Showing posts with label Cascades Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cascades Park. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

In Tallahassee, Cadden Maxwell and Megan Churchill were flying at the Firecracker

On Tuesday, 4 July 2023, the United States of America turned 247 years old. In Tallahassee, Florida that same morning, the Capital City Kiwanis Club's Firecracker 5K turned 40. More than 400 athletes turned out in Cascades Park to observe that latter anniversary, including Cadden Maxwell, who won the race in 17:41. Also attending the celebration was Megan Churchill, the first woman in the race and fifth overall in 18:55.

Cadden Maxwell
Cadden Maxwell

The race started at 8:00 AM on Suwanee Street, with the athletes heading north. One runner darted out in front of the field.


"I don't remember his name, but he was leading for the first two minutes," recalled Cadden Maxwell.

Josha Robinson
Josha Robinson

That early leader was Josha Robinson, a rising senior at John Paul II Catholic High School. Maxwell overtook Robinson early in the race, and never had to look back again, running unchallenged on his way to a 17:41 win. Running 18:15, Robinson clung to second.


Behind, Maxwell and Robinson, Tallahassee's Hong-Guo Yu and Michael Rhodes of Perry, Florida dueled for the top master runner spot in the 5K. By the end of the second kilometer, the two had moved up through the field and were also fighting for third. They swapped positions a few times during the race, but Hong-Guo Yu was the first master runner across the finish line, third overall in 18:30, while Rhodes took fourth in 18:50.

Hong-Guo Yu
Hong-Guo Yu

A rising junior at Leon High, Maxwell finished his sophomore year high school track season just two months before the Firecracker. On the track, he specialized at 800 meters and 1600 meters, both significantly shorter than the 5000 meters of the Firecracker.


"I adjust really well to the longer distances," said Maxwell. "I like cross-country, where we run 5K, a lot more than track."

Megan Churchill
Megan Churchill

The 2023 race was the 40th Firecracker 5K, but it was the ninth to have been run in Cascades Park. The first Firecracker in the Park was the 2014 race, which was also Megan Churchill's first Firecracker.


"Not my first race, but I have been doing this race for a long time," said Churchill. "I love this race!"

Megan Noonan
Megan Noonan

You have to look deep into the 2014 results to find Churchill's name. After that, though, she started to get serious about racing. After two years of competing in cross-country for Swift Creek Middle School, Churchill raced for Lincoln High and then Chiles High. She'll be wearing the uniform of a Flagler College Saint during the 2023 cross-country season, her third at that school.


Each year, though, Churchill returned to Firecracker, missing only the 2022 race. 2023 was her eighth. Leading the women's field almost from the start, she threw down her fastest Firecracker performance yet--a winning 18:55. Megan Noonan took second in the women's standings, placing eleventh overall in 20:43. Brittney Barnes, women's champ at the 2016 Firecracker 5K, was the third woman in 2023, eighteenth overall in 21:40. Nancy Proctor was the first woman master, placing eighth in the women's division and 40th overall in 24:05.

Brittney Barnes
Brittney Barnes

418 athletes finished the Capital City Kiwanis' 2023 Firecracker 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race. Look for the 41st annual Firecracker 5K in Cascades Park on Tuesday morning, 4 July 2024.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 17:40.3, Cadden Maxwell (M, 16)
  2. 18:14.2, Josha Robinson (M, 17)
  3. 18:29.9, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 54)
  4. 18:49.2, Michael Rhodes (M, 54)
  5. 18:58.1, Elliot Butler (M, 32)
  6. 19:01.7, Gregory Noonan (M, 40)
  7. 20:14.6, Zachariah DeVeau (M, 35)
  8. 20:26.7, Kenneth Gloeckner (M, 39)
  9. 20:41.8, Thoren Knispel (M, 15)
  10. 20:46.5, Andrew Steinbrink (M, 37)

