latshaw	22:05, Teresa Lafleur	75
16 August 2003	18:04, Myles Gibson	21:09, Sandy Ebanks	71
14 August 2004	17:24, Nicholas Ireland	23:18, Ali Keith	74
13 August 2005	20:42, Dale Thomas	24:40, Nancy Hein	60
12 August 2006	18:15, Gabe Mitchell	25:45, Cassie Logan	72
11 August 2007	18:39, Myles Gibson	24:18, Amelia Carter	86
16 August 2008	17:54, Ryan Overstreet	23:20, Lou Ellen Jayroe	71
15 August 2009	20:37, Brian Hickey	23:00, Kristina Bennett	62
21 August 2010	17:52, Nicholas Ireland	21:50, Katrina Bokenfohr	113
27 August 2011	18:57, Sean Kent	17:55, Casey McDermott	82
25 August 2012	18:26, Sean Kent	24:23, Val Lichner	119
24 August 2013	20:26, Cliff Rogers	22:29, Brooke Hoopert	81
23 August 2014	18:46, Myles Gibson	24:38, Val Lichner	46
22 August 2015	18:40, Myles Gibson	23:49, Kimberly Floyd	54
13 August 2016	22:06, Will Scott	20:44, Ashlee Romani	44

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Life Is A Beach 5K Trail Run
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P5ZTqq6cEru4TxPPWx2IDcHAJkDyCZmZI_IUAZroVfQ/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Life Is [still] A Beach for Gibson and Floyd”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/dothan-beach-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Nothing to beach about for either Gibson or Lichner”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/08/dothan-beach-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Rogers and Houppert win for Team RWB at Life Is A Beach 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/08/dothan-beach-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “No sand, no waves, but wins for Kent and Lichner”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/08/dothan-beach-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, "Coach McDermott crashes Dothan's beach party”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/08/dothan-beach-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Ireland and Bokenfohr winners at this beach party”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/08/dothan-beach-2010.html
  
  
• The Dothan Runners Club
  http://www.dothanrunners.com
  
  
• Beach runs and sunny beach runs on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1964

Kent and Romani catch titles at Pilgrim Chase 5K

Northview High's Sean Kent ended his junior year cross-country season on 12 November 2011 with a 27th place finish at the Alabama state championships. Two weeks later, though, on 26 November 2011, he was running another cross-country race--the Dothan Runners Club's Pilgrim Chase 5K on the Larry and Rona Dykes Trail in Westgate Park. You'd think Kent would be taking a break after the long season, but that's what cross-country runners do--they run cross-country.


At the Pilgrim Chase 5K Kent ran cross-country particularly well, winning by over 300 meters in 17:47, an improvement on both his time (18:21) and his place (2nd) in the 2010 Pilgrim Chase. Maj. Sean Keefe of Fort Rucker was runner-up in 19:02, while the top master spot and third place went to Theron Carter of Brundidge, Alabama in 19:22. Finishing immediately after Carter was the top woman in the race, Ashlee Romani. Ft. Rucker's Romani clocked 20:02 for the 5K tour of Westgate Park. The women's runner-up and top woman master in the race was Melissa Unrath (10th, 21:11) of Enterprise, Alabama.


112 athletes completed the 2011 Pilgrim Chase 5K, significantly more than the 73 who finished the race in 2010. Cross-country running lovers will get one more chance this year to race on the Larry and Rona Dykes Trail; on 31 December 2011 the Last Gasp 5K Trail Run starts at 9:00am CT in Westgate Park.


Top Ten Men, 2011 Pilgrim Chase 5K

1. 17:47 ~ Sean Kent (M, 16) Dothan, AL
2. 19:02 ~ Sean Keefe (M, 33) Ft. Rucker, AL
3. 19:22 ~ Theron Carter (M, 51) Brundidge, AL
4. 20:31 ~ Michael Houston (M, 12) Dothan, AL
5. 20:45 ~ Carson Warren (M, 20) Mt. Pleasant, SC
6. 21:03 ~ Xavier Clayton (M, 20) Newton, AL
7. 21:04 ~ Ric Hamic (M, 27) Dothan, AL
8. 21:08 ~ Michael Brennan (M, 26) Dothan, AL
9. 21:15 ~ William DeSchepper (M, 28) Ft. Rucker, AL
10. 21:23 ~ Dale Thomas (M, 48) Dothan, AL

Top Ten Women, 2011 Pilgrim Chase 5K

1. 20:02 ~ Ashlee Romani (F, 24) Ft. Rucker, AL
2. 21:11 ~ Melissa Unrath (F, 43) Enterprise, AL
3. 22:06 ~ Christen Luther (F, 27) Newville, AL
4. 22:22 ~ Clarissa Coe (F, 27) Vestavia, AL
5. 22:29 ~ Victoria Taylor (F, 17) Dothan, AL
6. 24:40 ~ Jill Wofsey (F, 48) Alford, FL
7. 25:09 ~ Lori Westphal (F, 41) Tallahassee, FL
8. 25:24 ~ Val Lichner (F, 52) Bonifay, FL
9. 25:39 ~ Lynn Masimore (F, 33) Dothan, AL
10. 25:54 ~ Marty Kirkland (F, 59) Southport, FL

Links

• Complete results of the 2011 Pilgrim Chase 5K at dothanrunners.com
  http://dothanrunners.com/2011pilgrimchase.htm
  
  
• Photos of the 2011 Pilgrim Chase 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.207946682614956.50321.133667116709580
  
  
• 2010 story, "73 athletes chase pilgrims; none catch Hough or Latta"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/pilgrim-chase-2010.html
  
  
• All about the 2011 Last Gasp 5K Trail Run
  http://dothanrunners.com/RaceGen.htm/Race%20Info.htm/Last%20Gasp%2001.htm
  
  
• Find upcoming races near Dothan or any other city within 100 miles of Tallahassee
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1