Vandermeulen and Bear trounce the defending champs at the Torch Run

In 2024, on the campus of Florida State University at Panama City, Caden Vandermeulen won the third annual Torch Run 5K. In 2025, Mason Brain won FSUPC's fourth annual Torch Run 5K. On Saturday morning, 24 January 2026, both Vandermeulen and Brain were in Panama City for the fifth annual Torch Run. Vandermeulen won the showdown of past champions by 200 meters, posting a winning time of 17:46. Master runner Leah Bear was the first woman in the race, coming in 23rd overall in 23:46.


Vandermeulen's winning time was just one second off the event record of 17:45, set by Walter Spangler in 2023. Behind Vandermeulen, Mason Brain, the defending champion and a sophomore on the North Bay Haven cross-country team, finished runner-up in 18:31. Micah Phillips, a frosh on the Mosley High cross-country squad, took third in 19:00. Moses Mwenda was the first master runner in the 5K, placing sixth overall in 19:45.


Master runner Leah Bear was the first woman in the race, placing 23rd overall in 23:46. Adriana Cruz-Betancourth took second in the women's division, finishing 31st overall in 24:51. A cross-country runner at neighboring Gulf Coast State College, Cruz-Betancourth was the 2025 Torch Run women's champ. Aaricia Smits was third in the women's standings and 34th overall in 25:22.


220 athletes finished FSUPC's 2026 Torch Run 5K. International Running Company timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2026 Torch Run 5K

1. 17:46, Caden Vandermeulen (M, 22)
2. 18:31, Mason Brain (M, 18)
3. 19:00, Micah Phillips (M, 14)
4. 19:12, Joseph Vanty (M, 16)
5. 19:39, Kyle Arthur (M, 25)
6. 19:45, Moses Mwenda (M, 45)
7. 20:44, Alex Kinchen (M, 19)
8. 20:50, Tristen Becker (M, 17)
9. 20:53, Sergio Saucedo (M, 20)
10. 20:56, Lincoln Lacourse (M, 17)

Top Ten Women, 2026 Torch Run 5K

1. 23:46, Leah Bear (F, 40)
2. 24:51, Adriana Cruz-Betancourth (F, 20)
3. 25:22, Aaricia Smits (F, 27)
4. 26:43, Johanna Thompson (F, 21)
5. 27:25, Melissa Fernandez (F, 35)
6. 27:36, Emma Wisener (F, 21)
7. 28:00, Merissa Hudson (F, 47)
8. 28:35, Laura Aburto (F, 40)
9. 28:48, Jennifer Worthy (F, 44)
10. 29:07, Angela Bigsby (F, 42)

Florida State University Panama City Torch Run 5K winners, 2022 - 2026
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
22 January 2022	17:57, Matthew Matson	25:03, Krystin Guirey	60
21 January 2023	17:45, Walter Spangler	19:18, Margaret Bartlow	137
20 January 2024	19:41, Caden Vandermeulen	18:08, Margaret Bartlow	135
25 January 2025	20:05, Mason Brain	22:27, Adriana Cruz Betancourth	212
24 January 2026	17:46, Caden Vandermeulen	23:46, Leah Bear	220

Links

• Complete results of Florida State University Panama City's 2026 Torch Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRsVevIUhg1g-yP3pikx3xDvTmrzKqZWcFRVxGhw8brWXjAsCTHGKJ0DhorUREA87bEAW7cZuxy5TF1/pubhtml
  
  
• 2025 story, “Mason Brain and Adriana Cruz-Betancourth take the Torch Run in Panama City”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2025/01/fsupc-torch-run-2025.html
  
  
• 2024 story, “Maggie Bartlow was on fire at the Torch Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2024/01/fsupc-torch-run-2024.html
  
  
• Find your next race in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3211

Mason Brain and Adriana Cruz-Betancourth take the Torch Run in Panama City

A winter storm swept through North Florida on 21 January 2025, dropping unprecedented amounts of snow and sleet on the Gulf Coast. Florida State University at Tallahassee remained closed through the end of that week, prompting the administration to cancel the Bowlegs 5K Run For Scholarship, scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 2025. But Florida State University at Panama City re-opened on Friday, so on that coastal campus the fourth annual Torch Run 5K went ahead as planned on Saturday. Mason Brain, the frosh ace of the Nort Bay Haven High cross-country team, won the race in 20:05. Gulf Coast State College cross-country runner Adriana Cruz-Betancourth was the first woman in the 5K, placing ninth overall in 22:27.


Moses Mwenda was the first master runner in the Torch Run; Mwenda finished runner-up to Brain in 20:36. Lexus Roulhac took third with a 20:48. Roulhac had placed fourth in the 2024 Torch Run, running 21:57.


Madelyn Gortemoller, a former harrier at Port Saint Joe High and Mobile University, was the runner-up in the women's division, coming in thirteenth overall in 22:39. Bailey Martinek, another Gulf Coast State Commodore, was the third woman and eighteenth overall in 23:50. Jill Kupfer was the first woman master in the Torch Run and the seventh female finisher, 32nd overall in 26:35.


212 athletes finished FSUPC's 2025 Torch Run 5K. International Running Company timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2025 Torch Run 5K

1. 20:05, Mason Brain (M, 15)
2. 20:36, Moses Mwenda (M, 44)
3. 20:48, Lexus Roulhac (M, 32)
4. 21:13, Chris Mayer (M, 25)
5. 21:32, Will Brooks (M, 15)
6. 21:50, Marek Bakun (M, 52)
7. 22:03, Joseph McArdle (M, 49)
8. 22:19, Andrew Turner (M, 18)
9. 22:31, Justice Peacock (M, 21)
10. 22:34, Steven Morrone (M, 26)

Top Ten Women, 2025 Torch Run 5K

1. 22:27, Adriana Cruz Betancourth (F, 19)
2. 22:39, Madelyn Gortemoller (F, 21)
3. 23:50, Bailey Martinek (F, 18)
4. 25:29, Lindsay French (F, 38)
5. 25:39, Ashley White (F, 37)
6. 26:07, Savannah Owens (F, 21)
7. 26:35, Jill Kupfer (F, 57)
8. 26:46, Addie Brooks (F, 19)
9. 26:54, Maddie Mohamed (F, 12)
10. 26:55, Courtney Scruggs (F, 34)

Florida State University Panama City Torch Run 5K winners, 2022 - 2025
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
22 January 2022	17:57, Matthew Matson	25:03, Krystin Guirey	60
21 January 2023	17:45, Walter Spangler	19:18, Margaret Bartlow	137
20 January 2024	19:41, Caden Vandermeulen	18:08, Margaret Bartlow	135
25 January 2025	20:05, Mason Brain	22:27, Adriana Cruz Betancourth	212

Links

• Complete results of Florida State University Panama City's 2025 Torch Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT6OnzA1m5trZgyIGjBSGUW8NagJJ_MYGvaEM4tPt1PdMsac2QI4Bf8gk2GP0vbSYzQnFAIN7zgGWuO/pubhtml
  
  
• 2024 story, “Maggie Bartlow was on fire at the Torch Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2024/01/fsupc-torch-run-2024.html
  
  
• Find your next race in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3139

Grayson Parker and Adira Sluder were on the ball at the Ball Drop 5K

After Grayson Parker placed third in Panama City Beach's 2023 New Year's Eve Ball Drop 5K, his New Year's resolution may have very well been to return to Florida in 2024 and win the race. If so, he kept that resolution. Parker, a Cooper High cross-country runner, won the sixth annnual Ball Drop 5K on Tuesday morning, 31 December 2024, blazing through the course in 16:29. Columbus (Indiana) North High junior-year harrier Adira Sluder was the first woman in the race, finishing fourteenth overall in 21:01.


