Patrick Gallagher and Courtney Rouse get weekday wins at Ironwood

During the fall of 1990 I was coaching high school cross-country in South Carolina. On what seemed like way too many weekday afternoons, we loaded the teams into vans, drove the athletes to a park or a golf course or a school yard somewhere in the Low Country, and they raced five kilometers. We left after classes, so the races were in the late afternoon or early evening.


Many folks have had a similar experience of high school cross-country--late afternoon races during the week. That's also the experience of athletes at the Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association 5K cross-country race in Gainesville, Florida, which is always run during the week in the late afternoon/early evening. You finish work or school, then head over to Ironwood Golf Course with your racing gear.


Gainesville master runner Patrick Gallagher was among the athletes who headed to Ironwood on Wednesday afternoon, 10 April 2019, for the LGAA 5K. Gallagher won the thirteenth annual race, running 19:45. Courtney Rouse was the women's champ, placing third overall in 20:25.


A veteran of the LGAA 5K, Gallagher had finished tenth in 2017 and eighth in 2018. Adam Varnedoe of Gainesville finished runner-up to Gallagher in the 2019 race, covering the course in 20:01. Gainesville's Chris Marhefka ran 20:26, taking third in the men's standings and fourth overall.


Two-and-a-half weeks before the LGAA 5K, women's winner Rouse had been the first woman at the Trail of Payne 10K--a longer and more rugged cross-country run. Leanne Harrison-Forbes of Gainesville was the first woman master in the 2019 LGAA 5K, the second female and fifteenth overall in 22:50. Gainesville master runner Sandy Flory was the third woman and eighteenth overall in 23:19.


151 athletes finished the 2019 LGAA 5K. Proceeds from the event benefit the scholarship and grant program of the Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association. The race was chip timed by Start To Finish Race Management of Alachua, Florida.


Top Ten Men, 2018 LGAA 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 19:44.3, Patrick Gallagher (M, 43) Gainesville, FL
2. 20:00.1, Adam Varnedoe (M, 38) Gainesville, FL
3. 20:25.3, Chris Marhefka (M, 33) Gainesville, FL
4. 20:36.9, Timothy Hannan (M, 28) Gainesville, FL
5. 20:39.9, Jonathan Mays (M, 44) Gainesville, FL
6. 21:18.1, Timothy Donovan (M, 41)
7. 21:39.9, Jeff Godman (M, 46) Gainesville, FL
8. 21:42.1, S. Austin (M, 9) Gainesville, FL
9. 21:42.6, Patrick Traynor (M, 38) Gainesville, FL
10. 22:00.8, Matthew Stanton (M, 41) Archer, FL

Top Ten Women, 2018 LGAA 5K Cross-Country Race

1. 20:24.9, Courtney Rouse (F, 25) Gainesville, FL
2. 22:49.1, Leanne Harrison-Forbes (F, 46) Gainesville, FL
3. 23:18.5, Sandy Flory (F, 42) Gainesville, FL
4. 24:53.1, Lisa Alcala (F, 50) Gainesville, FL
5. 24:54.9, Karen Harbaugh (F, 50) Gainesville, FL
6. 24:58.7, Kelly Chesser (F, 37) Fort White, FL
7. 24:59.6, Tatiana Orozco (F, 32) Gainesville, FL
8. 25:00.6, Mary Drummond (F, 41) Gainesville, FL
9. 25:08.5, Marlena Wesh (F, 28)
10. 27:23.9, Linda Rocafort (F, 39) Gainesville, FL

Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association 5K winners, 2007 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
18 April 2007
16 April 2008	15:37, Brent Schneider	18:40, Romy Krueger	279
15 April 2009
24 March 2010	15:55, Andrew Robinson	20:22, Mary Waechter	180
13 April 2011	15:52, Brent Schneider	23:02, Claudia Noah
11 April 2012	16:40, Dan Monteau	19:53, Stephanie Williams	263
10 April 2013	17:32, Dan Clark	21:47, Rebecca Weaver	267
16 April 2014	16:26, Michael Anderson	19:05, Ani Veltcheva	385
22 April 2015	15:42, Jon Mott	19:32, Ani Veltcheva	350
27 April 2016	16:06, Enoch Nadler	18:43, Ani Veltcheva	305
5 April 2017	15:12, Enoch Nadler	18:34, Georganne Watson	189
4 April 2018	16:42, Enoch Nadler	18:58, Georganne Watson	196
10 April 2019	19:45, Patrick Gallagher	20:25, Courtney Rouse	151

