No fiddlin' around for Joseph Wiedeman or Sheryl Rosen at the Worm Gruntin' 5K

The annual Worm Gruntin' Festival returned to Sopchoppy, Florida on 9 April 2022. Capturing earthworms with vibrations, known as worm grunting or worm fiddling, may not be something that you find exciting, but there is no denying that there was an exciting finish at the 2022 Worm Gruntin' 5K Road Race. Joseph Wiedeman won in 18:49, crossing the finish line just a second ahead of Jacob Langston, the runner-up. Tallahassee, Florida lawyer Sheryl Rosen had an easier time of it in the women's division--she was the first female finisher by 60 meters, placing seventh overall in 19:05.


Wiedeman and Langston, the actors in that 18:49 to 18:50 finish, are both cross-country runners on the team at nearby Wakulla High. Just twenty meters behind them, Mike Martinez of Tallahassee outkicked another Wakulla harrier, Isaac Peck, for third place, 18:55 to 18:56. Martinez was the top master runner in the race, but he was surrounded by Wakulla High athletes. After Peck, Wakulla High's Andrew Nix was fifth in 19:59, and Henry Lewis of Wakulla Middle School was sixth in 19:02.


Wakulla High was also well-represented in the women's standings. Sheryl Rosen of Tallahassee was first among the women with her 19:05, but the next five female finishers were all Wakulla High cross-country runners--frosh Isabella Laughton (8th, 19:19), sophomore Liliana Lewis (13th, 20:25), senior Marina Whitsell (18th, 21:54), sophomore Taylor Pfeifer (19th, 21:56), and sophomore Analecia Ferrell (24th, 22:54). Deborah Rayburn of Crawfordville, Florida was the first woman master and eighth female finisher, 30th overall in 24:12.


The Worm Gruntin' Festival is traditionally held on the second Saturday in April, but the 2020 and 2021 Festivals (and 5K races) were canceled due to COVID-19. The 2022 race was therefore the first Worm Gruntin' 5K since 2019. In spite of the hiatus, the 2022 event was also the largest Worm Gruntin' 5K in over a decade, with 271 athletes finishing the race. Five Star NTP of Dawsonville, Georgia timed and scored the event.


Top Ten Men, 2022 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 18:48.56, Joseph Wiedeman (M, 17) Crawfordville, FL
2. 18:49.56, Jacob Langston (M, 16) Crawfordville, FL
3. 18:54.56, Mike Martinez (M, 56) Tallahassee, FL
4. 18:55.60, Isaac Peck (M, 16) Crawfordville, FL
5. 18:58.56, Andrew Nix (M, 16) Crawfordville, FL
6. 19:01.56, Henry Lewis (M, 14) Crawfordville, FL
7. 19:26.44, Christopher Caravello (M, 39) Santa Rosa Beach, FL
8. 19:40.24, Duane Evans (M, 54) Crawfordville, FL
9. 19:54.98, Logan Kilpatrick (M, 18) Crawfordville, FL
10. 20:13.59, Isaac Avello (M, 15) Crawfordville, FL

Top Ten Women, 2022 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 19:04.56, Sheryl Rosen (F, 37) Tallahassee, FL
2. 19:18.74, Isabella Laughton (F, 14) Panacea, FL
3. 20:24.63, Liliana Lewis (F, 15) Crawfordville, FL
4. 21:53.48, Marina Whitsell (F, 18) Crawfordville, FL
5. 21:55.93, Taylor Pfeifer (F, 16) Saint Marks, FL
6. 22:50.07, Analecia Ferrell (F, 17) Crawfordville, FL
7. 23:49.49, Caliana Caravello (F, 14) Santa Rosa Beach, FL
8. 24:11.63, Deborah Rayburn (F, 54) Crawfordville, FL
9. 24:16.34, Chelsea Newson (F, 28) Casselberry, FL
10. 24:25.00, Crystal Chadwell (F, 30) Crawfordville, FL

