Showing posts with label High Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High Springs. Show all posts

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Andy Merrill and Harlie Bassitt were tops at the Tortoise

O'Leno State Park bridgeThe fourteenth annual Race The Tortoise 5K started in O'Leno State Park on Saturday morning, 9 March 2024, just ahead of the storm sweeping east across North Florida. The stormfront still hadn't arrived when Lake Butler's Andy Merrill crossed the finish line in a wiining 16:47, more than a hundred meters ahead of the next runner. Gainesville marathoner Harlie Bassitt was the first woman in the 5K, coming in sixth overall in 19:01.


David Yinh, a Palm Beach Gardens master runner, placed runner-up to Merrill with a 17:08. Griffin East, an alum of the Canterbury High cross-country team, took third in 17:20.


Lisa Johnson of Gainesville was the first woman master and second female finisher, eleventh overall in 20:22. It was Johnson's third year in a row as the Tortoise 5K's top woman master; she had also been the first overall woman in the 2021 race. Gainesville's Natalie Wright was the third woman and nineteenth overall in 22:38.


193 athletes finished the 2024 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 2024 race was provided by Endurance Sports Timing.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 16:46.59, Andy Merrill (M, 30) Lake Butler, FL
  2. 17:07.30, Daniel Yinh (M, 43) Palm Beach Gardens, FL
  3. 17:19.57, Griffin East (M, 23) Gainesville, FL
  4. 18:40.82, Robert Grote (M, 29)
  5. 18:55.50, Joseph Angelillo (M, 26)
  6. 19:09.68, Javier Prietu (M, 49) FL
  7. 19:13.14, Justin Holstein (M, 39) Jacksonville, FL
  8. 19:30.16, Robert Walkiewicz (M, 35) Gainesville, FL
  9. 20:19.67, Justin Maynard (M, 40) Gainesville, FL
  10. 20:21.59, Dashawn Davis-Anderson (M, 25) Gainesville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2024 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 19:00.16, Harlie Bassitt (F, 25) Gainesville, FL
  2. 20:21.29, Lisa Johnson (F, 42) Gainesville, FL
  3. 22:37.03, Natalie Wright (F, 38) Gainesville, FL
  4. 23:34.84, Lauren Porter (F, 31) Gainesville, FL
  5. 24:53.09, Leanne Harrison Forbes (F, 51) ,
  6. 25:22.45, Mary Drummond (F, 46) Gainesville, FL
  7. 26:30.19, Sally Chappell (F, 61) Ocala, FL
  8. 27:15.43, Elisabeth Diamond (F, 64) Bell, FL
  9. 28:07.98, Olena Carey (F, 60)
  10. 28:49.64, Katy Chapman (F, 41) Gainesville, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2024
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
2 March 201917:03, Hutson Rapier19:35, Courtney Rouse239
7 March 202017:08, Ravi Kumar19:51, Lara Drondoski219
5 March 202217:30, Michael Rosato20:00, Lisa Johnson203
3 June 202316:43, Jake Baldauf19:31, Grace Kelly193
9 March 202416:47, Andy Merrill19:01, Harlie Bassitt193
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017 or 2021.


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Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Jake Baldauf and Grace Kelly take the Tortoise in O'Leno

O'Leno State Park bridgeOn 3 June 2023 it had been five years since anyone had broken 17:00 at the annual Race The Tortoise 5K. In fact, it had been five years and three months, because for the thirteenth annual 5K, the event went from a March race to a June race. The change in months may have done the trick, because on that Saturday morning in June, Winter Garden, Florida athlete Jake Baldauf went 16:43 for the win. Grace Kelly of Gainesville, Florida was the first woman in the race, running 19:31 on the course through High Springs, Florida's O'Leno State Park and placing seventh overall.


Baldauf's 16:43 put him across the finish line with a 160-meter lead. An alum of the West Orange High cross-country team, Baldauf has more recently been running for Team Florida Track Club Elite while studying at the University of Florida in Gainesville.


Gainesville's Ivan Ruchkin was runner-up in the 5K with a 17:16. At 17:32, Brian Frias of Summerfield, Florida took third. Lake City, Florida athlete Peter Laughlin was the first master runner in the race, placing fifth overall in 19:12.