Top Ten Women, 2023 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 18:54.8, Megan Churchill (F, 21)
  2. 20:42.2, Megan Noonan (F, 39)
  3. 21:39.4, Brittney Barnes (F, 35)
  4. 21:46.5, Serafina Rietow (F, 15)
  5. 21:47.9, Madison Sims (F, 16)
  6. 23:42.3, Riley Michaud (F, 19)
  7. 23:59.4, Michelle Hadden (F, 34)
  8. 24:04.2, Nancy Proctor (F, 62)
  9. 24:20.4, Juliana Krueger (F, 25)
  10. 24:50.6, Angela Dempsey (F, 54)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 202317:41, Cadden Maxwell18:55, Megan Churchill418
4 July 202217:05, Matt Mizereck19:32, Sheryl Rosen324
4 July 202116:56, Tristan Cravello18:36, Alyson Churchill329
4 July 201917:43, Michael Niezgoda18:03, Ann Centner521
4 July 201815:34, Ricardo Estremera19:12, Katie Sherron479
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman180
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman128
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout73
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman87
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness78
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark88
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola76
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey56
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell127
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein80
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams94
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams155
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.
Due to COVID-19, there was no 2020 Firecracker 5000.


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Monday, July 4, 2022

Matt Mizereck and Sheryl Rosen were the cream of a crop of over 300 runners at the Firecracker 5K

If you're in Tallahassee, Florida on Indpendence Day then in the morning you need to go to the Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K. Before you fire up the grill, before you watch the hot dog eating contest, before you take in the fireworks--you need to head downtown to Cascades Park and run the Firecracker 5K. It's the patriotic thing to do.

Matt Mizereck
Matt Mizereck

Matt Mizereck, a thirty-year-old American, followed that advice on 4 July 2022 and won the 39th annual Firecracker 5K, covering the 3.1 miles in 17:05. Another American, Sheryl Rosen, was the first woman in the race, placing seventh overall in 19:32.


"My splits were 5:23, 5:30, 5:30," recalled Mizereck. "I wanted to go out conservatively because this was my first race after ACL surgery. That was back in February. Everything felt great today."

Chris O'Kelley
Chris O'Kelley

Mizereck's so-called conservative early race was still fast enough to put him out in front of the field seconds after the 8:00 AM start of the race. No one challenged him on his way to the finish line and a 17:05 win. It was not a surprise victory. Mizereck is a three-time state champion in high school cross-country and a former varsity distance runner at both the University of Florida and Florida State University.


"Some days you just race for second," said Chris O'Kelley. "I managed to keep him in sight, though."

Sheryl Rosen
Sheryl Rosen

O'Kelley led the group chasing Mizereck through the first half of the race. Early in the second half of the race, O'Kelley was the last one left in the pursuit pack. He gained a few seconds on Mizereck during that second half, but not enough to get back in contention. O'Kelley crossed the finish line second in 17:26. Brad Busboom took third in 18:21. Hong-Guo Yu was the fastest master runner in the Firecracker, running 18:53 for fifth overall.


O'Kelley managed to keep Mizereck in sight, but none of her rivals in the women's field could say the same about Sheryl Rosen. Rosen's winning 19:32 put her 300 meters ahead of the next woman in the race. Brittney Barnes took the runner-up spot, placing eighteenth overall in 20:48. Annabelle Wiktorski was third in the women's standings and 22nd overall in 21:15. Wiktorski, a rising eighth-grader at Montford Middle School, is the defending girls' cross-country champion in Leon County middle schools.

Brittney Barnes
Brittney Barnes

Judge Angela Dempsey was the top woman master and twelfth female finisher, 49th overall in 24:14.


