Neither Ravi Kumar nor Lara Drondoski ran like a tortoise at the Race The Tortoise 5K

At Race The Tortoise 5K on Saturday morning, 7 March 2020, the athletes in the field found themselves chasing Ravi Kumar, who won the eleventh annual race by more than 250 meters. Kumar ran the 3.1-mile race through Florida's O'Leno State Park in 17:08. In the women's competition, Lara Drondoski and Rebecca Pieters also raced more like hares than like tortoises, finishing just a second apart. Drondoski got the women's title, edging Pieters 19:51 to 19:52. The two athletes were fourth and fifth overall.


Nicholas Barnett came in runner-up to Kumar in 18:04. Barnett is an eighth-grader on the cross-country team at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in nearby Gainesville, Florida. Another Gainesville cross-country runner, Buchholz High sophomore Wrigley Longstreet, took third in 18:37. Soren Brockdorf was the top master runner in the 5K, holding off master runner Rahn Huffstutler 21:38 to 2142. Brockdorf and Huffstutler were seventh and eighth overall.


Jess Morey took third in the women's standings, crossing the finish line eleventh overall in 22:43. Darcie Burde was the fourth woman and fifteenth overall in 23:26. At 23:41, Loretta Engler was the first woman master and fifth female finisher, placing seventeenth overall.


219 athletes finished the 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 17:08, Ravi Kumar (M, 25)
2. 18:04, Nicholas Barnett (M, 14)
3. 18:37, Wrigley Longstreet (M, 16)
4. 21:13, Jonathan Edwards (M, 14)
5. 21:38, Soren Brockdorf (M, 52)
6. 21:42, Rahn Huffstutler (M, 40)
7. 22:30, Timothy Ortiz (M, 11)
8. 22:33, Eric Torres (M, 51)
9. 22:46, Daniel Conde (M, 37)
10. 22:51, Konstantin Matchev (M, 53)

Top Ten Women, 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K

1. 19:51, Lara Drondoski (F, 25)
2. 19:52, Rebecca Pieters (F, 36)
3. 22:43, Jess Morey (F, 39)
4. 23:26, Darcie Burde (F, 37)
5. 23:41, Loretta Engler (F, 66)
6. 24:06, Victoria Pagan (F, 54)
7. 25:43, Natalie Wright (F, 34)
8. 25:44, Libby Wyman (F, 31)
9. 25:54, Christy Larkins (F, 38)
10. 25:55, Barbara Edwards (F, 37)

Race The Tortoise 5K winners, 2009 - 2020
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
7 March 2009	18:22.9, David Robison	20:12.6, Michelle McCollum	109
13 March 2010	16:27.5, Alex Phipps	18:13.0, Elizabeth Duarte	114
5 March 2011	19:21.6, Eric Drummond	19:33.0, Tatiana Titova	218
3 March 2012	16:09.8, Vladimir Tontchinski	18:05.5, Averkova Anzhelika	268
2 March 2013	16:39.7, Dan Clark	20:37.4, Lyubov Denisova	225
1 March 2014	16:52.8, Dan Clark	19:13.4, Ani Veltcheva	247
7 March 2015	18:15.6, Anton Matchev	17:57.7, Lyubov Denisova	165
5 March 2016	16:32, Bobby Hensley	18:16, Ani Veltcheva	177
3 March 2018	15:28, Enoch Nadler	17:34, Ani Veltcheva	215
2 March 2019	17:03, Hutson Rapier	19:35, Courtney Rouse	239
7 March 2020	17:08, Ravi Kumar	19:51, Lara Drondoski	219
There was no Race The Tortoise 5K in 2017.

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Race The Tortoise 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ4wmCWANtOmK8_h0yAUuIyl2cgGUT2tqFVs_Tmv40UnLVXnLVltB01lh1U8bEgN0GbwjZ-7rT1M4pj/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Hutson Rapier and Courtney Rouse weren't just terrapin at the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/03/tortoise-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Nadler burns a 15:28 and Veltcheva a 17:34 for new records at the Race The Tortoise 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/tortoise-2018.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Hensley and Veltcheva victorious at Race The Tortoise”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/03/tortoise-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Denisova and Matchev are steady but not slow at Race The Tortoise”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Clark and Veltcheva are more hare than tortoise at O'Leno 5K”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/03/tortoise-2014.html
  
  
• O'Leno State Park
  http://www.floridastateparks.org/oleno/
  
  
• The Friends of O'Leno
  http://friendsofoleno.org/
  
  
• Race The Tortoise 5K course certification map USATF #FL09011EBM
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL09011EBM
  
  
• Any reptile race within 100 miles of Tallahassee will be here
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2693

The weather outside was frightful, but at the Frank Shorter Mile Kumar and Watson were delightful

For nearly 40 years, Gainesville was home to the only indoor track in Florida. The University of Florida removed the track during renovations to the O'Connell Center after the 2015 indoor track season. Now, there's never a day in Florida so severe that you need an indoor track. In fact, there are very few days in the Sunshine State when you'd even prefer to race indoors. But Monday, 1 January 2017, was one of those days. Shortly after sunrise the temperature dropped into the 30s and stayed there for the rest of the day. The wind made it seem even cooler, as did the occasional light rain. It even snowed.


