Showing posts with label Matt McCurdy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt McCurdy. Show all posts

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Running with the Devil and Matt McCurdy

Matt McCurdy, a Florida State University doctoral student in applied mathematics, won Tallahassee's annual Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race at the Mike Long Track on Saturday evening, 29 July 2017. That's more impressive when you know what the Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race is.

Matt McCurdy
Matt McCurdy

Briefly, a Devil-Take-The-Hindmost race is a run where the last runner is taken off the track at the end of each lap. In Tallahassee, removal is done by the Devil, or at least by someone dressed as the Devil. The winner is the last athlete left on the track. In the Tallahassee version, the first lap is a parade lap and elimination doesn't start till the end of the second lap. Each elimination lap has a two-minute limit. Anyone who doesn't finish the lap in two minutes is out of the race. Also, no one can start the next lap till the two minutes is up, allowing the field to regroup at the end of each lap. The length of the race depends upon the number of runners. If there are 50 athletes in the field, the race could go on for 50 laps.


27 athletes made it to the starting line of the 2017 race. At 7:00 PM, the Devil led them around the track for their first lap. Then the Devil waited for the end of the second lap and her first victim.

2017 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race
The First Lap

The first to be taken off the track was Alexa Poage, an eighth-grader on the cross-country team at Deerlake Middle School, out after two laps. After the third lap the Devil grabbed Nashville, Georgia master runner John Bolmer. The Devil had an especially good harvest at the end of the fourth lap, collecting Zack Bridges, Zack Scharlepp, and Lance Bolmer. 22 survivors started their second mile.


Wakulla master runner Doug Cole went to the Devil after the fifth lap, Tallahassee master runner Mike Boll after the sixth. Eleven-year-old Tallahassee runner Ryan Poage fell after seven laps, and master runner Stuart Poage after eight laps. The third mile began.

Stuart Poage
Stuart Poage

The Devil caught Tallahassee master runner Monica Judd at the end of the ninth lap, leaving Kat Sack and Katie Sherron as the last two women on the track. Matt Hohmeister was the Devil's victim on the tenth lap. Zach DeVeau, pushing his infant son Barrett in a stroller, was gone after the eleventh lap. Seth Kerr couldn't avoid the Devil's embrace at the end of lap twelve. Lap thirteen proved unlucky for Morgan Bolmer, a Berrien County High sophomore cross-country runner, taken by the Devil after that lap.


Two master runners went out next, Laryn Flikkema after lap fourteen and Brian Molen after lap fifteen. Kat Sack was the Devil's victim on the sixteenth lap, so Katie Sherron was the only woman left on the track. The women's champ only lasted one more lap, though; Sherron was gone after lap seventeen. Jack McDermott, the last master runner left in the race, fell into the Devil's clutches after eighteen laps. Eight runners were left.

2017 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race
Lap 18

Ryan Truchelut yanked his shoes off before starting the nineteenth lap, but barefoot running didn't help him evade the Devil. Truchelut never saw lap twenty. Bobby Duggleby did survive to start the twentieth lap, but met the Devil at the end of that circuit. Paul Guyas, exhausted by lap twenty, couldn't keep up on the 21st lap and was greeted by the Devil. Trevor Sununu had won the 2016 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race in 2016, going 21 laps without being caught by the Devil. In 2017 he went 22 laps before the Devil caught him. Added together, Sununu covered 43 laps before meeting the Devil, but meet her he did. The field was down to four.


Charlie Johnson took the lead on lap 23. Matt McCurdy and Chris O'Kelley let him go, safe because they were ahead of Bryce Cole. The Devil got Cole at the end of that lap, leaving three runners.

2017 Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race
Lap 22

Johnson and McCurdy left O'Kelley behind for the Devil on the 24th lap, McCurdy hugging the rail to conserve energy. The Devil watched as Johnson and McCurdy started the 25th lap and a 400-meter duel for the win. The Devil would take the loser.