Ryan Driskill, a junior on the Pleasant Plains High cross-country team, took second overall in 17:03. At 17:14, Columbus North junior Denton Sluder grabbed third. Jared Driskill of Pleasant Plains, Illinois was the first master runner in the race, coming in fourth overallin 18:22.

Meagan Dye was runner-up in the women's division, placing 28th overall in 23:35. Mandi Lora was the third woman and 30th overall in 24:16. Kim Allan was the first woman master and eighth female finisher; the Panama City athlete was 44th overall in 26:25.


272 athletes finished the 2024 Ball Drop 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Ball Drop 5K

1. 16:29, Grayson Parker (M, Overall)
2. 17:03, Ryan Driskill (M, 15-19)
3. 17:14, Denton Sluder (M, 15-19)
4. 18:22, Jared Driskill (M, 50-54)
5. 18:49, Scott Marr (M, 35-39)
6. 18:58, Dylan Gines (M, 15-19)
7. 19:02, Jeb Mathis (M, 15-19)
8. 19:38, Ayden Gnewuch (M, 20-24)
9. 19:38, Steven Marcet (M, 15-19)
10. 19:57, Joevel Edwards (M, 25-29)

Top Ten Women, 2024 Ball Drop 5K

1. 21:01, Adira Sluder (F, Overall)
2. 23:35, Meagan Dye (F, 35-39)
3. 24:16, Mandi Lora (F, 35-39)
4. 24:18, Jessica Hunt (F, 30-34)
5. 24:26, Destiny Villegas (F, 15-19)
6. 24:51, Ariane Gildehaus (F, 11-14)
7. 25:56, Alayna Bell (F, 25-29)
8. 26:25, Kim Allan (F, 50-54)
9. 26:28, Tiffany Amack (F, 30-34)
10. 26:48, Marleigh Elmore (F, 20-24)
    

Panama City Beach, Florida Ball Drop 5K winners, 2018 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
31 December 2018	17:57, Robert Friedman	20:35, Rory Claussen	133
31 December 2019	16:22, Brian Horneck	19:56, Oriana Horneck	243
31 December 2021	18:01, Tim Goldy	21:23, Donna Garcia	225
31 December 2022	16:52, Matthias Wilder	16:54, Rachel Kennedy	211
31 December 2023	17:15, Meng Zhao	20:40, Emma Dobson	258
31 December 2024	16:29, Grayson Parker	21:01, Adira Sluder	272

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Panama City Beach, Florida Ball Drop 5K
  https://app.box.com/s/4woz88aamd45k8gg2ltq553kurefd4v1
  
  
• 2023 story, “Meng Zhao and Emma Dobson drop some fast times at the Ball Drop 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/12/pcb-ball-drop-2023.html
  
  
• 2020 story, “Tim Goldy and Donna Garcia roll to wins in the Ball Drop 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/12/tim-goldy-and-donna-garcia-roll-to-wins.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Robert Friedman and Rory Claussen drop the competition at the Ball Drop 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/12/pcb-ball-drop-2018.html
  
  
• Find an upcoming race in the New Year on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3134

A Blazer and an Argonaut, Nico Waddell and Chloe Rook, win GCSC's Turkey Trot

Saturday morning, 28 November 2024 was a day for the collegiate harriers at Gulf Coast State College Athletic's Turkey Trot 5K in Panama City, Florida. Racing along the shores of Saint Andrew's Bay, Nicolas Waddell, a Valdosta State University cross-country runner, ran 17:25 to win the second annual race by almost 200 meters. On the women's side, a West Florida University cross-country runner, Chloe Rook, tore through the course in a winning 20:24, placing seventh overall.


Chris Naberhaus, Chris Naberhaus, a frosh cross-country runner at Viera High, placed runner-up to Waddell in 18:06. A few steps behind Naberhaus, West Florida University Argonaut Ivan De La Cruz took third in 18:10. Each of the top three athletes ran better than the Turkey Trot record set in 2023 by Brandon Hough.


The first master runner in the race was the women's runner-up, Cassie Johansen. Johansen finished ninth overall in 20:42. Master runner Regina Soules came in third in the women's division and fourteenth overall in 22:28.


67-year-old Tom Dever was the first male master runner in the Turkey Trot; his 22:03 put him thirteenth overall.


364 athletes finished Gulf Coast State College Athletics' 2024 Turkey Trot 5K. Expect the third annual GCSC Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, 27 November 2025.


Top Ten Men, 2024 GCSC Turkey Trot 5K

1. 17:25, Nicolas Waddell (M, Overall)
2. 18:06, Chris Naberhaus (M, 15-19)
3. 18:10, Ivan De La Cruz (M, 20-24)
4. 18:44, Andrew Nixon (M, 20-24)
5. 18:56, Nathan Holmes (M, 15-19)
6. 19:36, Ezra Long (M, 15-19)
7. 20:01, Charlie Holmes (M, 15-19)
8. 20:38, Sean Jones (M, 20-24)
9. 21:12, Scott Marr (M, 35-39)
10. 21:28, Andrew Irvin (M, 35-39)

Top Ten Women, 2024 GCSC Turkey Trot 5K

1. 20:24, Chloe Rook (F, Overall)
2. 20:42, Cassie Johansen (F, 40-44)
3. 22:29, Regina Soules (F, 40-44)
4. 22:48, Emily Hull (F, 20-24)
5. 23:54, Anna Kate Yale (F, 15-19)
6. 24:47, Mollie Clampitt (F, 15-19)
7. 25:16, Tiffany Amack (F, 30-34)
8. 25:51, Kimm Allan (F, 50-54)
9. 25:58, Jennifer Carlson (F, 45-49)
10. 27:05, Catalina Cienfuegos (F, 30-34)

Gulf Coast State College Athletics Turkey Trot 5K winners, 2023 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
23 November 2023	18:10, Brandon Hough	18:54, Christina Johnston	289
28 November 2024	17:25, Nicolas Waddell	20:24, Chloe Rook	364

Links

• Complete results of Gulf Coast State College Athletics' 2024 Turkey Trot 5K
  https://app.box.com/s/mprog8qzkdgysn0jirigw7fdzsffeu6r
  
  
• Find more bird-themed races in the area using the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3126

Remi Kepran and Eve Morissette nab rainy-day wins at the Jam On The Coast

Cross-country runners take pride in delivering their best performance on any course under any conditions. So when rain fell on Panama City Beach Florida on Saturday, 1 June 2024, the morning of the fourth annual Jam On The Coast 5K, it was the cross-country runner who stepped up. Remi Kepran, a sophomore on the Arnold High cross-country team, went 18:09 on a wet course to win the race by almost 100 meters. Eve Morissette of Port Saint Lucie, Florida was the first woman in the race, coming in fifth overall in 20:18.


Lining up with Kepran at the start of the race was the Jam On The Coast 5K 2023 defending champion, Panama City Beach master runner Gregory Solarek. Solarek had finished 40 meters ahead of Kepran in that 2023 race. But 2024 belonged to Kepran, as he raced to an 18:09 win. At 18:30, Elliot Butler of Cairo, Georgia took the runner-up spot. Solarek was the first master runner in the race, coming in third overall in 19:23.