324 athletes finished the Capital City Kiwanis' 2022 Firecracker 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race. Look for the 40th annual Firecracker 5K in Cascades Park on Tuesday morning, 4 July 2023.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 17:05, Matt Mizereck (M, 30)
  2. 17:26, Chris O'Kelley (M, 29)
  3. 18:21, Brad Busboom (M, 34)
  4. 18:43, Kyle Kraft (M, 33)
  5. 18:53, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 53)
  6. 19:23, Ethan Cole (M, 20)
  7. 19:36, Alex Moran (M, 28)
  8. 19:48, Hans Hassell (M, 39)
  9. 19:50, Gregory Noonan (M, 39)
  10. 19:53, Gary Droze (M, 61)

Top Ten Women, 2022 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 19:32, Sheryl Rosen (F, 38)
  2. 20:48, Brittney Barnes (F, 34)
  3. 21:15, Annabelle Wiktorski (F, 13)
  4. 22:51, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 39)
  5. 23:03, Haley Heitmeyer (F, 12)
  6. 23:16, Andi Vilardo (F, 13)
  7. 23:18, Kendall Meikenhous (F, 34)
  8. 23:22, Savannah Stanley (F, 13)
  9. 23:38, Madison Sims (F, 15)
  10. 23:46, Stacy Taylor (F, 39)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 202217:05, Matt Mizereck19:32, Sheryl Rosen324
4 July 202116:56, Tristan Cravello18:36, Alyson Churchill329
4 July 201917:43, Michael Niezgoda18:03, Ann Centner521
4 July 201815:34, Ricardo Estremera19:12, Katie Sherron479
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman180
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman128
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout73
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman87
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness78
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark88
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola76
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey56
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell127
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein80
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams94
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams155
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.
Due to COVID-19, there was no 2020 Firecracker 5000.


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Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Tristan Cravello and Alyson Churchill were on fire at Firecracker

On Sunday, 4 July 2021, Tristan Cravello made his first appearance in the Capital City Kiwanis' Firecracker 5K. It was a fine debut for the Florida State University grad. Cravello ran 16:56 in the 3.1-mile run around Tallahassee, Florida's Cascades Park, winning by nearly 300 meters. On the women's side, Alyson Churchill was already a veteran of the annual race, with four Firecrackers to her credit. Churchill's fifth Firecracker marked her second women's title in the event, as she placed fifth overall in 18:36.

The start of the 2019 Firecracker 5K

Wyatt Beck finished runner-up to Cravello in 17:50. Beck is a rising senior on the Austin High cross-country team. Thomas Parker was third in 18:04. Dr. Hong-Guo Yu was the first master runner in the Firecracker, the Florida State University biology professor placed fourth overall in 18:32.


Alyson Churchill won her first Firecracker title in 2015, back when she was a middle school cross-country runner. Since then, Churchill became a high school cross-country state champion and a NCAA Indoor Track All-American on the Florida State University women's team. At the 2021 Firecracker, Churchill led the women's field the entire way, but not by much. Florida State economics professor Dr. Katie Sherron kept it close, just over 30 meters behind Churchill at the finish line. Sherron was the second woman and sixth overall in 18:44. Like Churchill, Sherron has a winning history at Firecracker, having taken the women's title in 2013, 2017, and 2018.


Deirdre Baldwin was the first woman master and third female finisher, tenth overall in 19:20. Megan Churchill, a cross-country runner at Flagler College, was fourth in the women's division and nineteenth overall in 21:11.


329 athletes finished the Capital City Kiwanis' 2021 Firecracker 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2021 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 16:56, Tristan Cravello (M, 22)
  2. 17:50, Wyatt Beck (M, 17)
  3. 18:04, Thomas Parker (M, 38)
  4. 18:32, Hong-Guo Yu (M, 52)
  5. 18:46, Jonathan Stern (M, 25)
  6. 19:14, Chance Logan (M, 24)
  7. 19:18, Jeffrey Rubel (M, 28)
  8. 19:20, Tony Guillen (M, 52
  9. 19:51, Michael Niezgoda Jr (M, 32)
  10. 20:25, Drayden Reams (M, 15)

Top Ten Women, 2021 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 18:36, Alyson Churchill (F, 19)
  2. 18:44, Katie Sherron (F, 39)
  3. 19:20, Deirdre Baldwin (F, 46)
  4. 21:11, Megan Churchill (F, 19)
  5. 21:28, Melanie Castro (F, 19)
  6. 21:51, Elyse Gallegos (F, 33)
  7. 21:54, Nicole McConnel (F, 99)
  8. 22:18, Deanna McVay (F, 38)
  9. 22:55, Annalise Maillet (F, 25)
  10. 22:57, Payton Thumm (F, 14)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 202116:56, Tristan Cravello18:36, Alyson Churchill329
4 July 201917:43, Michael Niezgoda18:03, Ann Centner521
4 July 201815:34, Ricardo Estremera19:12, Katie Sherron479
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman180
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman128
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout73
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman87
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness78
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark88
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola76
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey56
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell127
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein80
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams94
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams155
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.


