Joshua Grant and Sheryl Rosen repeat at Boston

When it comes to New England athletes, Joshua Grant is as New England as they come. Grant ran cross-country at Nashua North High School in New Hampshire, then went on to run cross-country for Lyndon State College in Vermont. So you wouldn't be surprised to find Grant racing in Boston on Saturday morning, 27 October 2018.

Joshua Grant

The surprise was that it was Boston, Georgia rather than that other Boston, and Grant was racing the 39th annual Boston Mini-Marathon, not New England's fabled Boston Marathon. Nevertheless, Grant won the 13.1-mile race for the second year in row, running the half-marathon in 1:15:48. Tallahassee, Florida lawyer Sheryl Rosen was also a repeat winner, taking the women's title for a second straight year while placing seventh overall in 1:22:07. 186 athletes finished the race.


The signs said Boston, but there was no mistaking the South Georgia town for the Massachusetts metropolis. For instance, right after the race started, a truck hauling bales of cotton stopped for the runners. After less than a mile the race was outside the city limits and the runners passed the first cotton fields. The course was on Dixie Road. Unpaved side roads were bright orange clay. Later on, the race went by pecan orchards, and cows resting under live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Whether or not it was Georgia, it was certainly not New England.

The Leaders

Going by the first cotton fields, six runners were out in front--Charlie Johnson, Chris O'Kelley, Brad Busboom, Charlie Kline, two-time Boston Mini winner Vince Molosky, and defending champion Joshua Grant. Five of the six were Tallahassee runner, the exception being Grant, who had traded his New England address for one in Albany, Georgia. Grant had started to open a gap on the other five runners by the two-mile mark. Molosky and Johnson broke away from O'Kelley, Busboom, and Kline to chase Grant, but Grant's lead only increased. At six-and-a-half miles, the runners turned around to head back to Boston. There they realized they had been racing with the wind.


"It felt great going out," said Grant. "But then we turned around and there was the headwind. I'm sure a lot of people ran faster going out than coming back."

Charlie Kline & Brad Busboom

No one ran faster coming back than Grant. Continuing to leave the rest of the field behind, Grant returned to Boston to cross the finish line in a winning 1:15:48. Charlie Kline was almost as fast as Grant on the return trip. Although he didn't make up any ground on the leader, he overtook the rest of the field and finished second in 1:18:45. Johnson was third in 1:19:15, O'Kelley fourth in 1:19:44, and Busboom fifth in 1:19:53. David Graf of Tallahassee was the first master runner in the race, placing sixth overall in 1:21:43. Molosky, who had run with the leaders early in the race, was eighth in 1:23:00.


Sheryl Rosen wasn't just the defending women's champion at the Boston Mini. No other athlete had won more women's titles at Boston than Rosen, collecting eight wins from 2006 to 2017. But as Rosen raced for win number nine, she had company early in the race. Blakely, Georgia's Ann Centner was right alongside Rosen as the two left Boston. Centner remained next to the defending champ for miles. Early in the fourth mile, the course crossed from Thomas County into Brooks County. Even if you missed the county line signs, you had to notice that the Thomas County stretch of Dixie Road had been recently resurfaced, while the Brooks County miles were still a treacherous mosaic of cracks and crevices. Going up the hill toward the county line, Centner moved behind Rosen. She had only given up a few inches to Rosen, but it was the first few inches. By the turnaround, those inches had grown into a hundred-yard lead. Rosen had expanded that to 800 yards by the end of the race, finishing as the first woman and seventh overall in 1:22:07. Centner was the women's runner-up and ninth overall in 1:25:01. Near the turnaround Alyssa Terry of Tallahassee had moved into third in the women's competition; she was still third at the finish line and nineteenth overall in 1:35:58. Katasha Cornwell of Crawfordville, Florida was the first woman master and twelfth female finisher, 35th overall in 1:43:08.

Sheryl Rosen & Ann Centner

The race had started just after 8:00 AM. By 11:30 AM the last athlete had left the course. The 2018 Boston Mini Marathon was over, but as the signs at the city limits used to remind everyone, the race comes back every year on the “last Saturday in October.” Next year that would be Saturday, 26 October 2019. Mark your calendar, because you don't want to miss the 40th Boston (mini) Marathon!