Unchallenged in the women's field, Eve Morissette's winning 20:18 put her nearly 600 meters ahead of the next woman in the race. Thirteen-year-old Catherine Hill of Lagrange, Georgia captured second in the women's standings, placing fourteenth overall in 23:01. Another Georgia athlete, Thomasville's Taylor Smith, was the third woman in the race and twentieth overall in 24:09. The first woman master was Julie Metzger of Anchorage, Alaska, the fifth woman and 25th overall in 24:18.


287 athletes finished the 2024 Jam On The Coast 5K. Runner's Edge Race Timing chip-timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 18:08.3, Remi Kepran (M, 16) Panama City Beach, FL
2. 18:29.5, Elliot Butler (M, 33) Cairo, GA
3. 19:23.3, Gregory Solarek (M, 47) Panama City Beach, FL
4. 20:06.1, Isaac Chavez (M, 16) Moore, OK
5. 20:25.2, Isaac Foreman (M, 17) Moore, OK
6. 20:29.1, Kenton Moats (M, 15) Lenoir City, TN
7. 21:01.4, Charles McNew (M, 36) Brookville, OH
8. 21:12.6, James McNew (M, 14) Brookville, OH
9. 22:18.6, Jason Solarek (M, 48) New York, NY
10. 22:41.6, Darren Bevans (M, 49)

Top Ten Women, 2024 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 20:17.4, Eve Morissette (F, 28) Port Saint Lucie, FL
2. 23:00.6, Catherine Hill (F, 13) Lagrange, GA
3. 24:08.9, Taylor Smith (F, 32) Thomasville, GA
4. 24:06.5, Ashley Gray (F, 37) Wadesville, IN
5. 24:17.8, Julie Metzger (F, 53) Anchorage, AK
6. 24:44.4, IsabellaMarie Cottrill (F, 14) Lynn Haven, FL
7. 25:15.1, Megan Merckle (F, 38) Panama City Beach, FL
8. 25:53.7, Lindsay French (F, 37) Panama City, FL
9. 25:45.9, Helen KIbby (F, 41) Yorktown, IN
10. 26:00.2, Aubrey Smith (F, 20) Graceville, FL

Winners of the Jam On The Coast 5K, 2021 - 2024 Panama City Beach, Florida
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
5 June 2021	17:21, Travis Boltjes	23:06, Jennifer Boun	193
4 June 2022	18:55, Scott Wilkes	21:10, Andee Swann	250
3 June 2023	18:44, Gregory Solarek	18:47, Megan Lysek-Hagy	346
1 June 2024	18:09, Remi Kepran	20:18, Eve Morissette	287

Links

• Complete results of Panama City Beach, Florida's 2024 Jam On The Coast 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS-IRK_YAk4TUu_4xCcxzV46XR0-e2wa8BxhhcbDyJQh2ghqYpKvulJ5OZJesu2dmRc1I_xcYdSwVDQ/pubhtml
  
  
• 2023 story, “Fast day on the beach for Greg Solarek and Megan Lysek-Hagy at the Jam On The Coast 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/06/jam-coast-2023.html
  
  
• 2022 story, “Neither Scott Wilkes nor Andee Swann were coasting at the Jam On The Coast 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/06/jam-coast-2022.html
  
  
• Find another race on a coast, strand, or beach via the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3075

Brett Martin and Amy Stoyles win the Mardi Gras 5K in Panama City Beach

Saturday morning, 27 January 2024, was more than two weeks before the actual date of Fat Tuesday, but that was the morning that athletes in Panama City Beach, Florida got a head start on the holiday at the 23rd annual Mardi Gras 5K. In the race itself, Brett Martin didn't need a head start; he ran 20:35 from scratch, winning the race by nearly 200 meters. Amy Stoyles was the first woman in the event for the second year in a row; this time around the Freeport, Florida master runner was second overall in 21:25.


David Shearon, a three-time Mardi Gras 5K champion, was the second man in the race, placing third overall in 21:45. Andrew Shipp was third in the men's standings and fourth overall in 22:02.

Master runner Lisa Howell was the second female finisher, coming in seventh overall in 23:36. Carly Bergthold was the third woman and twelfth overall in 25:50.


107 athletes finished the 2024 Mardi Gras 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2024 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K

1. 20:35, Brett Martin (M, Overall)
2. 21:45, David Shearon (M, 50-54)
3. 22:02, Andrew Shipp (M, 30-34)
4. 23:06, Jarred Kinder (M, 35-39)
5. 23:22, Marek Bakun (M, 50-54)
6. 24:57, Jordan Snider (M, 14-19)
7. 25:06, Stan Kroder (M, 55-59)
8. 25:29, Juan Villalobos (M, 30-34)
9. 25:45, Terry Morris (M, 65-69)
10. 25:51, Cameron Bowman (M, 30-34)

Top Ten Women, 2024 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K

1. 21:25, Amy Stoyles (F, Overall)
2. 23:36, Lisa Howell (F, 40-44)
3. 25:50, Carly Bergthold (F, 30-34)
4. 25:59, Monika Swanson (F, 55-59)
5. 28:47, Allyson Nardacci (F, 35-39)
6. 28:47, Sydney Nardacci (F, 00-10)
7. 28:58, Meagan Artman (F, 30-34)
8. 29:12, Patricia Kelly (F, 55-59)
9. 29:14, Jordan Powell (F, 30-34)
10. 29:21, Raquel Glinois (F, 25-29)

Mardi Gras 5K winners, 2001 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
14 February 2004	17:39, Brian Goddin	23:51, Karen Hutchinson	96
20 January 2005	26:59, Robert Fudge	26:16, Lori Hunt
11 February 2006
17 February 2007
21 February 2009	18:02, Fritz Stoppelbein	22:17, Michaela Ashley	177
13 February 2010
26 February 2011	19:12, Jeff Cassel	19:18, Michaela Ashley	187
11 February 2012	17:48, Jordan Lance	20:38, Michaela Ashley	265
1 March 2014	18:12, David Shearon	21:32, Amy Mann	124
14 February 2015	18:32, David Shearon	21:22, Jessica Berschwinger	172
6 February 2016	18:30, Charles Abbinanti	23:34, Danielle Mulick	140
25 February 2017	17:18, John Nay	23:32, Kiersten Hughes	178
10 February 2018	19:02, David Shearon	23:48, Mariia Solomonova	145
2 March 2019	19:12, Sam Martinez	20:46, Rory Claussen	165
22 February 2020	17:03, Andy Merrill	18:50, Erika Huerta	181
12 February 2022	18:51, Greg Solarek	24:13, Kim Allan	104
4 February 2023	18:31, Andrew Nix	21:56, Amy Stoyles	111
27 January 2024	20:35, Brett Martin	21:25, Amy Stoyles	107

Links

• Complete results of the 2024 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSI1Ph_BQuhdlqq4mx8qFrmEhQ62PufT_XocIb3703y37mF3l-MbayuIQ2utHhxdVt9XlqrkzwUCfUd/pubhtml
  
  
• 2020 story, “Andy Merrill and Erika Huerta drew a bead on first place in the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Sam Martinez and Rory Claussen weren't slowing up for Lent at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/pcb-mardi-gras-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “The good times keep on rolling, and so does David Shearon at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Bon temps rouler as Nay and Hughes roll at the Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Abbinanti and Mulick precede Fat Tuesday with a Fast Saturday”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/02/pcb-mardi-gras-2016.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Bon temps for Shearon and Mann at Mardi Gras 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/pcb-mardi-gras-2014.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “St. Andrews Mardi Gras 5K is all Cassel and Ashley”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/03/pc-mardi-gras-2011.html
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! coverage of races in Panama City Beach, Florida
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Panama%20City%20Beach
  
  
• Upcoming race before, during, and after Lent on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3043

Maggie Bartlow was on fire at the Torch Run

Although Florida State University Panama City is a regional satellite of FSU, the "preeminent university by the bay" has a large enough campus to contain a course for a five-kilometer footrace. So on a chilly Saturday morning, 20 January 2024, FSUPC hosted its third annual Torch Run 5K. Margaret Bartlow, a junior year cross-country runner for the North Bay Haven High Buccaneers, won the race in 18:08. FSUPC student Caden Vandermeulen was first male finisher, placing second overall in 19:41.