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Monday, July 15, 2019

Tristan LaNasa and Vicky Droze win a warm-weather mile at the Tally Mac Road Mile

National Macaroni and Cheese Day was Sunday, July 14. The Tally Mac Shack, Tallahassee, Florida’s macaroni-and-cheese specialists, celebrated that morning with a mac-and-cheese eating contest. In addition to that display of gluttony, they also hosted the inaugural Tally Mac Mile that afternoon. It wasn't a track mile, but Tristan LaNasa and Christian Minor made it as dramatic a race as any you'll ever see on a track, with LaNasa prevailing 5:06 to 5:11. Master runner Vicky Droze was the first woman in the mile, placing seventh overall in 6:42.

Tristan LaNasa, Vicky Droze
Overall winners Tristan LaNasa and Vicky Droze

By coincidence, the race happened just two days after Sifan Hassan had set a new women’s world record in the mile, running 4:12.33 on a track in Monaco and breaking a mark that had stood since 1996. Even if this increased interest in the mile, no one was planning on going that fast on the winding paths of Cascades Park, especially in the hot conditions when the race started at 6:30. The course took the runners from Happy Motoring on South Adams Street to the Cascades Park Bridge, once around Boca Chuba Pond, then back across the bridge to the finish line in front of Happy Motoring. A temperature display on the bridge read 100°F during the race.


Setting the pace from the start, Christian Minor was the first runner across the bridge. Tristan LaNasa was a few steps back, with Graham Carlson and master runner Gary Droze trailing. Minor continued to lead as the runners looped Boca Chuba Pond.

The start of the 2019 Tally Mac Mile
The Start

“We were running into people going out on our way back,” said LaNasa. “I was glad to have Christian up front blocking.”


Then LaNasa overtook Minor.


“It was right where I almost turned left instead of right, coming back over the bridge,” said Minor. “About 400 to go.”


LaNasa made the most of that final 400, opening a gap on Minor while returning to Happy Motoring in a winning 5:06. Minor was second in 5:11. After passing Carlson, Droze was third in 5:37, the first master runner in the race. Carlson took fourth in 5:48.

Gary Droze, Graham Carlson
Graham Carlson

Gary Droze finished just over a minute ahead of this wife, women’s champ Vicky Droze. During both bridge crossings and the lap around the pond, no one in the women's field challenged Vicky Droze as she ran to a 6:42 women's title. Carrie Suddes took second in the women's standings and twelfth overall in 7:31. Kelley Stem edged master runner Francee Laywell for the third woman's spot, 8:07 to 8:10. Stem and Laywell were fifteenth and sixteenth overall.


Lately, LaNasa has been racing the mile at Gulf Winds Track Club’s Summer Track Meets. Those races, however, aren’t on the road.


“This was my first road mile instead of a track mile,” said LaNasa. “It’s different. You don’t know where you are or your splits.”


“These are all training runs for the Breakfast on the Track Mile,” added LaNasa.

Carrie Suddes, Kelley Stem
Carrie Suddes

Following the mile, Tally Mac Shack invited athletes to sample nine different varieties of macaroni-and-cheese. Yes, that familiar comfort food comes in more than one flavor. The mile isn’t a race that you’d carbo-load for; you can get all the carbohydrates you need to cover a mile in half a can of cola. When marathoners and other endurance athletes carbo-load, they usually go for platters of spaghetti. But the elbow pasta in macaroni-and-cheese is just as good a carbohydrate source as any other pasta. Maybe the long distance runners should consider macaroni-and-cheese. It’s an American dish, after all--as American as the mile.