Top Ten Men, 2018 Boston (mini) Marathon

1. 1:15:48, Joshua Grant (M, 27) Albany, GA
2. 1:18:45, Charlie Kline (M, 26) Tallahassee, FL
3. 1:19:15, Charlie Johnson (M, 38) Tallahassee, FL
4. 1:19:44, Chris O'Kelley (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:19:53, Brad Busboom (M, 30) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:21:43, David Graf (M, 42) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:23:00, Vince Molosky (M, 37) Tallahassee, FL
8. 1:25:35, Jack McDermott (M, 49) Tallahassee, FL
9. 1:25:41, Tom Parker (M, 36) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:27:05, Ryan Truchelut (M, 32) Tallahassee, FL

Top Ten Women, 2018 Boston (mini) Marathon

1. 1:22:07, Sheryl Rosen (F, 34) Tallahassee, FL
2. 1:25:01, Ann Centner (F, 26) Blakely, GA
3. 1:35:58, Alyssa Terry (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
4. 1:37:56, Deanna McVay (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
5. 1:38:59, Laura McDermott (F, 39) Tallahassee, FL
6. 1:39:49, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
7. 1:40:04, Melissa Thompson (F, 34) Thomasville, GA
8. 1:41:53, Carsen Pastirik (F, 23) Atlanta, GA
9. 1:42:06, Nikky Manausa (F, 37) Tallahassee, FL
10. 1:42:18, Jenny Early (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL

Boston (mini) Marathon Champions, 1979 - 2018
Date	Men	Women
27 October 2018	75:48, Joshua Grant	82:07, Sheryl Rosen
28 October 2017	74:47, Joshua Grant	85:42, Sheryl Rosen
29 October 2016	67:00, Stanley Linton	83:05, Allison Eagen
31 October 2015	79:50, Drew Rabun	96:10, Jillian Heddaeus
25 October 2014	72:20, Chris Lake	85:15, Katie Sherron
26 October 2013	71:17, Stanley Linton	80:42, Sheryl Rosen
27 October 2012	73:46, Chris Lake	83:27, Sheryl Rosen
29 October 2011	69:29, Kevin Sullivan	82:10, Sheryl Rosen
30 October 2010	75:13, Vince Molosky	86:59, Lisa Johnson
31 October 2009	79:49, Vince Molosky	87:10, Sheryl Rosen
25 October 2008	81:50, Myles Gibson	86:19, Sheryl Rosen
27 October 2007	76:18, John Seppala	87:35, Sheryl Rosen
28 October 2006	81:18, Michael Martinez	82:49, Sheryl Rosen
29 October 2005	81:11, Myles Gibson	96:32, Jennifer Kilinski
30 October 2004	83:55, David Yon	91:57, Jane Johnson
25 October 2003	76:20, Myles Gibson	97:52, Lisa Whitworth
26 October 2002	84:38, Mike Posey	92:41, Carrie Weyant
27 October 2001	82:36, Steven Walker	95:24, Carrie Weyant
28 October 2000	75:28, Art Remillard	83:20, Sarah Docter-Williams
30 October 1999	78:22, Corey Cherr	95:28, Julie Carico
31 October 1998	80:25, Rusty Jones	97:01, Peggy Simpson
25 October 1997	81:21, Rusty Jones	82:55, Michelle LeFleur
26 October 1996	76:26, Jeff Nielsen	86:12, Carrie Weyant
28 October 1995	78:21, Paul Hough	91:01, Katherine Perez
29 October 1994	72:42, Paul Hough	92:34, Diane Turchick
30 October 1993	75:33, Paul Hough	86:09, Carrie Weyant
31 October 1992	77:45, Steve Carney	86:05, Carrie Hunnicutt
26 October 1991
27 October 1990	79:33, Brian Murphy	86:44, Donna Miller
28 October 1989	71:23, Alex Walmsley	93:10, Mary Jean Yon
29 October 1988	74:22, T. C. Carroll	1:41:54, Nancy Widener
1987	no race held	no race held
8 November 1986
11 November 1985	67:30, Herb Wills	88:06, Patti Sudduth
27 October 1984	74:21, Scott Hinkle	Dot Skofronick
29 October 1983	70:25, Noel Shuman	87:01, Patti Sudduth
30 October 1982	67:48, Noel Shuman	91:41, Donna Murdock
31 October 1981	69:57, Gary Slayton	88:56, Lt. Vickie Monroe
25 October 1980	71:49, Gary Slayton	96:03, Judy Taylor
27 October 1979	70:52, Bruce Carpenter	1:47:13, Robin Anderson
Got any information on the missing years? Let me know! Send an e-mail to hwills@gmail.com, or leave a comment below.

