In 2011, Jesse Prince defeated two-time champion and event record-holder Chris Rice in Valdosta's third annual Winterfest 5K. In 2012, Jesse Prince defeated two-time champion and event record-holder Chris Rice in Valdosta's fourth annual Winterfest 5K. In this 1 December 2012 Winterfest, though, Prince broke Rice's event record, setting a new mark of 15:49. The Valdosta State University cross-country runner had clocked the first sub-16:00 in Winterfest 5K history. Rice, now an assistant cross-country coach at Valdosta State, ran 17:01 in the runner-up spot. In a battle for third place, VSU student Chad Albers edged out Lowndes HS freshman cross-country runner Chance Roe, 17:56.1 to 17:56.7.Another VSU cross-country runner, Juliana Boehm, was the first female finisher in the 2012 Winterfest 5K, placing 13th overall in 19:40. Allison Peters just nipped Danielle Jarnagin for the second female spot, 20:17 to 20:19. Peters is a member of the junior class and the cross-country team at Lowndes HS; Jarnagin is on the cross-country squad at VSU.
The fastest master runner in the race was Valdosta's Thomas Phillips, who ran 19th overall in 20:50. The first female master to finish was Debbie Green of Valdosta; Green ran 24:36 for 50th.
136 athletes finished the 3.1-mile race.
Top Ten Males
- 15:48.5 ~ Jesse Prince (M, 21) Bonaire, GA
- 17:00.2 ~ Christopher Rice (M, 23) Loganville, GA
- 17:56.1 ~ Chad Albers (M, 18) Valdosta, GA
- 17:56.7 ~ Chance Roe (M, 14) Valdosta, GA
- 18:10.0 ~ Masked Avenger (M, 33) Lake Park, GA
- 18:42.1 ~ Tyler Thurman (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
- 18:53.6 ~ Steven Cary (M, 24) Milledgeville, GA
- 18:56.2 ~ Carlos Ponce (M, 18) Acworth, GA
- 19:02.3 ~ Jadon Long (M, 16) Hahira, GA
- 19:05.4 ~ David Jones (M, 17) Valdosta, GA
Top Ten Females- 19:39.4 ~ Juliana Boehm (F, 22) Kirschberg, Germany
- 20:16.6 ~ Alison Peters (F, 16) Valdosta, GA
- 20:18.8 ~ Danielle Jarnagin (F, 18) Lilburn, GA
- 20:44.3 ~ Ashley Luther (F, 21) Columbus, GA
- 20:55.3 ~ Kelsey Morse (F, 10) Valdosta, GA
- 21:45.6 ~ April Meeks (F, 21) Bonaire, GA
- 22:02.3 ~ Corie Gutierrez (F, 19) Marietta, GA
- 22:05.2 ~ Lisa Connelly (F, 20) Dacula, GA
- 22:34.4 ~ Madeline Posse (F, 12) Valdosta, GA
- 22:43.7 ~ Melissa Roe (F, 34) Valdosta, GA
| Valdosta's Winterfest 5K winners, 2009-2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women |
| 5 Dec 2009 | 15:59, Chris Rice | 21:01, Stephanie Harley |
| 4 Dec 2010 | 16:17, Chris Rice | 19:10, Jordanne Helton |
| 3 Dec 2011 | 16:29, Jesse Prince | 19:58, Jordanne Helton |
| 1 Dec 2012 | 15:49, Jesse Prince | 19:40, Juliana Boehm |
Links
- Complete results of the 2012 Winterfest 5K courtesy of A Course/Line
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AuBsYKIIn3TCdEN1Y2FmU0UtNkdVUlF5cXR0cE4yUFE
- Photos of the 2012 Winterfest 5K by Tom Durham
http://tdurham.zenfolio.com/p203687847
- 2011 story, "Rice and Helton celebrate Winterfest with wins"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/12/winterfest-2011.html
- 2010 story, "Prince unseats Rice while Helton repeats at Winterfest"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/12/winterfest-2010.html
- Upcoming races in Valdosta and other places in the Tallahassee region
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