The Devil wouldn't get McCurdy. Starting off at a scorching sprint, McCurdy jumped out ahead of Johnson and didn't let up. It wasn't a surprise, though, for anyone familiar with McCurdy's career on the track team of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Charlie Johnson, Matt McCurdy
Charlie Johnson & Matt McCurdy

"I ran the 800 and the 4 x 400 relay," said McCurdy. "I've got some leg speed."


McCurdy finished the 25th lap safely, half a straightaway ahead of Johnson, winning the race. The Devil had to be satisfied with Johnson and 25 other souls. As for McCurdy getting away, well, there's always next year. The Devil can be patient.

Charlie Johnson
Charlie Johnson

Nancy Stedman starred as the Devil at the 2017 event. Bill Lott was timer and gatekeeper, while Tec Thomas kept score. The three kept the event running smoothly in spite of any obstruction Herb Wills could come up with. The next Devil-Take-The-Hindmost Race will be Saturday, 28 July 2018, unless it isn't.


Devil Take The Hindmost Race
Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Florida
Saturday, 29 July 2017 @ 7:00 PM ET
PlaceFirst NameLast NameM/FAgeHometownLaps
1.  MattMcCurdyM24Tallahassee, FL26
2.  CharlieJohnsonM37Tallahassee, FL25
3.  ChrisO'KelleyM24Tallahassee, FL24
4.  BryceColeM19Wakulla, FL23
5.  TrevorSununuM21Tallahassee, FL22
6.  PaulGuyasM39Tallahassee, FL21
7.  BobbyDugglebyM26Tallahassee, FL20
8.  RyanTruchelutM31Tallahassee, FL19
9.  JackMcDermottM48Tallahassee, FL18
10.  KatieSherronF35Tallahassee, FL17
11.  KatSackF25Tallahassee, FL16
12.  BrianMolenM41Tallahassee, FL15
13.  LarynFlikkemaM41Tallahassee, FL14
14.  MorganBolmerM14Nashville, GA13
15.  SethKerrM29Tallahassee, FL12
16.  ZachDeVeauM29Tallahassee, FL11
BarrettDeVeauM1Tallahassee, FL11
17.  MattHohmeisterM36Tallahassee, FL10
18.  MonicaJuddF43Tallahassee, FL9
19.  StuartPoageM42Tallahassee, FL8
20.  RyanPoageM11Tallahassee, FL7
21.  MikeBollM53Tallahassee, FL6
22.  DougColeM52Wakulla, FL5
23.  ZackScharleppM34Tallahassee, FL4
LanceBolmerM10Nashville, GA4
ZackBridgesM34Tallahassee, FL4
26.  JohnBolmerM41Nashville, GA3
27.  AlexaPoageF13Tallahassee, FL3


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Sunday, May 21, 2017

McCurdy and Sack land victories in the Catfish Crawl 5K

Just before Blountstown, Florida’s sixth annual Catfish Crawl 5K on Saturday morning, 20 May 2017, Matt McCurdy and Kat Sack had in common that they had both been winners the previous week at the Run For Ansley 5K in Tallahassee. McCurdy had carried away the men’s title and Sack the women’s. After a morning in Blountstown, McCurdy and Sack also had Catfish Crawl wins in common. McCurdy took the 3.1-mile race in 17:23, and Sack finished atop the women’s field in 19:47.

2017 Catfish Crawl 5K
The leaders after 1500 meters

In each of the last four years, the race at the Catfish Crawl 5K has developed like a race on the track, with a large group of leaders being gradually whittled down to a few contenders, and finally a single winner. Perhaps it’s because the out-and-back course on the Blountstown Greenway Rail Trail is as flat as any track. Or perhaps it’s just coincidence. Whatever the reason, the 2016 race followed the same script. One mile into the race there was a lead pack of five, with Tallahassee runners Matt McCurdy and Chris O’Kelley setting the pace for Elijah Sarmiento of Wewahitchka, Jesse Boyd of Blountstown, and Geb Kiros of Tallahassee. At that point, one of the athletes threw in a bit of improvisation.