Links:

• Complete results of the 2018 Boston (mini) Marathon
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT4vQ4PqeAXvJ5pQ7Y4FwcfhUfEPob3qflEvEztycY94uUJYRAiFi36DxWR6eFmEHcG1AERgx_Kvy1V/pubhtml
  
  
• More pictures of the 2018 Boston (mini) Marathon
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10112647082187763&type=1&l=b8c2fd4e63
  
  
• 2015 story, “Rabun and Heddaeus win Boston, Southern-style”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/boston-mini-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Herds of spectators see Lake and Sherron win Boston Mini”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/boston-mini-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Linton and Rosen are Boston (mini) Strong”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/10/boston-mini-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “First Boston win for Chris Lake; sixth for Sheryl Rosen”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/10/boston-mini-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Sullivan and Rosen smokin' at the Boston Mini”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/10/boston-mini-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Molosky makes it two-in-a-row at the Boston Mini”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/boston-mini-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Another Boston Mini Win For Rosen”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/11/another-boston-mini-win-for-rosen.html
  
  
• USATF certification map GA18076WC for the 2018 Boston (mini) Marathon
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=GA18076WC
  
  
• Upcoming races in the Tallahassee region; mini, maxi, ultra, or whatever
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2360

Joshua Grant goes 16:33 to win the first National Grits Festival 5K

It's not far from Albany to Warwick, less than a half drive from a South Georgia city to a South Georgia small town. That's the trip that Joshua Grant made on Saturday morning, 14 April 2018, to get to the inaugural. National Grits Festival 5K. Grant won the five-kilometer race by nearly a kilometer, running 16:33. Ashley Coleman of Decatur, Georgia was the first woman in the race, placing fifth overall in 25:01.


A New Englander from Nashua, New Hampshire who studied at Lyndon State College in Vermont, Grant probably never had a chance to develop a taste for grits. Still, he was the first champion of the National Grits Festival 5K. John Coleman finished runner-up in 21:12, just ahead of the 21:19 posted by third-place finisher Brian Kelley. Harold Benton was the top master runner in the race, placing fourth overall in 24:58.


Whitney Diers was second in the women's standings, placing sixth overall in 25:29. Teresa Greene was the first woman master and third female finisher, seventh overall in 32:21.


Warwick, Georgia hosts the National Grits Festival annually on the second Saturday in April, except for the years 2013 to 2016 when the Festival was on hiatus. The 5K was a new addition to the Festival in 2018. 24 athletes finished the 2018 National Grits Festival 5K.


Top Five Men, 2018 National Grits Festival 5K

1. 16:33, Joshua Grant (M, 25-29) Arabi, GA
2. 21:12, John Coleman (M, 35-39)
3. 21:19, Brian Kelley (M, 35-39)
4. 24:58, Harold Benton (M, 60-64)
5. 33:48, David Perry (M, 70-98)

Top Five Women, 2018 National Grits Festival 5K

1. 25:01, Ashley Coleman (F, 30-34) Decatur, GA
2. 25:29, Whitney Diers (F, 25-29)
3. 32:21, Teresa Greene (F, 55-59)
4. 32:48, Autumn Perry (F, 70-98)
5. 33:55, Tammy Middlebrooks (F, 55-59)

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 National Grits Festival 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQpZDwA-vp7-fQtox18a8NsGR9baDeMs9p-7JvA-CujBywM_Y6ZMJtTYKbwtlprFsKGvVftVnTDQECg/pubhtml
  
  
• National Grits Festival
  https://gritsfest.com/
  
  
• Find upcoming runs at festivals on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2491

Grant crushes the field with a record-setting performance at the S'Mores 5K

98 athletes finished the fifth annual Will Run For S'Mores 5K in Albany, Georgia on Saturday morning, 16 December 2017. Josh Grant was one of them, but that wasn't obvious. A runner based in Arabi, Georgia, Grant won the race with an 800-meter lead--so far ahead that it was hard to tell that he was in the same race. His winning time, 16:21, set a new record for the event, breaking the old mark of 16:44 set by Patrick Whitehead^* in the 2015 race. Sara Ostrander of Leesburg, Georgia led the women's field, placing eleventh overall in 21:41. Ostrander was also the fastest master runner in the race.


Albany athlete Arnoldo DeJesus took second, running 19:33. Ashton Donahue, a senior on the Baconton High boys' cross-country team, placed third in 19:40. Oscar Viquez was the first male master and eleventh male finisher, twelfth overall in 21:59.


Alisa Siminova finished second in the women's standings and thirteenth overall, running 22:14. In a match-up of two Lee County Middle School cross-country runners, sixth-grader Alma Ostrander edged eighth-grader Emily Phillips for third in the women's standings, 23:42 to 23:47. Ostrander and Phillips placed eighteenth and twentieth overall.


The 2017 Will Run For S'Mores 5K was hosted by Wild Side Running, an Albany running store. It's not likely that there were significant proceeds from the event, but if there were, those funds were probably spent on chocolate, marshmallows, and chocolate.


