Leonardo Canete and Addie Vaughan tear it up at the Trailblazer Trot

Saturday morning, 12 March 2022, was a cool one in the Florida Panhandle, less like spring and more like the kind of weather you expect during cross-country season. Fortuitously, that was the morning of the fifth annual Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race in Ponce De Leon Springs State Park. Tallahassee, Florida master runner Leonardo Canete won the race for the second year in a row, running 18:13 to successfully defend his 2021 title. Eleven-year-old Addie Vaughan of Westville, Florida was the first female finisher, placing seventh overall in 29:25.


Master runner Toby Hauser was the second runner across the finish line, posting a 21:42 on the trails. Josh Hall took third in 23:36.


Westville's Candy Vaughan was the first woman master and second female finisher, coming in tenth overall in 30:42. Vaughan was just a step ahead of Kassyn Pope, third in the women's standings at 30:43. Pope was eleventh overall.


40 athletes finished the 2022 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race. Race Krewe of Auburn, Alabama timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 18:13, Leonardo Canete (M, 43) Tallahassee, FL
2. 21:42, Toby Hauser (M, 49)
3. 23:36, Josh Hall (M, 31)
4. 23:45, Paul Turner (M, 58)
5. 26:27, Michael Kennett (M, 48) Tallahassee, FL
6. 27:46, Tucker Ramsey (M, 9)
7. 29:00, Joseph Edgecombe (M, 73) Panama City, FL
8. 29:36, Andrew Whitehurst (M, 36)
9. 30:44, Ted Thornton (M, 41)
10. 31:09, Jonathan Shortland (M, 60)

Top Ten Women, 2022 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 29:25, Addie Vaughan (F, 11) Westville, FL
2. 30:42, Candy Vaughan (F, 44) Westville, FL
3. 30:43, Kassyn Pope (F, 21)
4. 30:45, Teddi Thornton (F, 11)
5. 31:09, Sheila Shortland (F, 58)
6. 31:20, Kari Garman (F, 38)
7. 32:01, Stephanie Jetton (F, 33)
8. 32:24, Marty Kirkland (F, 69) Panama City, FL
9. 32:29, Taylor Locke (F, 8) Westville, FL
10. 32:30, Georgia Whitaker (F, 9) Bonifay, FL

Winners of the Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race, 2018 - 2022
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
10 March 2018	17:42, Nathan Harigel	25:26, Amber Hundley	61
8 March 2019	19:36, Reid Hatcher	19:37, Rory Claussen	49
7 March 2020	22:41, Eric Williams	31:12, Angela Klopf
13 March 2021	18:11, Leonardo Canete	26:26, Melissa Comelek	60
12 March 2022	18:13, Leonardo Canete	29:25, Addie Vaughan	40

Links

• Complete results of the 2022 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR7TUang0pB5MrZyMUG8jpNe1NU98Sb-ueqEL9_3tcXccIWk3ZVWRvM0rsQK36BLGmpNXbVZKShPUm4/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Reid Hatcher edges Rory Claussen for the Trailblazer Trot title”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/bonifay-trailblazer-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Harigel and Hundley excelled in some spring cross-country at the Trailblazer Trot”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/bonifay-trailblazer-2018.html
  
  
• Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Ponce-de-Leon-Springs
  
  
• Find a future race in a Florida state park on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2844

Reid Hatcher edges Rory Claussen for the Trailblazer Trot title

There's a disagreement about the Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Course. Some people say that ARPXC the best place to run cross-country in Florida. Others reject this claim. They say that it's the best place to run cross-country in the United States.


One of the strengths of cross-country as a sport is that you can run anywhere. So you don't have to race at Apalachee Regional Park; you could race at, say, Ponce de Leon Springs State Park near Bonifay, Florida. You don't have to race during autumn, cross-country season, either. You could run in the spring, instead. Perhaps on Saturday morning, 9 March 2019.


That's exactly what nearly 50 athletes did at the second annual Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race, an event sponsored by the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Reid Hatcher and Rory Claussen were the fastest athletes in the field, with Hatcher eking out the win over Claussen 19:36 to 19:37. Hatcher was the first overall male and Claussen the first overall female.


Steven Bratten took the runner-up spot in the men's standings, finishing third overall in 21:41 and taking first in the men's 15 to 25 age group. Donal Marsh was the third male finisher, placing fourth overall in 22:48. Marsh was the top finisher in the men's 36 to 45 age group.