99 athletes finished the 2019 Tally Mac Mile. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Tally Mac Mile
  1. 5:06, Tristan La Nasa (M, 26)
  2. 5:11, Christian Minor (M, 32)
  3. 5:37, Gary Droze (M, 58)
  4. 5:48, Graham Carlson (M, 22)
  5. 6:31, Justin Cromartie (M, 23)
  6. 6:41, Jack Landis (M, 15)
  7. 6:50, Toby Jordan (M, 22)
  8. 6:57, Michael Stem (M, 30)
  9. 6:59, Ethan Katz (M, 36)
  10. 7:27, Rob Klepper (M, 47)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Tally Mac Mile
  1. 6:42, Vicky Droze (F, 44)
  2. 7:31, Carrie Suddes (F, 20)
  3. 8:07, Kelley Stem (F, 29)
  4. 8:10, Francee Laywell (F, 57)
  5. 8:14, Mackenzie Sconyers (F, 26)
  6. 8:23, Allison Carrier (F, 20)
  7. 8:51, Grace Michaels (F, 21)
  8. 9:18, Brittany Stith (F, 30)
  9. 9:20, Keeley Hernesman (F, 21)
  10. 9:21, Emily Forinash (F, 27)

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Thursday, July 4, 2019

Micheal Niezgoda and Ann Centner provided the fireworks at the Firecracker 5K

If you've been around Tallahassee, Florida long enough, you may remember going to Lake Ella on Independence Day for the fireworks. Since then the show has moved to Tom Brown Park. But starting in 2014, the Independence Day destination for Tallahassee runners is a morning appointment at Cascades Park to race the Capital City Kiwanis' Firecracker 5K. Michael Niezgoda kept that Thursday morning, 4 July 2019, appointment in a big way, winning the race in 17:43. Ann Centner was the first woman across the finish line, placing fourth overall in 18:03.

Michael Niezgoda
Michael Niezgoda

It was the 37th annual Firecracker 5K. For thirty years, from 1983 to 2012, the Greensboro, Florida Kiwanis Club hosted the Firecracker 5K in Gadsden County on a course that ran from Sycamore to Greensboro. After inheriting the race in 2013, the Capital City Kiwanis Club staged the race in Phipps Park for a year before moving downtown to Cascades Park. That was where the 2019 Firecracker started at 8:00 AM. Trevor Sununu set the early pace for the field, but he didn't have much time to enjoy the lead before Niezgoda took over.


"It was right in front of the Edison, about three-fourths of a mile," said Niezgoda. "Trevor kept surging during the first mile, trying to keep ahead of me. But I could tell the pace was slowing. So I had to get by him."

Trevor Sununu
Trevor Sununu

Once past Sununu, Niezgoda pulled steadily away, opening a gap of 70 meters during the second mile. During the third mile Zach DeVeau overtook Sununu and began to narrow Niezgoda's lead. But Niezgoda was still more than 50 meters ahead when he crossed the finish line in a winning 17:43. DeVeau took second in 17:54, and Sununu was third in 17:58. Tallahassee Community College cross-country coach Gary Droze was the first master runner in the race, finishing fifth overall in 18:25. Master runner Michael Martinez was able to keep Coach Droze in sight throughout the race, but only to see the Coach pull farther ahead. Martinez was the second master and sixth overall in 18:38.


"I live right here in Tallahassee, but I don't run many local races," said Niezgoda. "This was a sign-up-the-day-before type of thing."

Zach DeVeau
Zach DeVeau

If you don't see Niezgoda at many 5K races, it's because he's getting ready for something longer.


"I'm training to do the Chicago Marathon," said Niezgoda.

Gary Droze
Gary Droze

On any Fourth of July morning in Florida you can expect high temperatures, and after the race there were more than a few complaints about the heat. None of those complaints, though, came from women's champ Ann Centner.


"I wasn't really that hot out there," said Centner. "5K, I don't really feel the heat. 10K, I would."