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 LGAA 5K Cross-Country Race
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTYhBUA5HtycmnJStAajtxgGM9vB-BiXrDE_YkUzPMFeJqYobUbl0cED5d9412MKpoi2KKa_a7GGNMH/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Nadler and Watson repeat at Ironwood in the LGAA 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/lgaa-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Enoch Nadler's 15:12 wins the LGAA 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/lgaa-2017.html
  
  
• Ironwood Golf Course
  http://www.ironwoodgolfcourse.org/
  
  
• Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association
  http://www.lgalum.com/
  
  
• Find an upcoming cross-country race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2485

Chris Cabret and Courtney Rouse score a Payne-full cross-country sweep for Team FTC

If there's any word that comes to mind when "prairie" is mentioned, it's "flat." Payne's Prairie is certainly flat. Located in Florida north of Micanopy and south of Gainesville, Payne's Prairie was created when its limestone foundation dissolved, collapsing the hills and leaving a broad, level area, sometimes lake and sometimes Savannah. And sometimes racecourse, at least once a year for the Trail Of Payne 10K cross-country race.


Don't think that because Payne's Prairie is flat, the Trail Of Payne course is easy. The terrain is rugged. At the ninth annual Trail Of Payne 10K, on Saturday morning, 23 March 2019, Chris Cabret ran the course in 36:10. It was nearly a minute off his best cross-country time, a 35:25 that Cabret ran at the 2016 NCAA-D2 Nationals as a frosh at Saint Leo University. 36:10 couldn't have been too disappointing a mark for the Team Florida Track Club runner, though, because it was fast enough for Cabret to win the Trail Of Payne by more than 150 meters. Likewise, another Team Florida Track Club member, Courtney Rouse, had run a 37:19.09 10K on the track, more than a bit faster than the 43:20 she managed at Payne's Prairie. Nevertheless, Rouse was the first woman in the 2019 Trail Of Payne, completing a Team FTC sweep and placing seventh overall.


John Sansalone of Gainesville finished runner-up for the second year in row, his 36:48 was three seconds faster than his 2018 time of 36:51. Thurman Lincoln, a senior on the Buchholz High cross-country team, took third in 39:39. Another Buchholz Bobcat, frosh Wrigley Longstreet, was fourth in 40:07. Dan Stoner of Team Florida Track Club had been either the second or third master runner in the race during each of the last three years, but in 2019 he was the Trail Of Payne's top master, placing fifth overall in 40:59.


Sarah Williams took second in the women's standings, placing 21st overall in 48:22. Another veteran of the Trail Of Payne, Williams had finished among the top ten women in both 2017 and 2018. Dr. Kristina Von Castel, a University of Florida nutrition professor, was the first woman master and third female finisher, 25th overall in 49:11.


227 athletes finished the 2019 Trail Of Payne 10K. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Trail of Payne 10K

1. 36:10, Chris Cabret (M, 21) Gainesville, FL
2. 36:48, John M Sansalone (M, 23) Gainesville, FL
3. 39:39, Thurman Lincoln (M, 18) Gainesville, FL
4. 40:07, Wrigley Longstreet (M, 15) Gainesville, FL
5. 40:59, Dan Stoner (M, 44)
6. 41:45, Patrick Gallagher (M, 43) Gainesville, FL
7. 43:33, Jonathan Tan (M, 45)
8. 44:06, Scott Wright (M, 41)
9. 44:36, Jonathan Mays (M, 44)
10. 45:48, Johnny Sansalone (M, 61)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Trail of Payne 10K

1. 43:20, Courtney Rouse (F, 25)
2. 48:22, Sarah Williams (F, 39)
3. 49:11, Kristina Von Castel (F, 43)
4. 50:31, Angela Desimone (F, 48)
5. 50:41, Tierra Dozier (F, 33)
6. 50:44, Karen Schlatter (F, 34)
7. 50:55, Verity Mathis (F, 40) Gainesville, FL
8. 50:56, Ann Bernert (F, 26)
9. 51:56, Sally Chappell (F, 56)
10. 52:13, Becky Yeadon (F, 27)