It was Margaret Bartlow's second time racing the Torch Run; she had won the women's title in the 2023 race, placing fifth overall in 19:18. In the year between the two Torch Runs, Bartlow had done quite a bit of racing--two months before her 2024 Torch Run win, she had competed at the Florida High School Cross-Country State Championship Meet, placing fourth in the class 2A girls' 5K.


Behind Vandermeulen, Alex Cole was runner-up in the men's standings, coming in third overall in 20:01. Michael Koch, a frosh on the Arnold High cross-country team, was the third male and fourth overall in 20:09. Zachary Messer edged Marek Bakun, 22:29 to 22:32, for top master runner honors. Messer and Bakun were seventh and eighth in the men's standings, eighth and ninth overall.


Amy Helms was the first woman master as well as the second female finisher, tenth overall in 22:38. Rebecca Meehan was the third woman and twelfth overall in 22:59.


135 athletes finished FSUPC's 2024 Torch Run 5K.


Top Ten Women, 2024 Torch Run 5K

1. 18:08, Margaret Bartlow (F, 17)
2. 22:38, Amy Helms (F, 46)
3. 22:59, Rebecca Meehan (F, 33)
4. 23:10, Anna Gann (F, 32)
5. 25:07, Kelli Mills (F, 52)
6. 26:29, Colleen Koch (F, 45)
7. 27:31, Ashley James (F, 24)
8. 27:38, Hannah Pimentel (F, 27)
9. 29:15, Jessica Johnson (F, 45)
10. 29:24, Layla Mills (F, 14)

Top Ten Men, 2024 Torch Run 5K

1. 19:41, Caden Vandermeulen (M, 20)
2. 20:01, Alex Cole (M, 22)
3. 20:09, Michael Koch (M, 14)
4. 21:57, Lexus Roulhac (M, 31)
5. 21:58, Michael Reeks (M, 32)
6. 22:02, Garrett Verkaik (M, 23)
7. 22:29, Zachary Messer (M, 42)
8. 22:32, Marek Bakun (M, 51)
9. 22:55, Phillip Ries (M, 31)
10. 23:50, Damon Parrish (M, 47)

Florida State University Panama City Torch Run 5K winners, 2022 - 2024
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
22 January 2022	17:57, Matthew Matson	25:03, Krystin Guirey	60
21 January 2023	17:45, Walter Spangler	19:18, Margaret Bartlow	137
20 January 2024	19:41, Caden Vandermeulen	18:08, Margaret Bartlow	135

Links

• Complete results of Florida State University Panama City's 2024 Torch Run 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSrOt8dM2Zym_numY77GbtKJnciq61d3u0tY3-BVVrOjXEPHLDPv8hpJLAj3-rvxUraYhrAJ-dIWsq0/pubhtml
  
  
• Find your next race in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3037

Meng Zhao and Emma Dobson drop some fast times at the Ball Drop 5K

If you want your race to be the last of the year in your city, you could schedule it on the final Saturday in December. Your chances would be better still if the race in on the 31st of December. A race director absolutely obsessed with hosting an annual curtain closer would plan his event for late evening on the 31st.


The Panhandle Runners and Triathletes Club of Panama City, Florida took the middle path for their fifth annual New Year's Eve Ball Drop 5K, staging the race on Sunday morning, 31 December 2023. Frisco, Texas master runner and marathoner Meng Zhao took first, covering the 3.1 miles through Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach in 17:15. A seventh-grader on the Chestatee Academy Middle School cross-country team, Emma Dobson, won the women's title, placing ninth overall in 20:40.


Blake Hazelwood of Centerton, Arkansas finished runner-up to Zhao in 17:50. Grayson Parker of Florence, Kentucky, a sophomore member of the Cooper High cross-country team, placed third in 18:41.


Emma Dobson wasn't the only middle school athlete in the women's division. Sophia Huff, a seventh-grader at Panama City's Merritt Brown Middle School, placed second to Dobson in 21:18, finishing tenth overall. Destiny McClintock of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida was the third woman and 27th overall in 24:16. The first woman master in the race was Monika Swanson of Panama City Beach, the fifth female finisher and 32nd overall in 24:56.


225 athletes finished the 2023 Ball Drop 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Ball Drop 5K

1. 17:15, Meng Zhao (M, Overall) Frisco, TX
2. 17:50, Blake Hazelwood (M, 35-39) Centerton, AR
3. 18:41, Grayson Parker (M, 15-19) Florence, KY
4. 18:48, Greg Solarek (M, 45-49)
5. 19:26, Matthew Butcher (M, 30-34) Cedar Park, TX
6. 19:54, Mark Edwards (M, 35-39) Gallatin, TN
7. 20:05, Michael Koch (M, 15-19) Panama City, FL
8. 20:21, Ryan Butcher (M, 25-29) Cedar Park, TX
9. 21:19, Louis Price (M, 40-44) Panama City Beach, FL
10. 21:22, Nathan Pyron (M, 11-14) Diamondhead, MS

Top Ten Women, 2023 Ball Drop 5K

1. 20:40, Emma Dobson (F, Overall) Gainesville, GA
2. 21:18, Sophia Huff (F, 11-14) Panama City, FL
3. 24:16, Destiny McClintock (F, 20-24) Santa Rosa Beach, FL
4. 24:21, Isabella Marie Cottrill (F, 11-14)
5. 24:56, Monika Swanson (F, 55-59) Panama City Beach, FL
6. 25:53, Ella Urban (F, 15-19) Lebanon, TN
7. 26:18, Joselyn Murray (F, 15-19) Vandalia, IL
8. 26:26, Dora Anisa Delawar (F, 35-39) Fort Benning, GA
9. 26:30, Jamie Bolen (F, 35-39) Panama City, FL
10. 26:37, Amy Butcher (F, 30-34) Cedar Park, TX

Panama City Beach, Florida Ball Drop 5K winners, 2018 - 2023
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
31 December 2018	17:57, Robert Friedman	20:35, Rory Claussen	133
31 December 2019	16:22, Brian Horneck	19:56, Oriana Horneck	243
31 December 2021	18:01, Tim Goldy	21:23, Donna Garcia	225
31 December 2022	16:52, Matthias Wilder	16:54, Rachel Kennedy	211
31 December 2023	17:15, Meng Zhao	20:40, Emma Dobson	258