“He wasn’t wearing a watch, and he asked us for the mile time,” recalled O’Kelley. “After we told him he took off.”

Chris O'Kelley, Matt McCurdy
Chris O'Kelley and Matt McCurdy

The surge was short-lived. After the turn-around halfway through the race, McCurdy and O’Kelley were in command. With a quarter mile to go they were still running side by side. After that?


“I just started sprinting,” said McCurdy.

Geb Kiros
Geb Kiros

O’Kelley had no response. McCurdy dashed ahead to win in 17:23 while O’Kelley was second in 17:31. Geb Kiros was the fastest master runner in the race, placing third overall in 17:43. Boyd edged Sarmiento for fourth, 17:48 to 17:50.

Chelsee Cook, Kat Sack
Chelsee Cook and Kat Sack

Kat Sack may have been coming off of a win, but Blountstown High graduating senior Chelsee Cook was the defending women’s champ of the Catfish Crawl. Cook was also the women’s course record holder, having run 21:37 in the 2016 race. During the first mile she was actually half a step ahead of Sack. The two raced closely until Sack made a break half a mile from the finish line.


“I started to pull away about a minute before the bridge,” said Sack. “She kept me on my toes. She definitely kept me on my toes.”

Kat Sack
Kat Sack

It took a new women’s course record for Sack to beat Cook. Sack ran 19:47, finishing fourteenth overall and becoming the only woman to ever run under 20:00 at the Catfish Crawl. Cook also clocked under the previous women’s record, running 20:01 for second in the women's standings and sixteenth overall. Tallahassee schoolteacher Laura McDermott was the third woman and 23rd overall in 21:45. Tsige Tadesse of Tallahassee was the top woman master and fourth female finisher, 27th overall in 22:18.


A record field of 212 athletes finished the Blountstown Fire Department’s 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K. Another seven participated in the event as race walkers, and 22 others completed a one-mile fun run.

Chelsee Cook
Chelsee Cook

Top Ten Men, 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K
  1. 17:23, Matthew McCurdy (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 17:31, Chris O'Kelley (M, 24) Tallahassee, FL
  3. 17:43, Geb Kiros (M, 50) Blountstown, FL
  4. 17:48, Jesse Boyd (M, 17) Blountstown, FL
  5. 17:50, Elijah Sarmiento (M, 18) Wewahitchka, FL
  6. 18:10, Mickey Moore (M, 47) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 18:17, Jim Halley (M, 37) Blountstown, FL
  8. 18:32, Chance Logan (M, 20) Blountstown, FL
  9. 18:38, Paul Guyas (M, 39) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 18:53, Blayton See (M, 16) Blountstown, FL

Top Ten Women, 2017 Catfish Crawl 5K
  1. 19:47, Kat Sack (F, 25) Tallahassee, FL
  2. 20:01, Chelsee Cook (F, 18) Blountstown, FL
  3. 21:45, Laura McDermott (F, 37) Blountstown, FL
  4. 22:18, Tsige Tadesse (F, 44) Tallahassee, FL
  5. 22:56, Paula O'Neill (F, 55) Tallahassee, FL
  6. 23:27, Kory Skrob (F, 46) Tallahassee, FL
  7. 23:27, Nazarae Rodriguez (F, 27) Tallahassee, FL
  8. 23:44, Monica Judd (F, 43) Tallahassee, FL
  9. 23:51, Kristin Halley (F, 35) Tallahassee, FL
  10. 23:57, Nancy Proctor (F, 56) Tallahassee, FL

Blountstown Fire Department Catfish Crawl 5K champions, 2012 - 2017
DateMenWomenFinishers
19 May 201217:45, Billy Naylor21:41, Hannah Plazarin96
18 May 201316:38, Billy Naylor23:45, Hannah Plazarin128
17 May 201417:23, Thomas Howell25:05, Lydia Miles117
16 May 201517:47, Michael Martinez22:41, Kristi Johnson135
21 May 201618:08, Geb Kiros21:37, Chelsee Cook132
20 May 201717:23, Matthew McCurdy19:47, Kat Sack212