Amy Jones was the second overall woman and first in the age group for women 15 to 25, placing fourteenth overall in 26:15. Michelle Huskey Smith was the top woman master and third female finisher, fifteenth overall in 26:31.


49 athletes endured the sand, narrow bridges, and other challenges of the Ponce de Leon Springs State Park paths to finish the 2019 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race.


Hats off to Joe Edgecombe for tracking down the results of the race for me. Thanks, Joe! Joe ran 26:04 in the race, placing twelfth overall and finishing just one spot out of the men's top ten.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 19:35.60, Reid Hatcher (M, 26-35)
2. 21:40.03, Steven Bratten (M, 15-25)
3. 22:47.30, Donal Marsh (M, 36-45)
4. 23:06.54, Spencer Claussen (M, 00-14)
5. 23:10.83, Neil Claussen (M)
6. 23:51.09, Randy Jones (M, 56-99)
7. 24:05.33, David Forrester (M)
8. 24:30.70, Andrew Tatum (M, 46-55)
9. 25:05.34, James Cantrell (M)
10. 25:08.11, Richard Crites (M)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 19:36.67, Rory Claussen (F, 00-14)
2. 26:14.29, Amy Jones (F, 15-25)
3. 26:30.89, Michelle Huskey Smith (F, 46-55)
4. 27:08.89, Sheila Shortland (F)
5. 27:15.07, Traycie Jones (F, 26-35)
6. 27:31.16, Susan Jones (F, 56-99)
7. 28:16.83, Andrea Weckherlin (F)
8. 29:47.80, Tia Glenn (F)
9. 30:56.66, Angela Klopf (F, 36-45)
10. 30:56.96, Lisa Tatum (F)

Winners of the Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race, 2018 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
10 March 2018	17:42, Nathan Harigel	25:26, Amber Hundley	61
8 March 2019	19:36, Reid Hatcher	19:37, Rory Claussen

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS2T47w1d4TTkVgJUrsxaz6JTVmsB57XI0eAwkJolslZFlMRulcAsd85s8TNAQ3J-fY6K7gddE9GhDF/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Harigel and Hundley excelled in some spring cross-country at the Trailblazer Trot”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/bonifay-trailblazer-2018.html
  
  
• Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Ponce-de-Leon-Springs
  
  
• Find a future race in a Florida state park on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2460

Harigel and Hundley excelled in some spring cross-country at the Trailblazer Trot

The course for the 2019 World Cross-Country Championships will actually send the runners across the roof of a building, the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, Denmark. After a test race on this bizarre course, representatives of the International Association of Athletics Federations seemed delighted. Lots of noise was made about this being a "real cross-country course," and taking the sport back to its roots.


If you want to experience the roots of "real cross-country," you should probably leave the rooftops to Batman and head to the forest--a woodland such as, say, Ponce de Leon Springs State Park near Bonifay, Florida. There, on Saturday morning, 10 March 2018, three days after the test race in Denmark, 61 athletes competed in the Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race. Nathan Harigel was fastest in that field, winning the race in 17:42. Amber Hundley was the top woman in the race, placing fifteenth overall in 25:26.

Bonifay runners Joshua Wilberscheid and Joseph Clark took second and third, running 18:08 and 18:59. Jason Dence edged Anthony Jansen for top master runner honors, 19:18 to 19:23. Dence and Jansen were fourth and fifth overall.