Links

• Complete results of the 2023 Panama City Beach, Florida Ball Drop 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQNfDxQhHAIlZvrKw-lFK9TnpDfT8o56UZb4K1yzRzxn0CorauuF5olOP6-WhvW1kSuIrMrm8xyI22n/pubhtml
  
  
• 2020 story, “Tim Goldy and Donna Garcia roll to wins in the Ball Drop 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/12/tim-goldy-and-donna-garcia-roll-to-wins.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Robert Friedman and Rory Claussen drop the competition at the Ball Drop 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/12/pcb-ball-drop-2018.html
  
  
• Find an upcoming race in the New Year on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#3025

Scarlett Griffin and Henry Lewis mastered the mob at Marlin Mayhem

Arnold High's annual cross-country meet has had several names over the years, including the Panhandle Championship and the Panhandle Challenge. On Saturday, 7 October 2023, the meet was called Marlin Mayhem. The races were still held on the old Bay Dunes Golf Course, though, and the name change couldn't conceal the fact that South Walton frosh Scarlett Griffin won the girls' 5K by 150 meters, running 19:36. The Wakulla girls took the team title, edging Florida State University School 42 to 44. In the boys' 5K, Wakulla sophomore Henry Lewis went 16:34 to win by about 150 meters, while Community Christian took top team honors with 67 points.


It was the third win of the season for Scarlett Griffin; the South Walton ninth-grader had taken first in the girls' 5K at the Walton County Meet on 19 September 2023 and in the Girls' Varsity A 5K at the FSU Invitational on 30 September 2023. Isabella Laughton, a Wakulla junior, placed second to Griffin in 20:12. Florida State frosh Leah Boutwell finished third in 20:47, and Florida State senior Leah Keller was fourth in 21:47.


Florida State had a third runner in the top ten, eighth-grader Julia Robinson, who was seventh in 22:03. But Wakulla also had three athletes in the top ten, with Laughton joined by seniors Taylor Pfeifer (9th, 22:10) and Analecia Ferrell (10th, 22:13). Wakulla's next two scorers made the difference--junior Lana Hawkins was twelfth in 22:23 and senior Liliana Lewis was thirteenth in 22:24. With those runners across the finish line, Wakulla had a winning score of 42.


Florida State was a very close second with 44 points. South Walton, led by the first place finish of Scarlett Griffin, placed third with 85 points. Eleven teams competed in the race.


Girls' Team Standings, 2023 Marlin Mayhem

1. Wakulla, 42
2. Florida State University, 44
3. South Walton, 85
4. North Bay Haven, 134
5. Community Christian, 146
6. Port Saint Joe, 151
7. Freeport, 163
8. Wiregrass Kings, 177
9. Mosley, 208
10. Rocky Bayou Christian, 289
11. Rutherford, 304

Top Ten Girls, 2023 Marlin Mayhem

1. 19:35.70, Scarlett Griffin (South Walton) 9
2. 20:12.00, Isabella Laughton (Wakulla) 11
3. 20:46.90, Leah Boutwell (Florida State University) 9
4. 21:46.80, Leah Keller (Florida State University) 12
5. 21:52.40, Mary Pickford (North Bay Haven) 7
6. 21:54.30, Bree Thompson (Wiregrass Kings) 10
7. 22:02.60, Julia Robinson (Florida State University) 8
8. 22:06.40, Kennedy Flores (Arnold) 11
9. 22:09.90, Taylor Pfeifer (Wakulla) 12
10. 22:12.80, Analecia Ferrell (Wakulla) 12

After second-place showings in the Suwannee County Invitational on 23 September 2023 and the Wakulla County Meet on 16 September 2023, Henry Lewis got the "W" at Marlin Mayhem. Behind Lewis, two seniors fought for the runner-up spot--Xavier England of Florida State and Riley Treadaway of Wiregrass Kings. Both athletes were clocked in 17:05, but England got there before Treadaway. Nicolas Waddell, a Mosley senior, was fourth in 17:37.

Henry Lewis

Jeremy Collier was Community Christian's first finisher; the Charger sophomore was fifth in 17:44. Collier's fellow Community Christian scorers were eighth-grader Landon Reeves (10th, 18:04), senior Carson Freeland (11th, 18:13), sophomore Luke Meli (16th, 18:48), and junior Bryan Meli (26th, 19:24). Those five Community Christian athletes gave the Chargers 67 points and first place in a field of eleven teams.


Led by sophomore Samuel Merritt (8th, 17:56), Arnold, the host team, placed second with 76 points. Nico Waddell and the Mosley Dolphins were third with 97 points.


Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the 2023 Marlin Mayhem.


Boys' Team Standings, 2023 Marlin Mayhem

1. Community Christian, 67
2. Arnold, 76
3. Mosley, 97
4. Wakulla, 103
5. Florida State University, 106
6. North Bay Haven, 109
7. South Walton, 178
8. Wiregrass Kings, 189
9. Rocky Bayou Christian, 239
10. Port Saint Joe, 267
11. Freeport, 315

Top Ten Boys, 2023 Marlin Mayhem

1. 16:33.80, Henry Lewis (Wakulla) 10
2. 17:04.60, Xavier England (Florida State University) 12
3. 17:04.80, Riley Treadaway (Wiregrass Kings) 12
4. 17:36.50, Nicolas Waddell (Mosley) 12
5. 17:43.90, Jeremy Collier (Community Christian) 10
6. 17:53.20, Ben Kyvik (Florida State University) 11
7. 17:54.10, Joshua Harris (Mosley) 12
8. 17:55.40, Samuel Merritt (Arnold) 10
9. 17:58.60, Andrew Nix (Wakulla) 12
10. 18:03.70, Landon Reeves (Community Christian) 8

Marlin Mayhem winners, 2019 - 2023
Boys
Date	Team	Athlete
31 August 2019	Niceville, 26	16:52, Ethan Rowe (Daphne) 12
17 October 2020	Niceville, 41	16:09, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 12
9 October 2021	Pensacola Christian, 48	16:35, Zach Spooner (Matanzas) 11
15 October 2022	Pensacola Christian, 33	16:11, Drew Birx (Pensacola Christian) 12
7 October 2023	Community Christian, 67	16:34, Henry Lewis (Wakulla) 10
Girls
Date	Team	Athlete
31 August 2019	Niceville, 29	18:51, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
17 October 2020	South Walton, 44	18:58, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 11
9 October 2021	Pensacola Christian, 51	19:42, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 8
15 October 2022	Pensacola Christian, 24	18:34, Charleen Elizando (North Bay Haven) 12
7 October 2023	Wakulla, 42	19:36, Scarlett Griffin (South Walton) 9

Links

• Complete results of the 2023 Marlin Mayhem
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQfm8coZY-UG2_tEBJGndhUX4Nd62v4-1iwFHv_BBm6-Vzib-gu4zN34VYNTBmbOzTeY-VchaKxQVDm/pubhtml
  
  
• 2022 story, “Charleen Elizando and Drew Birx meet the Panhandle Challenge with wins”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/10/panhandle-champs-2022.html
  
  
• 2020 story, “Chloe Fernander and Ryan Sloan are Panhandle Cross-Country Champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/panhandle-champs-2020.html
  
  
• Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2993

Guess which team swept the decks at the Buccaneer Bash

Talk Like A Pirate Day, the holiday nobody knew that they wanted, was 19 September 2023. In Panama City, Florida high school harriers got an early taste of piracy on Saturday morning, 16 September 2023, at the seventh annual Buccaneer Bash Cross-Country Meet. North Bay Haven hosted, but it was Fort Walton Beach that swept the team titles, the girls' squad putting up a winning 29 points and the boys scoring 21. North Bay Haven junior Margaret Bartlow was the first athlete in the girls' 5K, covering the course at Bay Dunes Golf Club in 18:20. Grant Chastain, a Fort Walton Beach senior, won the boys' 5K in 15:53.