Lisa Johnson of Gainesville, the 2022 Run For The Tortoise women's champ, was the first woman master in the 2023 race, placing second in the women's standings and eighth overall in 19:54. Ocala, Florida master runner Emma Luetgert was the third woman and thirteenth overall in 20:47.


193 athletes finished the 2023 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 2023 race was provided by Second Wind Race Timing.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 16:43, Jake Baldauf (M, 20) Winter Garden, FL
  2. 17:16, Ivan Ruchkin (M, 33) Gainesville, FL
  3. 17:32, Brian Frias (M, 19) Summerfield, FL
  4. 18:49, Robert Walkiewicz (M, 34) Gainesville, FL
  5. 19:12, Peter Laughlin (M, 42) Lake City, FL
  6. 19:20, Jason Reneau (M, 47) Madison, AL
  7. 20:00, Justin Maynard (M, 40) Gainesville, FL
  8. 20:09, Jeff Furst (M, 44) Gainesville, FL
  9. 20:15, Mikell Squires (M, 42) Gainesville, FL
  10. 20:42, Shane Fitzpatrick (M, 60) Macclenny, FL

Top Ten Women, 2023 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 19:31, Grace Kelly (F, 26) Gainesville, FL
  2. 19:54, Lisa Johnson (F, 41) Gainesville, FL
  3. 20:47, Emma Luetgert (F, 44) Ocala, FL
  4. 20:55, Ami Mcclay (F, 37) Gainesville, FL
  5. 21:30, Emma Rudman (F, 25) Fort Walton Beach, FL
  6. 21:37, Patricia Beaty (F, 38) Marietta, GA
  7. 21:59, Abby Uehling (F, 27) Glenside, PA
  8. 22:39, Leanne Harrison-Forbes (F, 50) Gainesville, FL
  9. 24:18, Gretchen Loyd (F, 49) Gainesville, FL
  10. 24:43, Ryann Gavin (F, 30) Gainesville, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2023
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
2 March 201917:03, Hutson Rapier19:35, Courtney Rouse239
7 March 202017:08, Ravi Kumar19:51, Lara Drondoski219
5 March 202217:30, Michael Rosato20:00, Lisa Johnson203
3 June 202316:43, Jake Baldauf19:31, Grace Kelly193
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017 or 2021.


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Sunday, March 6, 2022

Michael Rosato and Lisa Johnson make it a Gainesville sweep of the Race The Tortoise 5K

O'Leno State Park bridgeGainesville, Florida triathlete Michael Rosato went 17:30 for 3.1 miles in O'Leno State Park on Saturday morning, 5 March 2022, winning the twelfth annual Race The Tortoise 5K. Finishing second overall behind Rosato, master runner Lisa Johnson took the women's title with a 20:00.


In a showdown of two athletes from High Springs, Florida, Timothy Guinn edged Soren Brockdorf for the second spot in the men's standings, 21:05 to 21:08. The two runners were third and fourth overall, and Brockdorf was the first male master.


In another close finish, master runner Rahn Huffstutler crossed the finish line fifth overall, just ahead of Mandy Harrell; both runners were clocked at 21:236. Harrell was second in the women's division. Third place on the women's side went to Tierra Dozier, tenth overall in 24:28. Thirteen-year-old Abbey Robinson was the fourth female finisher and thirteenth overall in 24:46. A seventh-grader, Robinson raced for the Ocala Distance Project during the 2021 cross-country season.


203 athletes finished the 2022 Race The Tortoise 5K. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 17:30, Michael Rosato (M, 33) Gainesville, FL
  2. 21:05, Timothy Guinn (M, 30) High Springs, FL
  3. 21:08, Soren Brockdorf (M, 54) High Springs, FL
  4. 21:36, Rahn Huffstutler (M, 42) Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
  5. 23:49, Nicholas Armfield (M, 42) Gainesville, FL
  6. 23:50, Joseph Smith (M, 59) Gainesville, FL
  7. 23:51, Bob Knuckles (M, 65) Fort White, FL
  8. 24:44, Thomas Story (M, 67) High Springs, FL
  9. 24:44, John Davis (M, 62) Gainesville, FL
  10. 25:06, Jim Leary (M, 67) Gainesville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2022 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 20:00, Lisa Johnson (F, 40) Gainesville, FL
  2. 21:36, Mandy Harrell (F, 37)
  3. 24:28, Tierra Dozier (F, 36) Alachua, FL
  4. 24:46, Abigail Robinson (F, 13) Williston, FL
  5. 24:50, Darcie Burde (F, 39)
  6. 25:20, Natalie Wright (F, 36) Gainesville, FL
  7. 25:25, Emily Young (F, 44) Gainesville, FL
  8. 25:29, Victoria Pagan Wolpert (F, 56) Gainesville, FL
  9. 25:31, Loretta Engler (F, 68) High Springs, FL
  10. 27:15, Elke Sheider (F, 60) Lake City, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2022
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
2 March 201917:03, Hutson Rapier19:35, Courtney Rouse239
7 March 202017:08, Ravi Kumar19:51, Lara Drondoski219
5 March 202217:30, Michael Rosato20:00, Lisa Johnson203
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.


