Showing posts with label Charn McAllister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charn McAllister. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

McAllister and Daily master the Draggin' in Torreya

Draggin' Tail RunnersIn a recent issue of Georgia's Great Places, a magazine published by the Friends of Georgia State Parks, an article about photography in state parks included some advice from Ranger Randell Meeks. One of his tips is:

Take your time. Hike slowly and pay attention to your surroundings. Oftentimes snakes, flowers, and insects are right right there but we pass by them without noticing.

In Florida's Torreya State Park on Saturday, 11 April 2015, 68 athletes had no use for Ranger Meeks' words. They weren't shutterbugs, though; they were the participants in the eighth annual Draggin' Tail Ultra Trail Challenge, featuring a 50K and a 25K race up and down the Apalachicola River bluffs. Charn McAllister won the 50K event, covering the rugged 31 miles in 4:54:04. Some of his competition might consider handing him a camera before the next race. In winning the race, McAllister unseated the Trail Challenge's seven-time defending champion and record holder, Vince Molosky. Until this year Molosky had not only never lost the 50K Trail Challenge, no one but Molosky had ever won it. This time around, though, Molosky was runner-up in 5:16:14. Andy Roberts was the fastest master runner in the 50K, placing third overall in 5:38:12.


Ashley Daily topped the women's standings, placing seventh overall in 6:15:07. Daily had also won the women's title at the 2013 Challenge, where she set the women's event record of 5:47:48. Sandra Garrett was the first woman master and second female finisher in the 50K, coming in 12th overall in 7:36:10. On an unseasonably warm and humid day, 18 ultrarunners finished the long race.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Torreya Draggin' Tail 50K
  1. 4:54:04 ~ Charn McAllister (M, 32)
  2. 5:16:14 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 35)
  3. 5:38:12 ~ Andy Roberts (M, 48)
  4. 5:38:55 ~ Elliott Smith (M, 33)
  5. 6:03:42 ~ Steven Speakman (M, 42)
  6. 6:10:50 ~ Keith Gates (M, 33)
  7. 6:47:07 ~ Luis Barrios (M, 50)
  8. 6:53:48 ~ Andrew Barrett (M, 24)
  9. 7:13:20 ~ Dana Stetson (M, 58)
  10. 7:18:08 ~ Steven Specht (M, 32)

Top Six Women, 2015 Torreya Draggin' Tail 50K
  1. 6:15:07 ~ Ashley Daily (F, 28)
  2. 7:36:10 ~ Sandra Garrett (F, 41)
  3. 7:40:34 ~ Heather Davenport (F, 48)
  4. 7:57:42 ~ Lydia Miles (F, 42)
  5. 9:02:57 ~ Letha Cruthirds (F, 61)
  6. 9:16:31 ~ Mary Holley (F, 55)

Eric Godin won the 25K at the Draggin' Tail Trail Challenge, running 2:18:40. Not far behind Godin at 2:19:19 was the first master runner in the short race, Jon Mason. Master runner Kristen Bowers was the first female finisher, placing 10th overall in 3:03:15.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Torreya Draggin' Tail 25K
  1. 2:18:40 ~ Eric Godin (M, 31)
  2. 2:19:19 ~ Jon Mason (M, 41)
  3. 2:28:31 ~ Mark Jones (M, )
  4. 2:39:27 ~ Hal Fravel (M, 34)
  5. 2:48:50 ~ Jimbo Smart (M, 45)
  6. 2:52:12 ~ Steven Romo (M, 22)
  7. 2:55:04 ~ Landon Jones (M, 30)
  8. 2:55:59 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 41)
  9. 2:58:34 ~ Michael McAdams (M, )
  10. 3:08:11 ~ Matt Pollard (M, 37)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Torreya Draggin' Tail 25K
  1. 3:03:15 ~ Kristen Bowers (F, 40)
  2. 3:23:27 ~ Megan Federico (F, 32)
  3. 3:23:30 ~ Amelia Crooms (F, 25)
  4. 3:38:36 ~ Heather York (F, 37)
  5. 3:39:26 ~ Cathy Tibbetts (F, 60)
  6. 3:43:40 ~ Jo Lena Bryan (F, 43)
  7. 3:44:32 ~ Amy Wood (F, )
  8. 3:45:38 ~ Sue Cottrill (F, 52)
  9. 3:52:42 ~ Lynn Masimore (F, 37)
  10. 3:54:30 ~ Alison Hand (F, 41)