Margaret Bartlow had placed second in the 2022 Buccaneer Bash, but she wasn't about to let that happen again in the 2023 race. Hammering an 18:20, Bartlow won the girls' 5K by 200 meters--on a track, her competition would have still been on the backstretch when she crossed the finish line. South Walton frosh Scarlett Griffin was runner-up to Bartlow and the only other girl to break 20:00 that morning, running 19:07. Fort Walton Beach athletes took the next two places, with junior Belicia O'Grady third in 20:09 and senior Reece Knowlton fourth in 20:46.


Fort Walton Beach's three remaining scorers also placed in the top ten, with sophomore Sara Cass Napa sixth in 21:42, junior Charity Lobzun seventh in 22:01, and frosh Leilani Lichlyter ninth in 22:06. Add up the numbers and you'll see that the girls from Fort Walton Beach had 29 points, the best score in the seven-team field. It was the first time Fort Walton Beach had won the Buccaneer Bash.


South Walton, led by Scarlett Griffin's runner-up finish, took second with 46 points. Bartlow and North Bay Haven, the hosts and 2022 Buccaneer Bash champs, were third with 76 points.


Team Standings, 2023 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. Fort Walton Beach, 29
2. South Walton, 46
3. North Bay Haven, 76
4. Mosley, 97
5. Port Saint Joe, 114
6. Rutherford, 177
7. Wewahitchka, 204

Top Ten, 2023 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. 18:19.10, Margaret Bartlow (North Bay Haven) 11
2. 19:06.90, Scarlett Griffin (South Walton) 9
3. 20:08.10, Belicia O'Grady (Fort Walton Beach) 11
4. 20:45.40, Reece Knowlton (Fort Walton Beach) 12
5. 21:18.20, Grace Petty (South Walton) 10
6. 21:41.50, Sara Cass Napa (Fort Walton Beach) 10
7. 22:00.10, Charity Lobzun (Fort Walton Beach) 11
8. 22:04.00, Diana Garcia (South Walton) 10
9. 22:05.20, Leilani Lichlyter (Fort Walton Beach) 9
10. 22:21.10, Mary Pickford (North Bay Haven) 7

Grant Chastain didn't have to spend much time looking back in the boys' 5K. If he did, he wouldn't have seen much. Running 15:53, the Fort Walton Beach senior ended up winning the race by more than 170 meters. Walker Elrod, a sophomore from Grace Christian Academy in Bainbridge, Georgia, took second in 16:27. Mosley senior Nicolas Waddell, making his first appearance at the Bash since 2020, was third in 16:46.


Fort Walton Beach Vikings took the next three places. Sophomore Nathan Jucha grabbed fourth with a 17:11, senior Curran O'Grady was fifth in 17:24, and sophomore Slayde Diaz-Poole was sixth in 17:25. Connor Rising completed the scoring for the Vikings; the junior was ninth in 17:32. With all five scorers in the top ten, Fort Walton Beach tallied a mathematically unbeatable 21 points. The Vikings had taken first in a field of nine boys' teams.


Arnold, led by sophomore Remi Kepran (8th, 17:28), placed second in the team standings with 67 points. Waddell and Mosley put up 78 points to place third.


Miles and Minutes, LLC of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the 2023 Buccaneer Bash.


Team Standings, 2023 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. Fort Walton Beach, 21
2. Arnold, 67
3. Mosley, 78
4. North Bay Haven, 91
5. Rocky Bayou Christian, 118
6. Bay, 173
7. Port Saint Joe, 211
8. Wewahitchka, 238
9. Chipley, 240

Top Ten, 2023 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. 15:52.70, Grant Chastain (Fort Walton Beach) 12
2. 16:26.90, Walker Elrod (Grace Christian) 10
3. 16:45.30, Nicolas Waddell (Mosley) 12
4. 17:10.50, Nathan Jucha (Fort Walton Beach) 10
5. 17:23.10, Curran O'Grady (Fort Walton Beach) 12
6. 17:24.50, Slayde Diaz-Poole (Fort Walton Beach) 10
7. 17:24.90, Aidan Little (Mosley) 12
8. 17:28.00, Remi Kepran (Arnold) 10
9. 17:31.30, Connor Rising (Fort Walton Beach) 11
10. 17:37.00, Alexander Tunnell (Ace Charter) 11

Buccaneer Bash Cross-Country Meet Winners, 2017 - 2023
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
26 August 2017	Choctawhatchee, 33	18:05, Blake Turner (Arnold) 12
25 August 2018	Arnold, 38	18:27, Mason Bennett (Arnold) 12
24 August 2019	Niceville, 35	14:48, Todd Wendel (Niceville) 11
3 October 2020	Arnold, 31	18:40, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 10
18 September 2021	Leon, 26	16:10, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
18 September 2022	North Bay Haven, 47	16:32, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 12
17 September 2023	Fort Walton Beach, 21	15:53, Grant Chastain (Fort Walton Beach) 12
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
26 August 2017	Choctawhatchee, 46	19:53, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
25 August 2018	Port Saint Joe, 35	25:36, Autumn Kotelman (Port Saint Joe) 10
24 August 2019	Niceville, 27	16:55, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
3 October 2020	North Bay Haven, 32	22:08, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 10
18 September 2021	Leon, 33	19:40, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11
18 September 2022	North Bay Haven, 32	19:15, Charleen Elizondo (North Bay Haven) 12
17 September 2023	Fort Walton Beach, 29	18:20, Margaret Bartlow (North Bay Haven) 11

Links

• Complete results, 2023 Buccaneer Bash
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTX0vRja79aRNtDDii8L_JMcKRPm2J-Rn-fAfkSbOExpRutTSptIeCxPujeGHI_EWZZQL2mtRuyls_l/pubhtml
  
  
• 2021 story, “Lillee Tang and Patrick Koon lead a Leon sweep of the Buccaneer Bash”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/buccaneer-bash-2021.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Choctaw sweeps the team titles while Arnold's Ashley and Turner take individual honors at the Buccaneer Bash”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/08/buccaneer-bash-2017.html
  
  
• Find an upcoming Bash in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2982

Near Saint Andrew Bay, Xavier Foehl takes the Freedom 5K

On Saturday morning, 1 July 2023, less than two hours after sunrise in Panama City, Florida, athletes left Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church at 7:30 AM, racing in the church's first Freedom 5K. The fastest runners were back at the church well before 8:00 AM, and the first to return was Xavier Foehl. A student and member of the cross-country team at Walsh University, Foehl won the 3.1-mile race in 16:46. Nicole Reese was the first woman across the finish line, coming in seventh overall in 27:28.


Foehl had some fast companions along the way. Carson King, a recent alum of the Arnold High cross-country team, finished with Foehl in sight at 16:57. At 17:58, Nicolas Waddell, a rising senior on the Mosely High cross-country squad, placed third.


Jeremy King was the first master runner in the race, placing sixth overall in 27:02. The first woman master was Sheila Finney, the second female finisher and eighth overall in 31:29.