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Sunday, March 8, 2020

Neither Ravi Kumar nor Lara Drondoski ran like a tortoise at the Race The Tortoise 5K

O'Leno State Park bridgeAt Race The Tortoise 5K on Saturday morning, 7 March 2020, the athletes in the field found themselves chasing Ravi Kumar, who won the eleventh annual race by more than 250 meters. Kumar ran the 3.1-mile race through Florida's O'Leno State Park in 17:08. In the women's competition, Lara Drondoski and Rebecca Pieters also raced more like hares than like tortoises, finishing just a second apart. Drondoski got the women's title, edging Pieters 19:51 to 19:52. The two athletes were fourth and fifth overall.


Nicholas Barnett came in runner-up to Kumar in 18:04. Barnett is an eighth-grader on the cross-country team at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in nearby Gainesville, Florida. Another Gainesville cross-country runner, Buchholz High sophomore Wrigley Longstreet, took third in 18:37. Soren Brockdorf was the top master runner in the 5K, holding off master runner Rahn Huffstutler 21:38 to 2142. Brockdorf and Huffstutler were seventh and eighth overall.


Jess Morey took third in the women's standings, crossing the finish line eleventh overall in 22:43. Darcie Burde was the fourth woman and fifteenth overall in 23:26. At 23:41, Loretta Engler was the first woman master and fifth female finisher, placing seventeenth overall.


219 athletes finished the 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 17:08, Ravi Kumar (M, 25)
  2. 18:04, Nicholas Barnett (M, 14)
  3. 18:37, Wrigley Longstreet (M, 16)
  4. 21:13, Jonathan Edwards (M, 14)
  5. 21:38, Soren Brockdorf (M, 52)
  6. 21:42, Rahn Huffstutler (M, 40)
  7. 22:30, Timothy Ortiz (M, 11)
  8. 22:33, Eric Torres (M, 51)
  9. 22:46, Daniel Conde (M, 37)
  10. 22:51, Konstantin Matchev (M, 53)

Top Ten Women, 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 19:51, Lara Drondoski (F, 25)
  2. 19:52, Rebecca Pieters (F, 36)
  3. 22:43, Jess Morey (F, 39)
  4. 23:26, Darcie Burde (F, 37)
  5. 23:41, Loretta Engler (F, 66)
  6. 24:06, Victoria Pagan (F, 54)
  7. 25:43, Natalie Wright (F, 34)
  8. 25:44, Libby Wyman (F, 31)
  9. 25:54, Christy Larkins (F, 38)
  10. 25:55, Barbara Edwards (F, 37)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2020
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
2 March 201917:03, Hutson Rapier19:35, Courtney Rouse239
7 March 202017:08, Ravi Kumar19:51, Lara Drondoski219
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.


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Friday, March 8, 2019

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

O'Leno State Park bridgeIt 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
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
2 March 201917:03, Hutson Rapier19:35, Courtney Rouse239
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.


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Sunday, March 4, 2018

Nadler burns a 15:28 and Veltcheva a 17:34 for new records at the Race The Tortoise 5K

O'Leno State Park bridgeAfter eight annual events from 2009 to 2016, the Race The Tortoise 5K took a year off in 2017. The Tortoise returned to Florida's O'Leno State Park on Saturday morning, 3 March 2018, and maybe a year of rest was what the coach ordered. Outkicking Calum McFetridge and Chris Cabret, Enoch Nadler of Team Florida Track Club won the race in 15:28, setting a new course record. Ani Veltcheva, an eighth-grader at Gainesville, Florida's Abraham Lincoln Middle School, won the women's division for the third time in the past four years, setting a women's course record of 17:34 and finishing eighth overall.