Winners of Torreya State Park's Draggin' Tail Ultra Trail Challenge, 2008 - 2015
DateDistanceMenWomenFinishers
19 April 200850K5:52:53, Vince Molosky7:21:59, Casey Rodgers12
25K2:34:59, Brian Corbin2:49:16, Lisa Purul25
23 May 200950K5:10:06, Vince Molosky6:38:20, Shana Ryberg15
25K2:28:40, Michael Kennett3:02:57, Kirsten Baggett20
10 April 201050K4:59:06, Vince Molosky6:42:39, Chrissy Coutts17
25K2:19:29, Mike McConnell3:10:30, Kate McCabe23
9 April 201150K4:44:35, Vince Molosky6:27:34, Chrissy Coutts11
25K2:26:59, Paul Brannon2:44:03, Ashley Daily33
7 April 201250K4:53:55, Vince Molosky6:09:44, Chrissy Coutts15
25K2:15:43, Camilo Ordonez2:45:07, Kate Chunka41
6 April 201350K4:40:06, Vince Molosky5:47:48, Ashley Dailey19
25K2:18:46, Michael Kennett2:58:15, Melissa Hooke38
5 April 201450K4:45:02, Vince Molosky6:05:30, Kathleen Baker20
25K2:32:41, Joel Piotrowski3:00:30, Amanda Hudson48
11 April 201550K4:54:04, Charn McAllister6:15:07, Ashley Daily18
25K2:18:40, Eric Godin3:03:15, Kristen Bowers50


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Monday, July 28, 2014

McAllister and Molen master the Magnolia Trail

Charn McAllisterOn 26 July 2014, during a Saturday afternoon popularly described as steamy, Charn McAllister won Gulf Winds Track Club’s second annual Magnolia Trail Race. McAllister covered the three-and-a-half mile run through Tallahassee’s Tom Brown Park in 26:03, finishing just ahead of the runner-up, Crawfordville master runner Duane Evans. Emily Molen was the first female finisher, coming in 11th overall in 30:16. Angela Dempsey was the first woman master in the field, placing 20th overall in 31:56. 108 athletes stumbled, slid, and sweated their way through the race.


Anyone who runs in the late afternoons or early evenings during a Tallahassee summer gets in the habit of checking the weather, hoping for an afternoon rain shower. There are days when only a storm can get the heat index out of three-digit territory. Some days it’s enough to make you a fan of hurricanes. But a brief summer shower is worse than no rain at all. It doesn’t rain enough to cool off the air, but it does increase the humidity to the point where your sweat has nowhere to go. Without evaporation, you get hot and you stay hot.


2014A brief summer shower is exactly what Tallahassee got just before the Magnolia Trail Race.


McAllister had studied the Magnolia Trail course before last year’s race, concluding that once the runners got into the woods, in most places the trail was too narrow to allow passing. “My goal is to get to the trail first,” explained McAllister.


However, many of the competitors had the same strategy, and there was a scramble for the narrow opening into the woods. “We all went out too fast,” said McAllister. “We all paid the price equally, luckily for me.”


McAllister did make it to the trail first, just ahead of four other athletes. Duane Evans was several steps behind in fifth. As the runners wound through the woods, they began to feel the heat and the hills and the fast start. Then they discovered that the race was slightly longer than last year.


Duane Evans“Part of the course was closed last year,” said Bobby York, the race director. “It was open this year, and the run was exactly 3.49 miles.”


As the competitors struggled with the bonus distance, Duane Evans moved up through the field, reaching second place just behind McAllister. The light rain hadn’t made the trail muddy, but the course was slippery in spots. With less than a mile to go, McAllister found one of those spots.


“I slipped and hit the dirt,” said McAllister. “I was able to get back up before Duane caught me.”


McAllister recovered from his fall to beat Evans to the finish line, 26:03 to 26:20. Brian Molen made up ground late in the race to finish third in 26:26.


Emily MolenIn the women’s competition, Brook Pace made it to the woods first, but Emily Molen was there just two seconds later. Pace had won the women’s division at the two earlier races on the Summer Trail Series, while Molen trailed at third in one race and fourth in the other. The Magnolia Trail Race would be different.


“I took the lead right before the water station,” said Molen, who will be running cross country for Deerlake Middle School in September.


Molen continued to lead the rest of race, finishing at the top of the women’s standings in 30:16. At 31:56 Angela Dempsey was second on the women’s side. Melissa Hooke was third at 32:13 and Brook Pace fourth at 32:18.


The Magnolia Trail Race was the third event of four in the 2014 Summer Trail Series. With one race to go, Charn McAllister has three wins. The final event in the series will be the 4.5-mile Cadillac Trail Race on Saturday morning, 9 August 2014, in Tom Brown Park.


Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2014 Magnolia Trail Race
    Jay Smith and Brian Molen
  1. 26:03 ~ Charn McAllister (M, 31) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 26:20 ~ Duane Evans (M, 47)
  3. 26:26 ~ Brian Molen (M, 38)
  4. 26:42 ~ Jay Smith (M, 40)
  5. 27:10 ~ Andy Roberts (M, 47)
  6. 28:10 ~ Jeff Nielsen (M, 56)
  7. 28:43 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 40)
  8. 29:11 ~ Daniel Stewart (M, 29)
  9. 29:20 ~ Travis Miller (M, 44)
  10. 30:12 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 45)

Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2014 Magnolia Trail Race
    Angela Dempsey and Melissa Hooke
  1. 30:16 ~ Emily Molen (F, 12) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 31:56 ~ Angela Dempsey (F, 45)
  3. 32:13 ~ Melissa Hooke (F, 35)
  4. 32:18 ~ Brook Pace (F, 35)
  5. 33:37 ~ Michelle St Onge (F, 33)
  6. 33:46 ~ Kristen Bowers (F, 39)
  7. 33:50 ~ Crystal Douglas (F, 38)
  8. 33:56 ~ Shelley Yaun (F, 37)
  9. 34:05 ~ Tsige Tadesse (F, 41)
  10. 34:12 ~ Marien Dimacali (F, 52)

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

McAllister and Pace take the Swamp Forest Trail Race

Charn McAllisterAt Gulf Winds Track Club's inaugural Swamp Forest Trail Run in 2013, Charn McAllister finished second to Kevin Sullivan. At the second Swamp Forest on 12 July 2014, though, runner-up wasn't good enough for McAllister, and he won the race in 29:06. The time was not only an improvement on the 30:38 that he had run the previous year, but it was also faster than Sullivan's 2013 winning time of 30:19. This year it was Duane Evans' turn to finish second; at 29:39 the Crawfordville runner was the first master in the race. Brook Pace was the first woman, placing 15th overall in 33:13. Angela Dempsey was the second woman finisher and first woman master, coming in 19th overall in 34:51.


The race started at 8:00 AM in Phipps Park, just inside the Gate A entrance off of Miller Landing Road. Charn McAllister set the early pace, with Tallahassee master runner Tony Guillen in close pursuit. Back on the trails, though, McAllister broke away, building up a healthy lead. Duane Evans overtook Guillen to move into second. On the winding path through the woods, though, Evans only caught occasional glimpses of McAllister, who was over 100 yards ahead by the time he finished the race first in 29:06. Evans was second in 29:39. With the finish line in sight, Brian Molen surged past Guillen to take third, 29:41 to 29:42. Lincoln High senior Sean Isenberg was fifth in 30:08.


Brook PaceAfter half a mile of racing, Brook Pace was already leading the women’s competition, five seconds ahead of Melissa Hooke and Emily Molen. Quinn Horner trailed, running fourth in the women’s field, with Angela Dempsey farther back in fifth. While Brook Pace was opening up a gap of nearly 300 yards on the rest of the women, Dempsey moved up, working her way up to the second women’s spot. Pace finished the race with the women’s title in 33:13, while Dempsey was the second woman finisher at 34:51. Melissa Hooke was third on the women's side, finishing 22nd overall in 35:07. Emily Molen, a cross-country runner at Deerlake Middle School, placed fourth in the women's standings, 26th overall in 35:19. 33rd overall in 36:50, Quinn Horner was the fifth woman finisher.


The Swamp Forest Trail Run was the second race in Gulf Winds Track Club’s Summer Trail Series. It was also Charn McAllister’s second win in the series; he won the first race in the series, the Red Bug Trail 5.5 mile, on June 21. The two remaining races in the Summer Trail Series are the Magnolia Trail 3.5-mile run at Tom Brown Park on July 26 and the Cadillac Trail 4.5-mile run at Tom Brown Park on August 9. Directed by Bobby York, the series is going strong in its second year, drawing fields of more than a hundred runners to each race.


Top Ten Men, GWTC's 2014 Swamp Forest Trail Run
  1. 29:06 ~ Charn McAllister (M, 31)Duane Evans
  2. 29:39 ~ Duane Evans (M, 47)
  3. 29:41 ~ Brian Molen (M, 38)
  4. 29:42 ~ Tony Guillen (M, 45)
  5. 30:08 ~ Sean Isenberg (M, 17)
  6. 30:23 ~ Jon Mason (M, 40)
  7. 30:34 ~ Erik Isenberg (M, 17)
  8. 30:45 ~ Jeff Nielsen (M, 56)
  9. 31:32 ~ Daniel Stewart (M, 29)
  10. 31:44 ~ Michael Kennett (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, GWTC's 2014 Swamp Forest Trail Run
  1. 33:13 ~ Brook Pace (F, 35)Angela Dempsey
  2. 34:51 ~ Angela Dempsey (F, 45)
  3. 35:07 ~ Melissa Hooke (F, 35)
  4. 35:19 ~ Emily Molen (F, 12)
  5. 36:50 ~ Quinn Horner (F, 33)
  6. 36:56 ~ Michelle St. Onge (F, 33)
  7. 37:30 ~ Jane Skalski (F, 29)
  8. 38:12 ~ Marien Dimacali (F, 52)
  9. 38:19 ~ Tsige Tadessi (F, 41)
  10. 38:47 ~ Julie Clark (F, 52)

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