Trail of Payne 10K winners, 2011 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
19 March 2011	35:56, Christian Kern	41:06, Tatiana Titova	271
17 March 2012	34:37, Mike Hensley	40:33, Tenley Godfrey	342
16 March 2013	37:12, Christopher Raye	40:22, Stephanie McGrail	273
29 March 2014	37:16, Nick Auyeung	41:30, Carol Rowe	244
28 March 2015	34:02, Mike Hensley	42:12, Meredith DeFranco	271
26 March 2016	35:42, Bobby Hensley	43:11, Stephanie McGrail	194
25 March 2017	33:16, Enoch Nadler	39:44, Stephanie McGrail	207
24 March 2018	35:56, Bobby Hensley	43:30, Meredith DeFranco	180
23 March 2019	36:10, Chris Cabret	43:20, Courtney Rouse	227

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Trail of Payne 10K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSPSwT6Gmwyz9l0bv6vYPfUJ_o-CIx_2eymAJJ6ypdRjOzJnoDVabUlOfCTrcy1mKDBT2G7rvBddnUl/pubhtml
  
  
• Bester Photo's pictures of the 2019 Trail Of Payne 10K
  https://www.facebook.com/pg/besterphoto/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1062481387295064
  
  
• 2018 story, “Hensley and DeFranco return for more Payne and more wins”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/payne-trail-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Team Florida Track Club's Nadler and McGrail run through Payne to victory”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/03/payne-trail-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Bobby Hensley overcomes Payne”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/03/payne-trail-2016.html
  
  
• Trail of Payne 10K Facebook Page
  https://www.facebook.com/TrailOfPayne10k/
  
  
• Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
  https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Paynes-Prairie
  
  
• Find more Payne-ful races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2474

Hutson Rapier and Courtney Rouse weren't just terrapin at the Race The Tortoise 5K

It took eleven years, but the tenth annual Race The Tortoise 5K came to Florida's O'Leno State Park on Saturday morning, 2 March 2019, hosted by the friends of O'Leno State Park. Hutson Rapier of nearby Gainesville, Florida won the landmark race, going 17:03. Courtney Rouse, another Gainesville athlete, was the first woman in the race, placing fifth overall in 19:35.


Just 30 meters behind Rapier, Rich Smith was the first master runner in the 5K. The overall runner-up, Smith ran 17:10. Kenneth Harland, an alumnus of the Mandarin High cross-country team and a first-year student at the University of Florida, took third in 17:23.


Gainesville's Angela Nadler placed second in the women's standings and seventh overall, running 19:57. Nadler improved over a minute on her performance in the 2018 Race The Tortoise, where she had run 21:09, finishing seventh in the women's division. Katie Avery of Gainesville was the third woman and thirteenth overall in 21:48. Victoria Wolpert was the first woman master and fourth female finisher, 24th overall in 24:38.


239 athletes finished the 2019 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 2019 race was provided by Milestone Race Authority of Jacksonville, Florida.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 17:03, Hutson Rapier (M, 36)
2. 17:10, Rich Smith (M, 40)
3. 17:23, Kenneth Harland (M, 18)
4. 17:50, Baker Herrin (M, 20)
5. 19:54, Jay Blankenfeld (M, 41)
6. 19:58, Nicholas Barnett (M, 13)
7. 20:34, Thomas Kipp (M, 35)
8. 21:10, Colton Blankenfeld (M, 9)
9. 21:43, Tyler Morris (M, 28)
10. 21:47, Devin Ross (M, 15)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 19:35, Courtney Rouse (F, 25)
2. 19:57, Angela Nadler (F, 31)
3. 21:48, Katie Avery (F, 23)
4. 24:38, Victoria Pagan Wolpert (F, 53)
5. 24:50, Jenna Saxton (F, 24)
6. 24:58, Rachel Stevens (F, 30)
7. 25:13, Macie Maclaren (F, 8)
8. 25:13, Cathy Bester (F, 51)
9. 25:29, Olivia Alexander (F, 9)
10. 25:30, Rebecca Hoffmann (F, 54)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2019
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
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Race The Tortoise 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQNTcurq7TVuvrMrapB7bAh2WkAswRcQmLNqwW1mBcSAxlgvMRpmoVukRDaHDRfAk9DXcp4SMHT5lk8/pubhtml
  
  
• 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”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Clark and Veltcheva are more hare than tortoise at O'Leno 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• O'Leno State Park
  http://www.floridastateparks.org/oleno/
  
  
• The Friends of O'Leno
  http://friendsofoleno.org/
  
  
• Race The Tortoise 5K course certification map USATF #FL09011EBM
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL09011EBM
  
  
• Any reptile race within 100 miles of Tallahassee will be here
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2446