25 athletes finished Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church's inaugural Freedom 5K.


Top Five Men, Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church Freedom 5K

1. 16:46, Xavier Foehl (M, 21)
2. 16:57, Carson King (M, 18)
3. 17:58, Nicolas Waddell (M, 17)
4. 18:03, Ivan De La Cruz (M, 21)
5. 24:37, Jordan Whitely (M, 19)

Top Five Women, Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church Freedom 5K

1. 27:28, Nicole Reese (F, 34)
2. 31:29, Sheila Finney (F, 50)
3. 35:13, Merissa Hudson (F, 44)
4. 35:46, Anastasia Brennan (F, 35)
5. 38:33, Margaret Gamble (F, 58)

Links

• Complete reslts of Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church's 2023 Freedom 5K
  https://app.box.com/s/mrlkonyztt3lutvq26u6qt18cozhjmb8
  
  
• Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church
  https://standrewspc.org/
  
  
• Find a race in Panama City or any city in the Tallahassee area on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2942

Fast day on the beach for Greg Solarek and Megan Lysek-Hagy at the Jam On The Coast 5K

Hundreds came to Panama City Beach, Florida on Saturday morning, 3 June 2023 for the third annual Jam On The Coast 5K, but in the end the battle for first was a duel between only two athletes in the crowd, Gregory Solarek and Megan Lysek-Hagy. Local master runner Solarek flashed across the finish line in 18:44, winning the race. Just a few steps back, Lysek-Hagy followed in 18:47, taking the women's title. Solarek had placed second in the 2022 Jam On The Coast, while 2023 was Lysek Hagy's first appearance in the race.


Their competition was close on their heels. Remi Kepran, a rising sophmore on the Arnold High cross-country team, was third overall and second in the men's division at 18:53. Birmingham, Alabama's Michael Poe III. an alum of the Hoover High cross-country squad, was the third man and fourth overall in 19:04.


Megan Lysek-Hagy's victory over all the women and all but one of the men in the race should have come as no surprise to anyone who has examined her resume. Lysek-Hagy has run varsity cross-country for the Elizabethtown College Bluejays during 2021 and 2022, and that's after running for Pennridge High in her hometown of Perkasie, Pennsylvania.


Macey Hurley, a rising senior and distance runner at Bentonvllle High, was second to Lysek-Hagy in the women's standings, placing ninth overall in 20;12. Tiffany Gerard of Castle Rock, Colorado was the first woman master in the race and the third female finisher, seventeenth overall in 21:45.


346 athletes finished the 2023 Jam On The Coast 5K. Runner's Edge Race Timing chip-timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2023 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 18:43.8, Gregory Solarek (M, 46) Panama City Beach, FL
2. 18:52.4, Remi Kepran (M, 15) Panama City, FL
3. 19:03.9, Michael Poe III (M, 20) Birmingham, AL
4. 19:23.2, Elliot Butler (M, 32) Cairo, GA
5. 19:35.6, Matthew Millard (M, 28) Parker, FL
6. 19:37.8, Artem Millier (M, 28) Panama City Beach, FL
7. 19:37.8, Aidan Gerard (M, 40) Castle Rock, CO
8. 20:08.7, Steven Marcet (M, 15) Tyrone, GA
9. 20:37.8, Fred Bible (M, 30) Panama City, FL
10. 21:01.0, Jason Solarek (M, 47) New York, NY

Top Ten Women, 2023 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 18:46.9, Megan Lysek-Hagy (F, 19) Perkasie, PA
2. 20:08.3, Macey Hurley (F, 17) Freeport, FL
3. 21:39.0, Tiffany Gerard (F, 41) Castle Rock, CO
4. 21:40.0, Robin Haussmann (F, 37) Panama City, FL
5. 21:44.1, Madeylnn Nichols (F, 16) Panama City, FL
6. 22:23.4, Chelsea Weber (F, 32) Panama City Beach, FL
7. 22:43.2, Brooke Doyle (F, 17) Decatur, IL
8. 24:38.2, Madeline Anasiewicz (F, 25) Rosemary Beach, FL
9. 25:05.6, Lindsay Adams (F, 41) Canton, GA
10. 25:11.2, Madison Richardson (F, 26) Lynn Haven, FL

Winners of the Jam On The Coast 5K, 2021-2023 Panama City Beach, Florida
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
5 June 2021	17:21, Travis Boltjes	23:06, Jennifer Boun	193
4 June 2022	18:55, Scott Wilkes	21:10, Andee Swann	250
3 June 2023	18:44, Gregory Solarek	18:47, Megan Lysek-Hagy	346

Links

• Complete results of Panama City Beach, Florida's 2023 Jam On The Coast 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSJQqOobQy9USMG20CXW0Wq8wi2BW6UABIsXdE__lN5uOfs6WzlbmyBT8QVKM2K1QvhzgiUnWSiyaX8/pubhtml
  
  
• 2022 story, “Neither Scott Wilkes nor Andee Swann were coasting at the Jam On The Coast 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/06/jam-coast-2022.html
  
  
• >Runner's Edge finish line video of the 2023 Jam On The Coast 5K
  https://youtu.be/mg6zA3AJXDo
  
  
• Find another race on a coast, strand, or beach via the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2932

Charleen Elizando and Drew Birx meet the Panhandle Challenge with wins

Saturday morning, 15 October 2022, was late in Florida's high school cross-country season. It was almost time for the first District meet, followed by the round of Regional championships, then the State Meet, and then the long wait till next year. But there was still time for some racing, and that's just what the Arnold High Marlins had in mind that day when they hosted the fourth annual Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge in Panama City. North Bay Haven senior Charleen Elizando won the girls' 5K in 18:34, but it was the girls from Pensacola Christian who took the team title, scoring 24 points. Pensacola Christian senior Drew Birx took first in the boys' 5K with a 16:11, leading his team to a winning score of 33.


The meet opened with the high school girls' 5K, where Charleen Elizando of North Bay Haven won by 50 meters in 18:34. A week earlier, Elizando had thrown down an 18:43 at Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park, placing 22nd in the Pre-State Invitational. There was no one ahead of her at the Panhandle Challenge, where her winning time was a girls' meet record--breaking the old record of 18:51 set by Kambry Smith of Fort Walton Beach in 2019. Behind Elizando, two Pensacola Christian athletes were in a close race for second, with junior RaeAnne Tutton getting the nod over frosh Jaimee Tutton. Both Tuttons were clocked in 18:46.

Another Pensacola Christian frosh, Reagan Smith, took fourth in 19:02. The Warriors put two more athletes in the top ten; senior Jessica Chappel was seventh in 19:45 and frosh Sofia Peterlevitz was eighth in 19:46. With five of the first eight finisher, the Pensacola Christian girls had a mathematically unbeatable 24 points and their second straight Panhandle Challenge win.


Behind Elizando's win, North Bay Haven scored 52 points to take second in the eight-team field. The Wakulla girls were second with 76 points, led by sophomore Isabella Laughton (9th, 19:56). Another Big Bend team, Florida State, was fourth with 104 points; their top runner was senior Niya Coleman, sixth in 19:42.