The top three athletes crossed the finish line within inches of one another, with Nadler and McFetridge both clocked in 15:28 and Cabret posting a 15:29. All three runner were more than half a minute faster than the previous course record, the 16:10 run by Vladimir Tontchinski in the 2012 Race The Tortoise. In fact, Nadler, McFetridge, and Cabret are the only athletes to break 16:00 on the O'Leno State Park course. Far behind the fireworks up front, Ravi Kumar edged Sam Luttier for fourth, 16:28 to 16:30.


The women's competition wasn't as close as the men's; Ani Veltcheva finished 70 meters ahead of the second woman. Nevertheless, Veltcheva pushed herself hard enough to trim 24 seconds off the previous Race The Tortoise women's record of 17:58, set by Lyubov Denisova in the 2015 race. The women's runner-up, Kelly Griffin, was also under the old record, placing ninth overall in 17:49. Kate Egan took third in the women's standings and fifteenth overall in 19:17.


Rich Joel was the first master runner in the race and the tenth male finisher, placing twelfth overall in 18:52. Victoria Pagan-Wolpert was the first woman master and twelfth female finisher, 37th overall in 23:54.


The Race The Tortoise 5K 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 2018 race was provided by Milestone Race Authority of Jacksonville, Florida.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 15:28, Enoch Nadler (M, 32) Gainesville, FL
  2. 15:28, Calum McFetridge (M, 19)
  3. 15:29, Chris Cabret (M, 20)
  4. 16:28, Ravi Kumar (M, 23) Gainesville, FL
  5. 16:30, Sam Luttier (M, 23)
  6. 17:28, Richard Smith (M, 39) Gainesville, FL
  7. 17:31, David Cox (M, 32) Gainesville, FL
  8. 18:26, Cedric Torres (M, 22) Gainesville, FL
  9. 18:42, Philip Matchev (M, 11) Gainesville, FL
  10. 18:52, Rich Joel (M, 48) Gainesville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2018 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 17:34, Ani Veltcheva (F, 13) Gainesville, FL
  2. 17:49, Kelly Griffin (F, 39) Gainesville, FL
  3. 19:17, Kate Egan (F, 33) Gainesville, FL
  4. 19:23, Adair Lyden (F, 20)
  5. 19:33, Stephanie McGrail (F, 31) Gainesville, FL
  6. 20:22, Rae Powers (F, 26) Gainesville, FL
  7. 21:09, Angela Nadler (F, 31) Gainesville, FL
  8. 21:14, Lara Drondoski (F, 23) Gainesville, FL
  9. 21:42, Natalie Wright (F, 32) High Springs, FL
  10. 22:06, Verity Mathis (F, 39) Gainesville, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2018
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177
3 March 201815:28, Enoch Nadler17:34, Ani Veltcheva215
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.


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Saturday, March 5, 2016

Hensley and Veltcheva victorious at Race The Tortoise

O'Leno State Park bridgeFlorida's O'Leno State Park is certainly worth a visit. You'll miss it if you're rushing through the state on Interstate 75, you'll find it on the relatively quite US 41/441 just north of High Springs. Once you're there, you can stroll across the Sante Fe River on the suspension bridge for hikers, check out the Civilian Conservation Corps museum, or walk down to the river sink--where Suwannee cooters enjoy carousel rides on logs floating around the whirlpool formed by the Sante Fe draining into the underworld.


And if you're at the park on the first Saturday morning in March, you can also run the Race The Tortoise 5K.


Bobby Hensley was the fastest of 177 athletes exercising that option in O'Leno on 5 March 2016. The Gainesville, Florida distance runner won the eighth annual race in 16:32, finishing almost half a kilometer ahead of the next runner. Gainesville's Dan Stoner was the top master in the race for the second year in a row, this time placing second overall in 18:11.


Just a few steps behind Stoner, Ani Veltcheva was the first female finisher, coming in third overall in 18:16. A sixth-grader at Gainesville's Abraham Lincoln Middle School, Veltcheva had also won the Race The Tortoise women's title in 2014. Gainesville's Shelby Wentworth (8th, 22:20) was second in the women's standings and Keystone Heights athlete Sara Ratelle (14th, 23:07) was third. Lavonne Rembert of Gainesville was the top woman master and fourth female finisher, placing sixteenth overall in 23:46.