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Saturday, March 4, 2017

McCurdy and Sherron outrun a sea of green at the Shamrock Scurry

Over 50 years ago the Beatles sang about the Yellow Submarine sailing a Sea of Green. There was another Sea of Green on the north side of Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday morning, 4 March 2017. It was a sea of green shirts, peppered with a few green kilts and green tutus, as more than 600 athletes assembled on Roscommon Drive in Killearn Estates for the Shamrock Scurry 5K. And when that green wave had washed over the course, Matt McCurdy had won the race, running 16:38. Katie Sherron was the women's champ, placing tenth overall in 19:09.

Matt McCurdy
Matt McCurdy

“Perfect weather this morning!” declared Jillian Heddaeus after the race. Heddaeus ran 20:57, finishing fourth in the women's standings. Her take on the conditions was echoed by most of the athletes at the Scurry. It was an almost optimum morning for running clear skies, calm air, and cool but not cold temperatures. A few runners may have been shivering a bit when the starting siren went off a few minutes after 8:30 AM, but it didn't take much racing to cure that.


By the end of the first quarter mile Matt McCurdy, Vince Molosky, and Chris O'Kelley were out in front, having broken away from the rest of the field. Those same runners had taken the first three places at the Run For The Cookies 5K three weeks earlier. McCurdy had waited until the third mile to make his move that morning, but at the Shamrock Scurry he left Molosky and O'Kelley behind during the second mile. Then the uphills started.

Matt McCurdy, Vince Molosky, Chris O'Kelley
The leaders at 1500m

“The first two miles of the race today were great,” reflected McCurdy. “The hill around mile two and the subsequent mile weren't as great!”


After starting on high ground near Killearn United Methodist Church, the Shamrock Scurry descends toward Lake Killarney for the first half of the race. After that, the runners start a series of climbs back to the church and the finish line. The first and worst of these is a hill that the runners crest at the two mile mark, the one that McCurdy mentioned. The final ascent comes with less than half a mile to go in the race--Pancake Hill.

Geb Kiros
Geb Kiros

McCurdy may not have enjoyed the hills, but he widened his lead as he climbed them. He crested Pancake Hill before any of his rivals had reached the base, then raced home to win the race in 16:38. Molosky reached Pancake Hill a few steps ahead of O'Kelley, then added a few steps more on the way to the finish line, taking second in 17:13 while O'Kelley was third in 17:19. Ryan Truchelut was fourth in 17:19. Geb Kiros was the first master runner, placing fifth overall in 17:56.


It was McCurdy’s first time running the Shamrock Scurry, but women’s champ Katie Sherron was already a veteran of the race. Sherron not only won the women’s title at the 2014 scurry, she and her husband Zach DeVeau live right in the neighborhood.

Katie Sherron
Katie Sherron

“Zach and I ran from our house this morning,” said Sherron. “About a mile to the starting line. This course isn't flat, but it's pretty and close to home so I run it frequently. Course knowledge is definitely an advantage with those mid- and end-of-race hills!”


Sherron had the competition wrapped up before those hills, though. Brittney Barnes and Sherron led the women’s field during the first mile, then Sherron made a move just before the mile mark. It was Sherron’s race after that, and she went on to claim her second Shamrock Scurry win with a 19:09. Barnes was second in the women's standings, placing 23rd overall in 20:22. Katie Sack was the third woman and 26th overall in 20:43. Stephanie Liles-Weyant was the top woman master and fifth female finisher, 32nd overall in 21:04.