* Eschewing s'mores, Whitehead was in Helen, Georgia winning the Helen Holiday Half-Marathon.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Will Run For S'Mores 5K

1. 16:20.6, Josh Grant (M, 20-29) Arabi, GA
2. 19:33.0, Arnoldo DeJesus (M, 30-39)
3. 19:39.8, Ashton Donahue (M, 15-19)
4. 20:00.5, Ben Phillips (M, 15-19)
5. 20:04.2, Ed Ostrander (M, 10-14)
6. 20:13.7, Jaren Hill (M, 20-29)
7. 20:30.5, Gregory Manning (M, 15-19)
8. 20:42.3, Quaid Carroll (M, 20-29)
9. 21:30.4, Walker Pinson (M, 15-19)
10. 21:38.1, Jaquez Jones (M, 10-14)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Will Run For S'Mores 5K

1. 21:40.1, Sara Ostrander (F, 40-49) Leesburg, GA
2. 22:13.4, Alisa Siminova (F, 20-29)
3. 23:41.6, Alma Ostrander (F, 10-14)
4. 23:46.8, Emily Phillips (F, 10-14)
5. 24:13.1, Penny Peters (F, 50-59)
6. 24:21.2, Ramsay Miller (F, 15-19)
7. 24:37.5, Karen Mcnally (F, 50-59)
8. 25:00.0, Caitlin Finney (F, 10-14)
9. 25:32.1, Lily Kate Castle (F, 10-14)
10. 25:35.5, Gina Purvis (F, 50-59)

Will Run For S'Mores 5K winners, 2013 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
14 December 2013	18:53, Jack Plowden	19:35, Elena Oslund	85
13 December 2014	16:49, Patrick Whitehead	19:14, Brittney Skiles	132
12 December 2015	16:44, Patrick Whitehead	23:29, Elizabeth Montgomery	92
17 December 2016	17:03, Wright Calhoun	20:08, Allison Hay	68
16 December 2017	16:21, Josh Grant	21:41, Sara Ostrander	98

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 "Will Run For S'Mores" 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTDzuf0-BwHibO_ZS7_162P-QAQnqRzpIWzl5YksZQGC7MzMDSVCpdvJYM4XmQeB3A_hOUj7cOSzzua/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Calhoun and Hay get S'more wins in Albany”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/12/smores-2016.html
  
  
• Wild Side Running, hosts of the "Will Run For S'Mores" 5K
  http://www.wildsiderunning.com/
  
  
• Find upcoming cookie-themed events on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2135

Grant and Centner set records at Back The Blue

Finishing close to 90 meters ahead of defending champion Patrick Whitehead, Joshua Grant ran 16:32 to win the second annual Back The Blue 5K in Albany, Georgia on Saturday morning, 5 August 2017. Ann Centner took the women's title, placing third overall in 19:05. 67 athletes finished the 3.1-mile race.


Joshua Grant's winning time of 16:32 established a new Back The Blue 5K record, breaking the old mark of 16:57 set by Patrick Whitehead in the inaugural race in 2016. Whitehead also ran faster than the old record, finishing runner-up in 16:50. Benjamin Phillips, a sophomore on the Lee County High cross-country team, was third in the men's standings and fourth overall in 19:51, edging fifth-place finisher Arnoldo De Jesus (19:55).


Ann Centner's 19:05 was also a record-breaker, bettering the women's standard of 22:36 set by Meghan Pate in the 2016 Back The Blue 5K. Karen McNally was the first master runner in the race as well as the second female finisher, placing ninth overall in 23:19. Katie Sheppard was the third woman and twelfth overall in 24:55. Sheppard runs cross-country for Southwest Georgia High in Damascus, Georgia.


Oscar Viquez was the top male master and eighth male finisher, placing tenth overall in 23:42.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Back The Blue 5K

1. 16:31.3, Joshua Grant (M, 20-29)
2. 16:49.9, Patrick Whitehead (M, 30-39)
3. 19:50.2, Benjamin Phillips (M, 15-19)
4. 19:54.4, Arnoldo De Jesus (M, 30-39)
5. 20:04.7, Gregory Manning (M, 15-19)
6. 21:17.6, Jaquez Jones (M, 11-14)
7. 21:31.5, Mason Watson (M, 15-19)
8. 23:41.5, Oscar Viquez (M, 40-49)
9. 24:25.0, Julian Strickland (M, 50-59)
10. 25:37.6, Smith Pinson (M, 11-14)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Back The Blue 5K