Ann Centner
Ann Centner

Centner's 18:04 was the fastest women's time at the Firecracker 5K since the race moved to Tallahassee. It was a speedy run from the outset, but Alyson Churchill was right with Centner. A rising senior on the Chiles High cross-country team and the 2016 Florida high school cross-country champion, Churchill had won the Firecracker 5K women's title in 2015.


"I think she went out pretty fast, because my first mile was pretty fast, too. 5:35 or 5:38," said Centner. "I was probably out faster than usual but I've been doing shorter workouts, training for the mile."

Alyson Churchill, Ann Centner
Alyson Churchill & Ann Centner

After that 5:35 (or 5:38) opening mile, Churchill took over the lead.


"I was behind Ann for a mile," said Churchill. "I passed her right at the mile, and then she passed me at the turnaround."


"At the turnaround I put in a surge and she didn't go with me," said Centner.

Alyson Churchill
Alyson Churchill

Nor did anyone else. Center went 18:04, taking first in the women's standings. Alyson Churchill ran 18:55, placing runner-up for the women and tenth overall in 18:55.


"That was exciting!" said Churchill. "I enjoyed doing a community race."

Mo Palmer
Mo Palmer

Churchill doesn't get to compete in many community events, being busy racing for the Chiles High Timberwolves--for instance, at the 2018 High School State Championships, where the Chiles girls won the team title. One of the athletes she raced that morning was Palmetto High senior Morgan "Mo" Palmer. Palmer, now headed to Florida State University, was the third woman and nineteenth overall in the Firecracker 5K, running 19:45.


Davidson University distance runner Caroline Willis outkicked Florida Tech alum Amanda Sava for the fourth spot in the women's standings, 20:20 to 20:24. Willis and Sava were 21st and 22nd overall. Stacy Biggart of Tallahassee was the first woman master and eleventh female finisher, 44th overall in 23:17.

Caroline Willis, Amanda Sava
Caroline Willis & Amanda Sava

521 athletes finished the Capital City Kiwanis' 2019 Firecracker 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 17:43, Michael Niezgoda (M, 30)
  2. 17:54, Zach Deveau (M, 31)
  3. 17:58, Trevor Sununu (M, 23)
  4. 18:25, Gary Droze (M, 58)
  5. 18:38, Michael Martinez (M, 53)
  6. 18:41, Hawthorne Hay (M, 17)
  7. 18:45, Michael Rhodes (M, 50)
  8. 18:48, Khalil Randell (M, 22)
  9. 18:59, Mickey Moore (M, 49)
  10. 19:04, Myles Gibson (M, 53)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 18:03, Ann Centner (F, 27)
  2. 18:55, Alyson Churchill (F, 17)
  3. 19:45, Mo Palmer (F, 18)
  4. 20:20, Caroline Willis (F, 20)
  5. 20:24, Amanda Sava (F, 24)
  6. 20:50, Brittney Barnes (F, 31)
  7. 20:54, Megan Churchill (F, 17)
  8. 21:45, Mia Wiederkehr (F, 21)
  9. 22:18, Kirsten Tucker (F, 23)
  10. 22:49, Laura McDermott (F, 39)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 201917:43, Michael Niezgoda18:03, Ann Centner521
4 July 201815:34, Ricardo Estremera19:12, Katie Sherron479
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman180
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman128
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout73
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman87
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness78
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark88
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola76
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey56
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell127
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein80
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams94
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams155
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.


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Thursday, January 31, 2019

Noah Deem and Eliana Karr take the Tulip Trot

Tallahassee, Florida's Tulip Trot 5K has been run in seven different years and two different parks. It has been run in May and in January. But it was always a Saturday morning race until 27 January 2019, when the seventh annual Tulip Trot was held on Sunday afternoon in Cascades Park. Noah Deem won the race in 19:28, and Eliana Karr was the first woman, second overall in 20:14.

