Trail running is kind of the crazy uncle of cross-country. Trail runners are happiest when the footing is treacherous, the temperatures are extreme, ticks and mosquitoes are abundant, there's a possibility of wild animal attack, and the very vegetation is an obstacle. It has to be difficult. If you can't get hurt, it's not fun.Keeping in mind that the Flint River Ramble Four-Mile Trail Race in Albany, Georgia already had most of those boxes checked, what simple change did Wild Side Running make to improve their annual race in 2018?
They made it longer.
So the fourth annual Flint River Ramble Trail Race on Saturday morning, 16 June 2018, was a ten-miler. That didn't change the faces up front, though. Master runner Josh Fix, who had won the race in 2014 and 2017 when it was a four-mile event, won the longer Ramble in 2018, covering the ten miles in 56:32. Ann Centner, the women's champ and overall runner-up in the four-mile in 2017, was the women's champ and overall runner-up in the ten-mile in 2018.
Henry Plowden, a rising junior on the Westover High cross-country team, finished second in the men's standings and third overall in 60:46. Scott Knowles was the third man and fourth overall in 62:26.
Kim Moorman was the first woman master and second female finisher, seventeenth overall in 85:00. Ashley Woodall was third in the women's standings, seventeenth overall in 85:00.
Top Ten Men, 2018 Flint River Ramble Ten-Mile Trail Race
- 56:31.9, Josh Fix (M, 40-49)
- 60:46.0, Henry Plowden (M, 15-19)
- 62:25.5, Scott Knowles (M, 30-39)
- 62:51.8, Noah Metheny (M, 15-19)
- 63:17.3, Gordon West (M, 30-39)
- 68:24.0, Dan Hobby (M, 30-39)
- 68:25.7, Donnie Ellis (M, 40-49)
- 71:13.8, Joshua Ohienmhen (M, 20-29)
- 73:23.5, Ashton Danahub (M, 15-19)
- 78:01.9, Biyank Shah (M, 30-39)
Top Seven Women, 2018 Flint River Ramble Ten-Mile Trail Race
- 0:57:54.3, Ann Centner (F, 20-29)
- 1:25:00.0, Kim Moorman (F, 40-49)
- 1:33:19.7, Ashley Woodall (F, 30-39)
- 1:54:06.6, Christa Clemons (F, 40-49)
- 1:54:16.1, Jamie Mccullough (F, 30-39)
- 1:54:18.3, Melissa Ellis (F, 30-39)
- 1:56:41.8, Jessica Fordham (F, 30-39)
Even though there was a ten-mile race at the 2018 Flint River Ramble, there was still also a four-mile. So while 23 athletes finished the new longer race, another 44 completed the four mile. High school cross-country runners swept the shorter race, with Lee County High risting junior Ben Phillips taking the top male spot, and Southland Academy rising junior Ryleigh Bell taking top women's honors. Phillips ran 40:39, while Bell was seventh overall in 49:34.
Garrison Slaughter, a seventh-grader on the Deerfield-Windsor cross-country team, was second in the four mile at 43:00. Bryce Stevens, a rising sophomore at Social Circle High, placed third in 44:23. Chad Bell was the first master runner, coming in fifth overall in 47:28.
Karen McNally was the first woman master and second female finisher, placing ninth overall in 51:57. Master runner Maryann Plowden edged Eady Hall for third in the women's standings, 53:03 to 53:05. Plowden and Hall were twelfth and thirteenth overall.
Top Ten Men, 2018 Flint River Ramble Four-Mile Trail Race
- 40:38.4, Ben Phillips (M, 15-19)
- 43:00.0, Garrison Slaughter (M, 10-14)
- 44:22.6, Bryce Stevens (M, 15-19)
- 46:59.1, Dustin Weeks (M, 30-39)
- 47:27.4, Chad Bell (M, 40-49)
- 48:42.5, Ben Schock-Phelps (M, 30-39)
- 51:32.4, Matthew Phelps (M, 40-49)
- 52:01.5, Shane Smith (M, 50-59)
- 52:58.6, Scott Macey (M, 50-59)
- 53:43.0, Paul Berna (M, 60-99)
Top Ten Women, 2018 Flint River Ramble Four-Mile Trail Race
- 49:33.3, Ryleigh Bell (F, 15-19)
- 51:56.3, Karen McNally (F, 50-59)
- 53:02.6, Maryann Plowden (F, 40-49)
- 53:04.7, Eady Hall (F, 10-14)
- 53:30.0, Emily Phillips (F, 11-15)
- 53:39.1, Wimberly Giardine (F, 30-39)
- 53:40.6, Christina Aguilar (F, 30-39)
- 54:33.2, Michele Stevens (F, 50-59)
- 1:00:02.2, Caitlin Finney (F, 10-14)
- 1:01:16.8, Kricia Morris (F, 30-39)
| Flint River Ramble Four-Mile Trail Race Winners, 2014 - 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Distance | Men | Women | Finishers |
| 7 June 2014 | 4 mi | 27:25, Josh Fix | 35:47, Victoria Farela Parra | 32 |
| 13 June 2015 | 4 mi | 26:47, Patrick Whitehead | 35:38, Janie Plowden | 51 |
| 24 June 2017 | 4 mi | 26:25, Josh Fix | 28:32, Ann Centner | 48 |
| 16 June 2018 | 10 mi | 56:32, Josh Fix | 57:55, Ann Centner | 23 |
| 4 mi | 40:39, Ben Phillips | 49:34, Ryleigh Bell | 44 | |
Links
- Complete results of the 2018 Flint River Ramble Four-Mile Trail Race
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSiK8o5m2kX-Yf8w0vEVKP4EJvDOHrlb12KDJF5foxrvO9IjcgKLL3JZh8Dj9ODc7le_rjEPSMeOSKB/pubhtml
- 2017 story, “Fix and Centner Ramble rapidly in Albany”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/06/flint-river-ramble-2017.html
- 2015 story, “Whitehead and Plowden ramble to victory in Albany”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/06/flint-river-ramble-2015.html
- 2014 story, “Fix and Parra hit the trail in the Flint River Ramble”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/06/flint-river-ramble-2014.html
- More Albany, Georgia, race coverage
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Albany
- The first marathon in Albany, Georgia
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/herald-local-marathon.html
- Find an upcoming race in Albany, Georgia, or any other city within 100 miles of Tallahassee
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