1. 19:04.6, Ann Centner (F, 20-29)
2. 23:18.3, Karen McNally (F, 50-59)
3. 24:54.1, Katie Sheppard (F, 11-14)
4. 27:43.2, Imani McBean (F, 15-19)
5. 27:44.5, Bri Pafford (F, 15-19)
6. 28:13.5, Sandra Williams (F, 40-49)
7. 29:26.3, Tabitha Boyer (F, 11-14)
8. 29:39.9, Kevin Gaines (F, 50-59)
9. 29:45.1, Sharri Twyman (F, 40-49)
10. 30:46.1, Holland Lee (F, 15-19)

Albany, Georgia Back The Blue 5K winners, 2016 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
30 July 2016	16:57, Patrick Whitehead	22:36, Meghan Pate	102
5 August 2017	16:32, Joshua Grant	19:05, Ann Centner	67

Links

• Complete results of Albany, Georgia's 2017 Back The Blue 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Cx4LJE6Gz9SvJ3GCZMBvOUT3fiSb2hgQzTBLfH6rcmE/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Whitehead and Pate are out front at Back The Blue”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/08/albany-blue-2016.html
  
  
• A very old Albany, Georgia marathon
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/07/herald-local-marathon.html
  
  
• Upcoming races in Albany and elsewhere in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2056

A sunshiny day for Grant and Mixon at the Sunshine 5K

The fourth annual Sunshine 5K was run near Cordele, Georgia in Georgia Veterans State Park on Saturday morning, 6 May 2017. It's not overstating anything to say that Josh Grant won the race by, well, a lot. When the 26-year-old athlete from Arabi, Georgia finished the full five kilometers in 16:42, only two other runners had managed to make as far as four kilometers. In the women's competition, Caitlin Mixon of Vienna, Georgia wasn't quite that far ahead, but she was still successful in defending her 2016 women's title, finishing as the first woman and sixth overall in 24:44.


After Josh Grant, the next runners were the Omega, Georgia duo of Lorenzo Gomez, Jr., and Lorenzo Gomez. Lorenzo Gomez, Jr., finished runner-up in 20:27, while Lorenzo Gomez was the top master runner and third overall in 20:50.


Luisa Pineda of Tifton, Georgia was second to Caitlin Mixon in the women's standings and seventh overall in 25:44. Christina Jones grabbed the third women's spot, placing ninth overall in 27:21.


44 athletes finished the 2017 Sunshine 5K. The Sunshine 5K and fun run are hosted by Reflections Hospice as a fundraiser for the hospice's Camp Sunshine.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Sunshine 5K

1. 16:41.6, Josh Grant (M, 26) Arabi, GA
2. 20:26.2, Lorenzo Gomez, Jr. (M, 30) Omega, GA
3. 20:49.2, Lorenzo Gomez (M, 52) Omega, GA
4. 23:17.2, Hunter Hudson (M, 18) Vienna, GA
5. 23:49.6, Bucky Thompson (M, 34) Byromville, GA
6. 27:17.4, Brian McDowell (M, 39) Cordele, GA
7. 29:55.8, Marc Turner (M, 45) Cordele, GA
8. 31:05.0, Michael Burkett (M, 62) Elko, GA
9. 31:16.2, Mathew Raper (M, 25) Vienna, GA
10. 35:18.3, Christopher Paul, Sr. (M, 43) Cordele, GA

Top Ten Women, 2017 Sunshine 5K

1. 24:43.3, Catlin Mixon (F, 28) Vienna, GA
2. 25:43.5, Luisa A. Pineda (F, 29) Tifton, GA
3. 27:20.7, Christina Jones (F, 35) Leesburg, GA
4. 29:04.0, Alicia Hair (F, 26) Vienna, GA
5. 31:34.5, Jennifer Ban (F, 34) Sylvester, GA
6. 33:15.4, Rachel Martin (F, 36) Tifton, GA
7. 34:41.1, Lisa Coleman (F, 53) Cordele, GA
8. 36:35.0, Stacy Pencenka (F, 34) Leesburg, GA
9. 38:28.0, Haley Maxwell (F, 30) Leesburg, GA
10. 38:32.0, Littney Turner (F, 17) Cordele, GA

Sunshine 5K winners, 2014 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
17 May 2014
2 May 2015	21:06, Travis Kelly	23:34, Brooke Marshall	52
7 May 2016	19:45, Ricky Prosser	23:17, Caitlin Mixon	48
6 May 2017	16:42, Josh Grant	24:44, Catlin Mixon	44

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Sunshine 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YlS1X7J6aPK5dundC3XFApKox0XUDojkWLLv1vXfmUk/pubhtml
  
  
• Upcoming races in Cordele and other cities in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1968