Noah Deem
Noah Deem

The USATF-certified course for the Tulip Trot started off with a circuit of Cascades Park, followed by a second lap around the park that also included an out-and-back detour on Franklin. Instead of following this route, the runners in the 2019 race were directed onto Franklin on their first time around the park. The altered course wasn't certified, but it was probably close to five kilometers. Whatever the distance, Noah Deem, a sixth-grader on the Community Leadership Academy cross-country team, was the clear leader by the halfway point of the race. Eliana Karr, a pre-med student at Florida State University, ran in second, leading the women's field.


During the second half, Deem pulled steadily farther ahead while Karr hung on to second. Deem was still going away when he crossed the finish line first in 19:28. Karr followed in 20:14.

Eliana Karr
Eliana Karr

128 athletes finished the 2019 Tulip Trot. Miles and Minutes, LLC of Tallahassee timed and scored the race.


Tulip Trot 5K winners; 2010, 2011, and 2015 - 2019
DateMenWomenFinishers
22 May 201016:36, Vince Molosky21:12, Shana Ryberg318
14 May 201116:53, Vince Molosky18:03, Lindsay Zeiler323
31 January 201517:53, Trevor Sununu23:26, Kristi Johnson202
30 January 201616:47, Joseph Garcia23:14, Paula O'Neill240
28 January 201717:56, Jim Halley19:08, Sheryl Rosen181
27 January 201818:09, Jim Halley21:14, Sherez Mohamed161
27 January 201919:28, Noah Deem20:14, Eliana Karr128
The 2010 and 2011 Tulip Trot 5K races were held in Tom Brown Park.
From 2015 to 2018 the Tulip Trot 5K was held in Cascades Park on USATF-certified
course FL14149EBM.


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Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Johnson and Sherron were the bomb at the Firecracker 5K

Tallahassee, Florida has had many years without an Independence Day road race, but 2017 was not one of those years. In and around Cascades Park on Tuesday morning, 4 July 2017, Charlie Johnson won the Capital City Kiwanis Club's Firecracker 5K, running 16:48. Katie Sherron was the women's champion, placing nineteenth overall in 19:42. More than 500 runners finished the race.


During the 1980s, Tallahassee had an Independence Day race in Tom Brown Park. Meanwhile, next door in Gadsden County, the Greensboro Kiwanis Club started their own Fourth of July race in 1983, the Firecracker 5K. The Tom Brown race eventually disappeared, but Greensboro's Firecracker 5K thrived for 30 years. After the 2012 race, the Greensboro Kiwanis decided to retire from race directing. The Capital City Kiwanis Club inherited the event, and brought it to Tallahassee.

Charlie Johnson
Charlie Johnson

Tallahassee's first Firecracker 5K, the 2013 race, was run in Phipps Park. After that, the race moved to newly-completed Cascades Park. Even in its new home, the Firecracker course has changed frequently.


"Every single year," declared Cole Tessier, the race director.


Honestly, the course changes have been subtle since 2014, though--incremental improvements rather than a radical overhaul. For instance, when the runners lined up for the start of the 2017 race, they lined up on Suwannee Street, just like in 2014. It was a different part of Suwannee Street, but it was still on Suwannee Street.

Vince Molosky
Vince Molosky

Just after the 8:00 AM start, before the runners had left Suwnannee Street, Nick Yaeger had bounded into the lead, with Vince Molosky trailing in second. Near the end of the first mile, Molosky had overtaken Yaeger. Behind them, racing in a "Big Lebowski" T-shirt, Charlie Johnson had moved into third.


During the second mile, the race covered an out-and-back stretch on Franklin Avenue. On the way out, Johnson passed Yaeger to move into second. After that, Johnson caught Molosky.


"Maybe a quarter mile after the turnaround on Franklin," recalled Johnson.

Katie Sherron
Katie Sherron

Back on Cascade Park's paved trails, Johnson built up a lead of more than 100 meters, going on to win the race in 16:48. Molosky was second in 17:11, Nick Yaeger third in 17:34, and Chris O'Kelley fourth in 17:54. Geb Kiros and Gary Droze placed fifth and sixth overall, with Kiros edging Droze 18:05 to 18:11 for top master runner honors.


Molly McCann, an alumna of the Maclay School cross-country team who will be competing for Tallahassee Community College in the fall, led the women's field early, but not for long.