Brittney Barnes
Brittney Barnes

634 athletes finished the 2017 Shamrock Scurry 5K, with another 167 completing a one-mile fun run. Many of the finishers enjoyed a post-race pancake and sausage breakfast served at the church. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the event.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Shamrock Scurry 5K
  1. 16:38, Matthew McCurdy (M, 24)
  2. 17:13, Vince Molosky (M, 37)
  3. 17:19, Christopher O'Kelley (M, 23)
  4. 17:51, Ryan Truchelut (M, 31)
  5. 17:56, Geb Kiros (M, 50)
  6. 18:01, Jim Halley (M, 37)
  7. 18:13, Eric Godin (M, 32)
  8. 18:47, Paul Guyas (M, 39)
  9. 19:07, Michael Martinez (M, 51)
  10. 19:12, Zach Deveau (M, 29)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Shamrock Scurry 5K
  1. 19:09, Katie Sherron (F, 35)
  2. 20:22, Brittney Barnes (F, 29)
  3. 20:43, Katie Sack (F, 25)
  4. 20:57, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 33)
  5. 21:04, Stephanie Liles-Weyant (F, 44)
  6. 21:41, Alyssa Terry (F, 23)
  7. 21:58, Laura McDermott (F, 37)
  8. 22:00, Laura Reina (F, 52)
  9. 22:14, Monica Judd (F, 42)
  10. 22:17, Tylo Farrar (F, 23)

Known Shamrock Scurry 5K winners, 1981 - 2017
DateMenWomen
1981

13 March 198217:05, Paul Hodge21:22, Cathy Shuler
12 March 198315:35, Adam Pinkston19:21, Cheryl Jennings
17 March 198416:19, Bobby Shackleford17:42, Nellie Orr
16 March 198514:35, Jeff Wentworth19:20, Angie Crook
15 March 198615:33, David Keen18:42, Janice Hochstein
7 March 198715:21, Richard Corbett18:15, Janice Hochstein
12 March 198816:01, Bill Crooks19:59, Robin Tanner
11 March 198915:57, Bill Crooks19:32, Yvonne Gsteiger
17 March 199015:39, John Charlton20:07 Jane Henderson
16 March 199115:32, Gary Droze19:15, Vikki Saga
14 March 199215:53, Jessie Close17:50, Paula Johnson
8 May 1993

19 March 199415:17, Robin Rogers18:38, Jane Johnson
18 March 1995

1996

   
13 March 200416:02, Ryder Leary16:44, Sinead Evans
5 March 200516:29, Matthew Dobson19:21, Breeda Willis
18 March 200618:21, Michael Martinez20:10, Jennifer Emo
17 March 200715:43, Joey Zins21:55, Jun Inoue
15 March 200814:47, Mark Carroll16:55, Barbara Parker
   
13 March 201017:25, Jay Wallace21:03, Anna Busby
12 March 201118:14, Peter Kaus19:35, Sheryl Rosen
10 March 201216:27, Stephen Cox19:43, Carrie Seiberlich
9 March 201316:13, Stanley Linton20:38, Mary Anne Grayson
8 March 201415:44, Stanley Linton19:48, Katie Sherron
14 March 201516:30, Chris Lake20:45, Emily Molen
12 March 201619:51, Duane Evans22:47, Emma Spencer
4 March 201716:38, Matthew McCurdy19:09, Katie Sherron
Originally scheduled for March 13, the 1993 race had to be
postponed because of a severe winter storm.
The Shamrock Scurry was held from Killearn UMC from 1981
to 1996.
The Shamrock Scurry was not held from 1997 to 2003.
From 2004 to 2008 the Shamrock Scurry was held from
Celebration Baptist Church.
The Shamrock Scurry was not held in 2009.
From 2010 to 2017 the Shamrock Scurry was held from Killearn
UMC.


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Saturday, February 11, 2017

McCurdy wins and Veltcheva goes 17:35 at Run For The Cookies

In Tallahassee, Florida Girl Scout Cookie season starts in February. If you want cookies, you could wait at home and hope a pint-sized entrepreneur knocks on you door to sell you a few boxes. Alternatively you could drop by the grocery store and see if the Scouts have set up a cookie table outside. One sure way of scoring some cookies, though, is to do the Run For The Cookies 5K, where each athlete who enters gets a box. Hundreds did just that, showing up at the Tallahassee Community College campus on Saturday morning, 11 February 2017, for the 24th annual Run For The Cookies 5K. The fastest seeker of sweets was Matt McCurdy, who won the race in 16:27. The women's title went to twelve-year-old Ani Veltcheva, who placed seventh overall in 17:35.