The annual Race The Tortoise 5K 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 2016 race was provided by Milestone Race Authority of Jacksonville, Florida.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 16:32 ~ Bobby Hensley (M, 31) Gainesville, FL
  2. 18:11 ~ Dan Stoner (M, 41) Gainesville, FL
  3. 21:20 ~ Michael Fowler (M, 42) Gainesville, FL
  4. 21:32 ~ Mike Collins (M, 28) Gainesville, FL
  5. 22:05 ~ Ozzy Vidal (M, 39) Gainesville, FL
  6. 22:07 ~ John Davis (M, 56) Gainesville, FL
  7. 22:28 ~ Ron Hall (M, 51) Gainesville, FL
  8. 22:33 ~ Stephen Hagen (M, 53) Gainesville, FL
  9. 22:39 ~ Jay Peacock (M, 53) Gainesville, FL
  10. 22:45 ~ Jason Ratelle (M, 40) Keystone Heights, FL

Top Ten Women, 2016 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 18:16 ~ Ani Veltcheva (F, 11) Gainesville, FL
  2. 22:20 ~ Shelby Wentworth (F, 24) Gainesville, FL
  3. 23:07 ~ Sara Ratelle (F, 35) Keystone Heights, FL
  4. 23:46 ~ Lavonne Rembert (F, 44) Gainesville, FL
  5. 24:02 ~ Loretta Engler (F, 62) High Springs, FL
  6. 24:11 ~ Elke Sheider (F, 54) Lake City, FL
  7. 26:17 ~ Robin Politowicz (F, 54) Gainesville, FL
  8. 26:23 ~ Christine Larkins (F, 34) Gainesville, FL
  9. 26:48 ~ Julia Chi (F, 41) Gainesville, FL
  10. 26:58 ~ Patti Stokes (F, 35) Waldo, FL

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2016
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165
5 March 201616:32, Bobby Hensley18:16, Ani Veltcheva177


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Sunday, March 8, 2015

Denisova and Matchev are steady but not slow at Race The Tortoise

Race The Tortoise 5KDaily, tourists speed south through Florida on Interstate 75 between Lake City and Gainesville. Most are rushing toward Disney World, Legoland, or some other artificial destination. Meanwhile, they're passing by the real Florida. Many were still passing by on a sunny Saturday morning, 7 March 2015, when 165 athletes gathered in O'Leno State Park near High Springs, Florida, for a 3.1-mile run through some of the real Florida. They were there for the seventh annual Race The Tortoise 5K.


Gainesville, Florida, master runner Lyubov Denisova was the fastest athlete in O'Leno State Park that morning, winning the race and setting a new women's course record of 17:58. In 2013 Denisova had won the women's title of the 3.1-mile race through O'Leno State Park near High Springs, Florida, but this year she finished at the front of the entire field of 165 athletes. Just two weeks before the 2015 race, Denisova ran a personal best 17:07 at the Edison Festival of Light 5K in Fort Myers, Florida.


Anton Matchev, a student at Gainesville's Talbot Elementary School, was the runner-up and first overall male finisher in the 2015 Race The Tortoise 5K, running 18:16. Like Denisova, Matchev is a Race The Tortoise veteran; he finished sixth overall in 19:42 in the 2014 race. Behind Matchev, Gainesville athlete Dan Stoner ran 18:25 to finish as the third runner overall, the second male, and the first male master.


No gopher tortoises were harmed in the running of the race, which is presented annually by the Friends of O'Leno State Park. The organization uses proceeds of the event to benefit O'Leno State Park and nearby River Rise Preserve State Park.


Top Ten Women, 2015 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 17:57.7 ~ Lyubov Denisova (F, 43)
  2. 20:04.2 ~ Brittney Jett (F, 30)
  3. 22:49.4 ~ Rebecca McCormick (F, 27)
  4. 22:53.9 ~ Elisabeth Diamond (F, 55)
  5. 23:35.0 ~ Shelby Wentworth (F, 23)
  6. 24:16.9 ~ Cheyenne Patterson (F, 19)
  7. 24:23.7 ~ Elke Sheider (F, 53)
  8. 24:25.6 ~ Verity Mathis (F, 36)
  9. 24:28.0 ~ Robin Politowics (F, 53)
  10. 24:49.0 ~ Sharon Judge (F, 41)