Sydney Jansen was the women's runner-up, placing sixteenth overall in 25:40. Tamara Lewis was the first woman master and third female finisher, 22nd overall in 27:55.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 17:42, Nathan Harigel (M, 18) Bonifay, FL
2. 18:08, Joshua Wilberscheid (M, 17) Bonifay, FL
3. 18:59, Joseph Clark (M, 17) Bonifay, FL
4. 19:18, Jason Dence (M, 41)
5. 19:23, Anthony Jansen (M, 41)
6. 19:53, Joseph Bartolotta (M, 16) Bonifay, FL
7. 20:59, Bryan McSwiggan (M, 32)
8. 21:17, Brandon Newsome (M, 32)
9. 21:39, Donald Marsh (M, 38)
10. 22:18, Clay Hatcher (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 25:26, Amber Hundley (F, 30)
2. 25:40, Sydney Jansen (F, 17)
3. 27:55, Tamara Lewis (F, 58)
4. 29:36, Leah Steverson (F, 36)
5. 31:37, Holly Hima (F, 48)
6. 33:57, Taylor Powell (F, 13) Bonifay, FL
7. 33:57, John Jadyn (F, 12)
8. 34:13, Emily Segers (F, 34)
9. 37:25, Amanda Jansen (F, 38)
10. 38:13, Kiana Serigne (F, 23)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Trailblazer Trot 5K Cross-Country Race
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRLo3vCQS06EruX-B7nokzl9A3f70Cs4pMET0MHfU3G3jO2D6tmf9trGI-3kIf3OF6S2CIN3Hv95IDK/pubhtml
  
  
• Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Ponce-de-Leon-Springs
  
  
• “IAAF Approves 'Back to Roots' Course For IAAF World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 2019”
  https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-cross-country-championships/news/world-cross-country-aarhus-2019-course
  
  
• Find a future race in a Florida state park on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2229

Heidi Kriser takes the Bonifay Bull Run

Heidi Kriser, 23, won the annual Bull Run 5K in Bonifay, Florida, on Saturday morning, 3 October 2015. The Bonifay athlete covered the 3.1-mile course in 20:49, finishing 70 meters ahead of the next runner. 14-year-old Justin Lee of Bonifay was the fastest male runner in the race, placing second overall in 21:07.


For the second year in a row, Mark McCarra of Grand Ridge, Florida, was the top master runner in the Bull Run. McCarra finished third overall in 21:37.


Bonfay's Jessica Ludwig was second in the women's standings, coming in fourth overall in 22:15. Sheila Shortland of Westville, Florida, was the top female master and third woman finisher, placing 20th overall in 28:42.


79 athletes finished the 2015 Bull Run 5K. The race was conducted by the Bonifay Kiwanis Club as part of the festivities of the 71st annual Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo.


Top Ten Women, 2015 Bonifay, Florida, Bull Run 5K

1. 20:49 ~ Heidi Kriser (F, 23) Bonifay, FL
2. 22:15 ~ Jessica Ludwig (F, 31) Bonifay, FL
3. 28:42 ~ Sheila Shortland (F, 52) Westville, FL
4. 28:53 ~ Kelly Kirvin (F, 42) Panama City, FL
5. 30:19 ~ Amanda Copeland (F, 33) Enterprise, AL
6. 30:43 ~ Cami Dixon (F, 18) Graceville, FL
7. 30:45 ~ Annette Owens (F, 55) Ocean Springs, MS
8. 30:48 ~ Teresa Culbreth (F, 50) Graceville, FL
9. 30:50 ~ Tina Dixon (F, 42) Graceville, FL
10. 31:54 ~ Becky Kent (F, 49) Chipley, FL

Top Ten Men, 2015 Bonifay, Florida, Bull Run 5K

1. 21:07 ~ Justin Lee (M, 14) Bonifay, FL
2. 21:37 ~ Mark McCarra (M, 50) Grand Ridge, FL
3. 22:27 ~ Daniel Parsley (M, 22) Bonifay, FL
4. 22:32 ~ Bryant Morrell (M, 26) Chipley, FL
5. 22:35 ~ Braden Parkinson (M, 20) , ID
6. 23:01 ~ Kris Graham (M, 34) Chipley, FL
7. 23:29 ~ Cayson Schott (M, 12) Freeport, FL
8. 23:30 ~ Eric Hudson (M, 43) Bonifay, FL
9. 24:04 ~ Austin Burk (M, 21) Bonifay, FL
10. 24:38 ~ Reid Hatcher (M, 22) Graceville, FL

Some past winners of the Bonifay, Florida, Bull Run 5K
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
8 October 2011	Wesley Whitaker	Jessica Ludwig
6 October 2012
5 October 2013
4 October 2014	19:16, John Helton	25:32, Crystal Popp	105
3 October 2015	21:07, Justin Lee	20:49, Heidi Kriser	79

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Bonifay, Florida, Bull Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ji3YdLKTQx-kBlaBZtqFAzTE8Elfh2Lo4vloYiRGLaw/pubhtml
  
  
• No bull! Find upcoming races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1550