Matt McCurdy
Matt McCurdy

The race started several minutes after 9:00 AM. Ani Veltcheva led coming off the starting line, but Matt McCurdy and Vince Molosky soon took over the lead. The two ran together through the first half of the race, leaving the rest of the field farther and farther behind. Then McCurdy struck.


"I made a move at about two miles," said McCurdy, a graduate student in mathematics at Florida State University. "I hadn't run the course before and I didn't want any surprises. At the two-mile mark I had seen everything so I went."


McCurdy opened up a quick gap on Molosky, then continued to steadily draw away. When McCurdy crossed the finish line in a winning 16:27, he had a 150-meter lead. While McCurdy was increasing his margin on the field, Christopher O'Kelley was moving closer to Molosky. O'Kelley never got near enough to challenge for second, though, and Molosky took the runner-up spot in 16:58. O'Kelley was third in 17:07, while Zach DeVeau placed fourth in 17:27.

Vince Molosky, Matt McCurdy
Vince Molosky and Matt McCurdy

Geb Kiros led the master runners from the start, but Mickey Moore and Gary Droze were closing in on him late in the race. Kiros held off those rivals to finish as the first master runner in the race, placing eighth overall in 17:42. Moore was right behind, ninth in 17:45, with Droze following, tenth in 17:46.


Just six days before his Cookie Run win, McCurdy had raced Gulf Winds Track Club's Tallahassee Half Marathon, 13.1-miles long.


"Too long!" said McCurdy. "That was my first and last half marathon."


McCurdy will stick with the five-kilometer distance for his next race, the Shamrock Scurry 5K on 4 March 2017.

Ani Veltcheva
Ani Veltcheva

McCurdy had run side-by-side with Molosky for most of the Cookie Run, but no one in the women's field could run with Ani Veltcheva. Veltcheva--a seventh-grader at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Gainesville, Florida--actually led the entire field for the first few meters of the race. A few of the men overtook her, but none of the other women. Unchallenged, Veltcheva steadily built a 250-meter lead on her way to a 17:35 finish. Sheryl Rosen was second in the women's standings and fifteenth overall in 18:31. Brittney Barnes was the third woman and 21st overall in 19:26. Laura Reina was the first woman master and sixth female finisher, 43rd overall in 21:42.


17:35 is Veltcheva's best 5K performance yet, bettering the 17:44 she ran three weeks earlier in Saint Augustine at the Matanzas 5K. She's looking to trim a few more seconds, though. Veltcheva has her eye on the 5K world record for twelve-year-old girls.


"This was only two seconds off the world record," said Veltcheva. "So my goal is to break that before April."

Sheryl Rosen
Sheryl Rosen

Veltcheva will get her next chance at the record back home in Gainesville on 25 February 2017 at the Five Points Of Life 5K, where she is the defending women's champ. She does enjoy racing in Tallahassee, though.


"I really like the Tallahassee races because I have people to run against," said Veltcheva. "But the best part is that my sister goes to FSU. So after the race I get to spend the rest of the weekend with her."


405 athletes finished the 2017 Run For The Cookies 5K, with another 91 completing a one-mile fun run. Gulf Winds Track Club chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Run For The Cookies 5K
  1. 16:27, Matthew McCurdy (M, 23)
  2. 16:58, Vince Molosky (M, 37)
  3. 17:07, Christopher O'Kelley (M, 23)
  4. 17:27, Zach Deveau (M, 29)
  5. 17:32, Ryan Truchelut (M, 31)
  6. 17:33, Thomas Howell (M, 20)
  7. 17:38, Jim Halley (M, 37)
  8. 17:42, Geb Kiros (M, 50)
  9. 17:45, Mickey Moore (M, 46)
  10. 17:46, Gary Droze (M, 55)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Run For The Cookies 5K
  1. 17:35, Ani Veltcheva (F, 12)
  2. 18:31, Sheryl Rosen (F, 32)
  3. 19:26, Brittney Barnes (F, 29)
  4. 21:05, Jillian Heddaeus (F, 33)
  5. 21:37, Laura McDermott (F, 37)
  6. 21:42, Laura Reina (F, 52)
  7. 22:04, Monica Judd (F, 42)
  8. 22:06, Paula O'Neill (F, 55)
  9. 22:15, Katherine Lee (F, 20)
  10. 22:15, Monica Toth (F, 28)