Top Ten Men, 2015 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 18:15.6 ~ Anton Matchev (M, 11)
  2. 18:24.4 ~ Dan Stoner (M, 40)
  3. 21:33.2 ~ Mark Droll (M, 30)
  4. 21:35.4 ~ Mark Ou (M, 44)
  5. 22:01.1 ~ Steven Detweiler (M, 67)
  6. 22:19.5 ~ Kyle Petteway (M, 46)
  7. 22:37.4 ~ Mark Cochran (M, 58)
  8. 22:39.8 ~ Timothy Fuller (M, 37)
  9. 22:40.7 ~ Philip Matchev (M, 8)
  10. 22:44.8 ~ Jay Peacock (M, 52)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2015
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247
7 March 201518:15.6, Anton Matchev17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova165


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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Clark and Veltcheva are more hare than tortoise at O'Leno 5K

Race The Tortoise 5KOn Saturday morning, 1 March 2014, Alachua, Florida, master runner Dan Clark successfully defended his overall winner's title at the sixth annual Race The Tortoise 5K, finishing almost 400 meters ahead of the next runner. Running 16:53 for the 3.1-mile course through O'Leno State Park, Clark became the only two-time winner in the history of the race. Robert Carter finished runner-up behind Clark in 18:23, and master runner Joel Rich was third in 18:50.


Fourth place, though, belonged to the fastest runner in the women's division, nine-year-old Gainesville schoolgirl Ani Veltcheva. Veltcheva's time was an astonishing 19:14, just off the single-age world record of 19:05 for nine-year-old girls, set on 2 February 2014 by Elizabeth Lucason. And before you ask, yes, the Race The Tortoise 5K course is USATF certified (#FL09011EBM). Just two weeks earlier on 15 February 2014, Velcheva had run 19:50 on a certified course (#FL09010EBM) at the Five Points of Life 5K in Gainesville, Florida.


Richmond, Utah, master runner Carol Rowe was the women's runner-up, placing fifth overall in an impressive 19:29.


247 athletes finished the 2014 edition of the Race The Tortoise 5K. The race is conducted by the Friends of O'Leno, who use the proceeds from the race and their other events for projects that benefit O'Leno State Park and nearby River Rise Preserve State Park. No doubt the park's resident gopher tortoises, the signature creatures of the race, appreciate the Friends' efforts.


Top Ten Men, 2014 Race The Tortoise 5KDan Clark
  1. 16:52.8 ~ Dan Clark (M, 42) Alachua, FL
  2. 18:22.2 ~ Robert Carter (M, 27)
  3. 18:50.0 ~ Joel Rich (M, 44)
  4. 19:41.4 ~ Tony Matchev (M, 10)
  5. 20:18.9 ~ Xiao Chen Zhu (M, 26)
  6. 20:27.6 ~ Ben Mock (M, 11)
  7. 20:41.2 ~ Jake Frazer (M, 9)
  8. 20:41.8 ~ Julius Gylys (M, 50)
  9. 20:48.8 ~ Roberto Laos (M, 37)
  10. 20:49.9 ~ Lucas Dai (M, 10)

Top Ten Women, 2014 Race The Tortoise 5K
  1. 19:13.4 ~ Ani Veltcheva (F, 9) Gainesville, FL
  2. 19:28.9 ~ Carol Rowe (F, 42)
  3. 22:42.0 ~ Elisabeth Diamond (F, 54)
  4. 23:12.6 ~ Amanda Jacobson (F, 23)
  5. 23:52.6 ~ Marsha Wilson (F, 44)
  6. 24:21.0 ~ Charlotte Amparo (F, 36)
  7. 24:28.4 ~ Melissa Lynch (F, 38)
  8. 25:13.8 ~ Marjesca Brown (F, 31)
  9. 25:17.0 ~ Diane Miller (F, 62)
  10. 25:38.0 ~ Amy Harder (F, 34)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009-2014
DateMenWomenFinishers
7 March 200918:22.9, David Robison20:12.6, Michelle McCollum109
13 March 201016:27.5, Alex Phipps18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte114
5 March 201119:21.6, Eric Drummond19:33.0, Tatiana Titova218
3 March 201216:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika268
2 March 201316:39.7, Dan Clark20:37.4, Liubov Denisora225
1 March 201416:52.8, Dan Clark19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva247


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