It was the kind of weather that inspires bond issues for indoor track and field facilities. It was not the kind of weather that Visit Florida wants people to know about.


Neverthless, it was the weather in which 76 athletes showed up at Gainesville's Westside Park for Florida Track Club's third annual Frank Shorter Road Mile. Ravi Kumar won the men's mile race, circling the two-lap course in 4:49. Georganne Watson took the women's mile with a 5:18.


The two-lap course in Westside Park was a new addition in the third year of the race. So was the introduction of two separate races, one for the men and one for the women. The men raced first, with a scheduled starting time of 12:00 noon. Kumar, a FTC-Elite athlete, won that opening race with a 4:49. Behind him, Seth Funderburg outkicked Oakleaf High sophomore Dylan Nelson for second, 4:52 to 4:53. Rich Smith was fourth in 4:53. Dan Stoner of Gainesville was the first master runner in the men's mile, placing fifth overall in 5:13. Abraham Lincoln Middle School eighth-grader Anton Matchev took sixth with a 5:20.


The women's race followed at 12:35 PM. Betsy Suda had claimed the women's title at the first Frank Shorter mile, running 5:30 in that 2016 race. In 2017, though, Suda was second in the women's standings to Georganne Watson, who went 5:13 to Suda's 5:23. Both runners were back in 2018 for a chilly rematch. Watson prevailed, successfully defending her title while edging Suda 5:18 to 5:20. A few steps back, Laura Ragland took third in 5:23. Sharon Beckwith and Caroline Worrall dueled for the top master runner spot in the women's race, with Beckwith getting the nod 7:05 to 7:06. Beckwith and Worrall placed eighth and ninth overall.


76 athletes finished the 2018 Frank Shorter Road Mile, 45 in the men's race and 31 in the women's race. Start 2 Finish Race Management timed the event.


Top Ten Men, Florida Track Club's 2018 Frank Shorter Road Mile

1. 4:49, Ravi Kumar (M, 23)
2. 4:52, Seth Funderburg (M, 28)
3. 4:53, Dylan Nelson (M, 15)
4. 5:11, Rich Smith (M, 39)
5. 5:13, Dan Stoner (M, 43)
6. 5:20, Anton Matchev (M, 14)
7. 5:25, John Smith (M, 28)
8. 5:37, Zachary Radke (M, 31)
9. 5:49, Philip Matchev (M, 11)
10. 5:53, Eric Castaldo (M, 43)

Top Ten Women, Florida Track Club's 2018 Frank Shorter Road Mile

1. 5:18, Georganne Watson (F, 32)
2. 5:20, Betsy Suda (F, 36)
3. 5:23, Laura Ragland (F, 28)
4. 5:31, Katelyn Greenleaf (F, 23)
5. 5:32, Kelly Griffin (F, 39)
6. 5:54, Mandy Harrell (F, 33)
7. 5:55, Stephanie McGrail (F, 31)
8. 7:05, Sharon Beckwith (F, 49)
9. 7:06, Caroline Worrall (F, 49)
10. 7:26, Elisabeth Diamond (F, 58)

Frank Shorter Road Mile winners, 2016 - 2018
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
1 January 2016	4:40, Enoch Nadler	5:30, Betsy Suda	55
1 January 2017	4:23, Mark Parrish	5:13, Georganne Watson	90
1 January 2018	4:49, Ravi Kumar	5:18, Georganne Watson	76

Links

• Complete results of Florida Track Club's 2018 Frank Shorter Road Mile
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR09WEktle8t-PqlCDBSeiIgQuX9e1POtrweRnD78rj6RaII12pZXmz8lgIQfag8-Jm06YBh8R4oBZS/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Nadler and Suda first in Florida Track Club's Frank Shorter Mile”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/01/frank-shorter-mile-2016.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Nadler and Suda first in Florida Track Club's Frank Shorter Mile”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/01/frank-shorter-mile-2015.html
  
  
• Course map of Florida Track Club's 2018 Frank Shorter Road Mile
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL17087TY
  
  
• Florida Track Club's Frank Shorter Road Mile on Facebook
  https://www.facebook.com/The-Frank-Shorter-Mile-Presented-by-the-Florida-Track-Club-765440826935294/
  
  
• Find more upcoming road miles on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2152

Veltcheva's fifth Five Points 5K win is a 17:34

In the space of less than three seconds, the top three runners in the 2017 Five Points Of Life 5K flashed across the finish line. Ravi Kumar was first in 17:32, Ani Veltcheva second in 17:34, and Enoch Nadler third with a 17:35 in the Gainesville, Florida race.