Run For The Cookies 5K champions, 1994 - 2017
DateMenWomenFinishers
19 February 199416:12, Gary Droze-118:51, Carrie Weyant-185
25 February 199515:42, Gary Droze-218:15, Jane Johnson186
24 February 199616:08, Gary Droze-319:57, Chateau Mangaroo175
22 February 199715:17, Gary Droze-419:02, Carrie Weyant-2150
28 February 199815:38, Jason Ritter17:29, Sarah Docter-Williams-1207
27 February 199916:17, David Ogletree17:38, Sarah Docter-Williams-2258
26 February 200016:23, Robert Pautienus17:53, Kim Winn294
24 February 200115:59, Kevin Danahy17:30, Sarah Docter-Williams-3231
23 February 200215:25, Lee Willis-116:18, Breeda Dennehy-Willis-1248
15 February 200315:49, Lee Willis-216:30, Breeda Dennehy-Willis-2152
14 February 200417:07, Timothy Bolton18:06, Sarah Docter-Williams-493
12 February 200516:23, Justin Jacobs17:43, Sarah Docter-Williams-5258
11 February 200616:49, Kyle Larson19:04, Stephanie Liles-1156
10 February 200715:53, Judson Cake19:06, Zika Rea386
9 February 200816:45, Tripp Southerland19:35, Stephanie Liles-2411
7 February 200916:16, Chris Lake-118:40, Audrey Hand550
13 February 201016:27, Chris Lake-218:11, Amy Hines-1432
12 February 201115:50, Kevin Sullivan19:02, Sheryl Rosen-1431
11 February 201216:07, Alex Smyth17:36, Amy Hines-2685
9 February 201316:00, Stanley Linton-117:43, Chelsi Woodruff602
8 February 201415:24, Stanley Linton-217:54, Carly Thomas369
14 February 201515:40, Remy Tamer18:04, Sheryl Rosen-2332
13 February 201617:15, Clayburn Milford18:53, Alexandra Midgett342
11 February 201716:27, Matthew McCurdy17:35, Ani Veltcheva405
The Run For The Cookies was held at Tallahassee Mall from 1994 to 1996,
and at Tallahassee Community College from 1997 to the present.
A big thank-you to Mark Priddy for his help in completing this summary.


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Friday, November 11, 2016

McCurdy and Churchill take the VetFest 5K

VetFest 5K logoOn the Centre College track team Matt McCurdy was almost purely a middle-distance runner. From 2011 to 2015, while pursuing a degree in mathematics at the Danville, Kentucky college, McCurdy seldom raced farther than 800 meters on the track. But in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday morning, 11 November 2016, McCurdy looked every bit the long-distance runner as he won the sixth annual VetFest 5K, running 16:41 over a hilly downtown course. Lincoln High frosh Alyson Churchill was first in the women's standings, placing sixth overall in 18:00. 191 athletes finished the 3.1-mile race.


Many holidays change dates from year to year so as to fall on a Monday, but Veterans Day in always on 11 November. Some Veterans Day road races change dates from year to year so as to fall on a Saturday, but Tallahassee's VetFest 5K has always been on Veterans Day. The race started at 8:30 with the runners hurtling down East Park Avenue toward Franklin Boulevard, losing nearly 100 feet of elevation in the first 600 yards. There was plenty of uphill ahead to make up for that downhill, as the race circled Myers Park before returning downtown. Vince Molosky took the early lead, but he was being stalked by two Ph.D. students from the Florida State University Department of Mathematics--Matt McCurdy and Nick Yaeger.