Girls' Team Standings, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge

1. Pensacola Christian, 24
2. North Bay Haven, 52
3. Wakulla, 76
4. Florida State University, 104
5. Arnold, 140
6. Community Christian, 145
7. Mosley, 196
8. Rutherford, 236

Top Ten Girls, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge

1. 18:34.0, Charleen Elizando (North Bay Haven) 12
2. 18:45.1, RaeAnne Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 11
3. 18:45.1, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 9
4. 19:02.0, Reagan Smith (Pensacola Christian) 9
5. 19:23.2, Margaret Bartlow (North Bay Haven) 10
6. 19:41.5, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 12
7. 19:44.7, Jessica Chappell (Pensacola Christian) 12
8. 19:46.0, Sofia Peterlevitz (Pensacola Christian) 9
9. 19:55.9, Isabella Laughton (Wakulla) 10
10. 20:32.3, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 12

Drew Birx had finished fourth in the boys' 5K at the 2021 Panhandle Challenge, running 17:01. But the Pensacola Christian senior improved nearly a minute in the 2022 race, running a winning 16:11. North Bay Haven senior Matthew Matson took second, running 16:18. Pensacola Christian junior Andrew Sheppard edged his sophomore teammate, Dominic Litchfield, for third, 16:43 to 16:44.


Pensacola Christian put a fourth Warrior in the top ten; senior Micah Sleeth was ninth in 17:07. Senior Daniel Penley complete Pensacola Christian's scoring, placing sixteenth in 17:59. With five Warriors in, the boys from Pensacola Christian had 33 points, putting them first in the field of ten teams.


North Bay Haven was second with 68 points. Host team Arnold, led by senior Edward Kepran (5th, 16:49), placed third with 75 points.


TimingMD scored and chip-timed the 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge.


Boys' Team Standings, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge

1. Pensacola Christian, 33
2. North Bay Haven, 68
3. Arnold, 75
4. Mosley, 115
5. Wakulla, 122
6. Florida State University, 143
7. Community Christian, 186
8. Lincoln, 236
9. Wewahitchka, 253
10. Rocky Bayou Christian, 292

Top Ten Boys, 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge

1. 16:10.7, Drew Birx (Pensacola Christian) 12
2. 16:17.1, Matthew Matson (North Bay Haven) 12
3. 16:42.3, Andrew Sheppard (Pensacola Christian) 11
4. 16:43.1, Dominic Litchfield (Pensacola Christian) 10
5. 16:48.6, Edward Kepran (Arnold) 12
6. 16:49.4, Carson King (Arnold) 12
7. 16:52.7, Henry Lewis (Wakulla) 9
8. 17:04.5, Nicolas Waddell (Mosley) 11
9. 17:06.5, Micah Sleeth (Pensacola Christian) 12
10. 17:31.3, Aidan Little (Mosley) 11

Panhandle Cross-Country Championship Winners, 2019 - 2022
Boys
Date	Team	Athlete
31 August 2019	Niceville, 26	16:52, Ethan Rowe (Daphne) 12
17 October 2020	Niceville, 41	16:09, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 12
9 October 2021	Pensacola Christian, 48	16:35, Zach Spooner (Matanzas) 11
15 October 2022	Pensacola Christian, 33	16:11, Drew Birx (Pensacola Christian) 12
Girls
Date	Team	Athlete
31 August 2019	Niceville, 29	18:51, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
17 October 2020	South Walton, 44	18:58, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 11
9 October 2021	Pensacola Christian, 51	19:42, Jaimee Tutton (Pensacola Christian) 8
15 October 2022	Pensacola Christian, 24	18:34, Charleen Elizando (North Bay Haven) 12

Links

• Complete results of the 2022 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT_m2--gIH8OQXT2IQx4ye0bDPorFxy3IKIXvkOCk8J_cdZylYHDQh5uEpdKMQGW9b-UeAO8ICnRqLa/pubhtml
  
  
• 2020 story, “Chloe Fernander and Ryan Sloan are Panhandle Cross-Country Champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/panhandle-champs-2020.html
  
  
• Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2884

Neither Scott Wilkes nor Andee Swann were coasting at the Jam On The Coast 5K

On the calendar, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is June 21. Or sometimes June 20. It depends on some technical issues involving the solstice, leap years, and Pope Gregory XIII. Meteorologists, in spite of their status as scientists, ignore all that. For meteorological purposes, summer always starts on June 1. And when summer starts people are drawn to the water--swimming pools, ponds, rivers, the ocean. So it's no wonder that on the first Saturday of the meteorological summer, 4 June 2022, crowds of people headed to Panama City Beach, Florida and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. More than a few weren't there for the surf, though. They were there for the second annual Jam On The Coast 5K. The fastest of that group was Scott Wilkes, who won the race by more than 300 meters in 18:55. Morristown, Tennessee master runner Andee Swann was the first woman in the race, placing sixth overall in 21:10.


Gregory Solarek of Panama City Beach was the first master runner in the race, placing second overall in 20:18. Steven Marcet, a cross-country runner at Woodward Academy, took third in the race with a 20:27.


Birmingham, Alabama's Tabitha Barton was the second woman in the race and fourteenth overall in 23:43. Thirteen-year-old Abigayle White of Winter Gardens, Florida, finished third in the women's standings and fifteenth overall in 23:59.


250 athletes finished the 2022 Jam On The Coast 5K. Runner's Edge Race Timing chip-timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 18:54.6, Scott Wilkes (M, 33) Panama City Beach, FL
2. 20:17.1, Gregory Solarek (M, 45) Panama City Beach, FL
3. 20:26.4, Steven E Marcet (M, 14) Tyrone, GA
4. 20:54.9, Thomas Moats III (M, 15) Lenoir City, TN
5. 21:00.3, Kevin Converse (M, 25) Franklin, TN
6. 21:19.9, Aidan Gerard (M, 39) Castle Pines, CO
7. 21:52.5, Frank Patrick (M, 24) Birmingham, AL
8. 22:04.0, Michael Cullen (M, 34) El Reno, OK
9. 22:09.5, Chris Williams (M, 24) Birmingham, AL
10. 22:53.1, Steven Maxwell (M, 29) Panama City Beach, FL

Top Ten Women, 2022 Jam On The Coast 5K

1. 21:09.4, Andee Swann (F, 45) Morristown, TN
2. 23:42.3, Tabitha Barton (F, 27) Birmingham, AL
3. 23:58.8, Abigayle White (F, 13) Winter Garden, FL
4. 24:56.9, Krystin Guirey (F, 25) Panama City, FL
5. 25:15.4, Jennifer Mutluturk (F, 37) Panama City Beach, FL
6. 25:16.7, Andee Fitzgerald (F, 14) Morristown, TN
7. 25:27.4, Anita Rippen (F, 48) Panama City Beach, FL
8. 25:31.2, Sophia Bolin (F, 14) Taylorsville, KY
9. 25:30.9, Katelynn Gaddis (F, 15) Simpsonville, KY
10. 26:12.4, Megan Rasmussen (F, 38) Panama City, FL

Winners of the Jam On The Coast 5K, 2021-2022 Panama City Beach, Florida
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
5 June 2021	17:21, Travis Boltjes	23:06, Jennifer Boun	193
4 June 2022	18:55, Scott Wilkes	21:10, Andee Swann	250

Links

• Complete results of Panama City Beach, Florida's 2022 Jam On The Coast 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTG6FTeTYWfQryjAhYZ4ogRnQ_Cl1Cbpxtin2K5R4j7o_46nJD2_ygrAE6KTWX3Vp090vL8dnpwWuQT/pubhtml
  
  
• Find another race on a coast, strand, or beach via the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2830