It was Kumar's first win in the annual Five Points Of Life race. A TeamFTC Elite runner, Kumar is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and an alumnus of the Gainesville Eastside High cross-country team.


While Kumar was getting his first Five Points Of Life title, Ani Veltcheva was winning the women's division for the fifth year in a row--a streak that started when Veltcheva was eight years old. Her winning time of 17:34 in the 2017 race was just off the world single-age record for twelve-year-old girls--17:32.4, set by Lauryn Heskin in 2016. Let me emphasize that we're talking about the world record; not the Abraham Lincoln Middle School record, not the Florida record, not a national record, but the world record.


Gainesville's Betsy Suda, the 2011 Five Points Of Life 5K women's champ, was fourth overall and second in the women's standings, running 18:09. Another Abraham Lincoln Middle School student, thirteen-year-old Anton Matchev, took fifth overall and third on the men's side in 18:13. Christopher Bartley of Gainesville was the fourth male finisher and sxith overall in 18:18. Morgan Hull of Gainesville was the third woman and seventh overall in 18:21.


Keisuke Matsuki was the fastest master runner in the race, finishing eighth overall and fifth in the men's standings at 18:26. Elizabeth Andrade was the first woman master and sixth female finisher, taking sixteenth overall in 20:34.


367 athletes finished the 2017 Five Points 5K. DRC Sports of Inverness, Florida timed the race. The 5K was the feature race of the first day of the Five Points of Life race weekend, which continued on Sunday with the marathon and half-marathon.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Five Points Of Life 5K

1. 17:31.61, Ravi Kumar (M, 22) Gainesville, FL
2. 17:34.34, Enoch Nadler (M, 31) Gainesville, FL
3. 18:12.36, Anton Matchev (M, 13) Gainesville, FL
4. 18:17.60, Christopher Bartley (M, 29) Gainesville, FL
5. 18:25.52, Keisuke Matsuki (M, 44) Gainesville, FL
6. 18:56.70, David Cox (M, 31) Gainesville, FL
7. 19:38.78, Ben Mock (M, 14) Alachua, FL
8. 20:05.87, Philip Matchev (M, 10) Gainesville, FL
9. 20:06.46, Shreyas Honrao (M, 26) Gainesville, FL
10. 20:22.28, Dustin Beller (M, 24) Jacksonville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2017 Five Points Of Life 5K

1. 17:34.00, Ani Veltcheva (F, 12) Gainesville, FL
2. 18:08.82, Betsy Suda (F, 35) Gainesville, FL
3. 18:20.86, Morgan Hull (F, 21) Gainesville, FL
4. 18:44.99, Kelly Griffin (F, 38) Gainesville, FL
5. 20:21.88, Abby Garner (F, 24) Boca Grande, FL
6. 20:33.66, Elizabeth Andrade (F, 47) Gainesville, FL
7. 20:49.54, Adair Lyden (F, 19) Orlando, FL
8. 22:43.62, Seyran Kepic (F, 10) Gainesville, FL
9. 22:52.19, Mary Greco (F, 30) kansas city, MO
10. 22:58.15, Christina Alba (F, 41) Gainesville, CO

Five Points 5K winners, 2008 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
23 February 2008	16:03, Mitch Guirard	19:47, Amanda Duarte
21 February 2009	16:40, Kellam Bartley	17:27, Vaida Zusinaite	388
13 February 2010	18:12, Lance Reccoppa	18:58, Firaya Sultanove-Zhdanova	336
19 February 2011	17:41, Michael Rosato	17:41, Betsy Suda	366
18 February 2012	16:10, Michael Rosato	21:39, Jennifer Schofield	475
16 February 2013	17:14, Michael Anderson	20:49, Ani Veltcheva	400
15 February 2014	17:29, Kyle Dunn	19:50, Ani Veltcheva	354
14 February 2015	19:00, Robert Robins	19:07, Ani Veltcheva	312
20 February 2016	17:08, Matthew Edwards	18:23, Ani Veltcheva	347
25 February 2017	17:32, Ravi Kumar	17:34, Ani Veltcheva	367

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Five Points 5K at drcsports.com
  http://drcsports.com/race-results/49
  
  
• Five Points of Life's photos of the 2017 race weekend
  https://www.facebook.com/pg/fivepointsoflife/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154852739420923
  
  
• 2016 story, “Edwards gets his first Five Points 5K win, Veltcheva her fourth”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/02/5-points-5k-2016.html
  
  
• USATF course certification map for the 2016 Five Points 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL09010EBM
  
  
• Three Miles, Four Seasons, or Five Points, find it on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1903