"A little after a mile in, Nick and I had caught up and we made a move to get some ground between us and the third place runner," recalled McCurdy.


McCurdy and Yeager continued to run together until the last mile. Climbing the hill on South Monroe Street opened a gap, then cruised to a 16:41 win. Yaeger was a close second in 16:47. Vince Molosky took third in 17:14, and Chris Lake was fourth in 17:42.


McCurdy runs for a Center College alumni group, Fortius Duckface Track Club. He and Yaeger have left their high school and college running days behind them, but Alyson Churchill has only just started down that road. Churchill has already racked up accomplishments that would be the pinnacle of most athletes' careers. Just six days before the Vetfest 5K, she won Florida's State High School Cross Country Championship, concluding a remarkable first cross-country season at Lincoln High where she won seven races while losing only one. Churchill had run 19:50 in the 2015 VetFest 5K. Returning for the 2016 race, she improved that mark to 18:00.


"Today was not supposed to be a hard race for me and I was not expecting to get as fast of a time as I did," commented Churchill. "Honestly I think it helped me out a lot not being so nervous going into the race."


Jillian Heddaeus was second in the women's standings and thirteenth overall in 21:08. Lincoln High cross-country runner Megan Churchill was the third woman and fourteenth overall in 22:03, and Swift Creek Middle cross-country runner Paige Churchill was the fourth female finisher and sixteenth overall in 23:00.


Michael Cipriano was the fastest master runner in the race, the twelfth male finisher and fifteenth overall in 21:39. Paula O'Neill was the top woman master and seventh female finisher, 27th overall in 23:17.


There's still more racing ahead for the winners of the VetFest 5K. Alyson Churchill plans to compete at the Foot Locker Cross Country South Regional Championships at Charlotte, North Carolina's McAlpine Park on 26 November 2016. Matt McCurdy is looking forward to the Tallahassee Turkey Trot on 24 November 2016.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Tallahassee VetFest 5K
  1. 16:41 ~ Matt McCurdy (M, 23)
  2. 16:47 ~ Nick Yaeger (M, 22)
  3. 17:14 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 37)
  4. 17:42 ~ Chris Lake (M, 29)
  5. 17:54 ~ Grady Smith (M, 39)
  6. 18:16 ~ Jim Halley (M, 37)
  7. 19:22 ~ Paul Guyas (M, 39)
  8. 20:04 ~ Matthias Laywell (M, 18)
  9. 20:12 ~ Lane Williams (M, 20)
  10. 20:19 ~ John Schwenkler (M, 35)

Top Ten Women, 2016 Tallahassee VetFest 5K
  1. 18:00 ~ Alyson Churchill (F, 14)
  2. 21:08 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 33)
  3. 21:20 ~ Megan Churchill (F, 14)
  4. 22:03 ~ Paige Churchill (F, 11)
  5. 23:00 ~ Kristin Halley (F, 35)
  6. 23:13 ~ Layla Thompson (F, 11)
  7. 23:17 ~ Paula O'Neill (F, 55)
  8. 23:26 ~ Alyssa Terry (F, 23)
  9. 23:42 ~ Laura Sellati (F, 37)
  10. 23:43 ~ Deirdre McCarthy (F, 37)

Tallahassee VetFest 5K winners, 2011 - 2016
DateMenWomenFinishers
14 November 201116:20, Alex Smyth22:50, Sandy Holt169
12 November 201219:12, James Taylor21:34, Kelly Brennan112
11 November 201315:57, Chris Rego20:01, Renee Cox147
11 November 201417:45, Adam Greenstein19:06, Katie Sherron191
11 November 201517:02, Gary Droze18:24, Katie Sherron255
11 November 201616:41, Matt McCurdy18:00, Alyson Churchill191


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Posted by Herb Wills at 8:42 PM 0 comments
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