"Molly from TCC was up front for the first mile," recalled Katie Sherron, who passed McCann right after that first mile. "At the Franklin Boulevard turnaround the only person I saw was Kat [Sack], five or ten seconds back. That's how we finished."

Kat Sack
Kat Sack

Sherron took the women's title in 19:42, with Sack running 20:01 for second in the women's standings and 23rd overall. McCann was third woman and 30th overall in 20:32. Paula O'Neill was the top woman master and eleventh female finisher, 67th overall in 22:55.


The 35th annual race may have been the largest Firecracker 5K ever, but it was certainly the largest since the race moved to Tallahassee. Even so, the event wasn't without its problems.


"It was hot," observed Kat Sack, the women's runner up. "It would be a great course in the winter."


But until Independence Day is observed in January, high temperatures will be part of the Firecracker 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 16:48, Charlie Johnson (M, 37)
  2. 17:11, Vince Molosky (M, 37)
  3. 17:34, Nick Yeager (M, 22)
  4. 17:54, Chris O'Kelley (M, 24)
  5. 18:05, Geb Kiros (M, 50)
  6. 18:11, Gary Droze (M, 56)
  7. 18:16, Ryan Truchelut (M, 31)
  8. 18:22, Kurt Dietrich (M, 25)
  9. 18:23, Doug Bell (M, 48)
  10. 18:27, Jim Halley (M, 37)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Capital City Kiwanis Firecracker 5K
  1. 19:42, Katie Sherron (F, 35)
  2. 20:01, Kat Sack (F, 25)
  3. 20:32, Molly McCann (F, 18)
  4. 20:55, Hannah Hosay (F, 15)
  5. 21:20, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 34)
  6. 21:52, Samantha Reilly (F, 25)
  7. 21:57, Meg Ogle (F, 26)
  8. 22:01, Laura McDermott (F, 37)
  9. 22:33, Brittney Barnes (F, 29)
  10. 22:35, Julie Duggins (F, 34)
  11. 22:55, Paula O'Neill (F, 56)

Recent winners of the Firecracker 5000m
DateMenWomenFinishers
4 July 201716:48, Charlie Johnson19:42, Katie Sherron520
4 July 201616:06, Stanley Linton20:35, Brittney Barnes399
4 July 201517:00, Michael Potter19:23, Alyson Churchill370
4 July 201417:06, Joseph Garcia18:58, Katie Slater431
4 July 201318:22, Roger Schmidt20:53, Katie Showman
4 July 201216:14, Stanley Linton22:36, Nancy Stedman
4 July 201117:20, Joel Piotrowski21:35, Stephanie Stout
3 July 201018:45, Cliff Skelton22:29, Nancy Stedman
4 July 200916:46, Daniel Lee19:26, Emily Ness
4 July 2008
4 July 200718:05, Tony Guillen21:51, Julie Clark
4 July 200617:40, James Cook20:03, Julia Vola
4 July 200516:44, Jeff Dubias20:30, Heather Bailey
3 July 200415:48, Caleb Carmichael18:39, Kara Newell
4 July 2003
4 July 200216:57, Jason Fulghum22:07, Janice Hochstein
4 July 200117:22, Paul Hoover17:53, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 200015:57, Gary Droze18:10, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199916:37, Tim Simpkins17:56, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 199816:05, Damian Wilson17:35, Sarah Docter-Williams
4 July 1997
4 July 199615:45, Gary Droze19:13, Carrie Weyant
4 July 199416:07, Gary Droze18:19, Lisa Herman
4 July 199016:55, Bill Crooks19:10, Vikki Saga
4 July 198916:47, Paul Hoover20:27, Mae Cleveland
4 July 198817:02, Paul Hoover
From 1983 to 2012 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Gadsden County from
Sycamore to Greensboro.
In 2013 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee on trails in Phipps
Park.
In 2014 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14067EBM.
In 2015 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL15071EBM.
In 2016 the Firecracker 5000 was run in Tallahassee from Cascades Park
on USATF Certified Course FL14149EBM.


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