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2022
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153
9 April 2016	17:22, Matthew Phillips	20:22, Mariah Tinger	154
8 April 2017	17:49, Stanley Linton	21:18, Alyssa Terry	146
14 April 2018	19:04, Paul Hodge	19:43, Rory Claussen	155
13 April 2019	19:20, Michael Bennett	20:44, Rory Claussen	154
9 April 2022	18:49, Joseph Wiedeman	19:05, Sheryl Rosen	271

Links

• Complete results of the 2022 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT6MqU05qsgJDfVOfnkRic5PaG3_YYFdK0wdbv7vxF2brjjvply-XMs7bEd4pwPLFrnxbfCQNBY3vU5/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “No wrigglin', no squirmin', just runnin' for Michael Bennett and Rory Claussen at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/04/worm-grunt-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Paul Hodge and Rory Claussen were the early birds at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/worm-grunt-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Linton and Terry wriggle out victories at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/worm-grunt-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Phillips and Tinger win the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/worm-grunt-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/worm-grunt-2015.html
  
  
• Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival
  http://www.wormgruntinfestival.com/
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2817

No wrigglin', no squirmin', just runnin' for Michael Bennett and Rory Claussen at the Worm Gruntin' 5K

In 1882 Charles Darwin published his final book, a page-turner titled The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the action of Worms, with observations on their Habit. One of his observations he included was "It is often said that if the ground is beaten or otherwise made to tremble worms will believe that they are pursued by a mole and leave their burrows." In 2008, Dr. Ken Catania of Vanderbilt University claimed to have proven Darwin's Theory, running experiments in the forest near Sopchoppy, Florida. For years before Dr. Catania's study, though, Sopchoppy locals had been using vibrations to drive earthworms to the surface, where the worms were gathered for use as fish bait. It's a widespread practice, known as worm charming, worm fiddling, or worm grunting. Sopchoppy has an annual festival celebrating this method of earthworm collection. Of course, they used the least appetizing name available, calling it the Worm Gruntin' Festival. Sopchoppy holds the Worm Gruntin' Festival annually on the second Saturday of April, and the day always opens with the Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K.


Tallahassee, Florida athlete Michael Bennett won the 13 April 2019 edition of the Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K, running 19:20. Panama City, Florida's Rory Claussen, the 2018 women's champ, successfully defended her title, placing fourth overall in 20:44.


Andrew Wilber of Tallahassee took second overall at 20:28. Fifteen-year-old Brayden Lawhon, a Wakulla County native, placed third in 20:43, just a step ahead of Rory Claussen. Neil Claussen was the fastest master runner in the 5K, the eighth male finisher and ninth overall in 22:56.


Liliana Lewis, a seventh-grader on the Wakulla Middle School cross-country team, grabbed second in the women's standings, placing tenth overall in 23:30. Just behind Lewis, Lauren Bosche was the third woman and eleventh overall in 23:33. Melissa Hooke was the first woman master and fourth female finisher, fourteenth overall in 23:41.


154 athletes finished the 2019 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 19:20, Michael Bennett (M, 27) Tallahassee, FL
2. 20:28, Andrew Wilber (M, 29)
3. 20:43, Brayden Lawhon (M, 15)
4. 20:55, Michael Schmitt (M, 32)
5. 22:17, Raymond Powers (M, 27)
6. 22:29, Josiah Chadwell (M, 13)
7. 22:53, Spencer Claussen (M, 13)
8. 22:56, Neil Claussen (M, 45)
9. 23:34, Ion Raffensperger (M, 7)
10. 23:36, Stephen Attaway (M, 21)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 20:44, Rory Claussen (F, 13) Panama City, FL
2. 23:30, Liliana Lewis (F, 12)
3. 23:33, Lauren Bosche (F, 26)
4. 23:41, Melissa Hooke (F, 40)
5. 24:01, Kathryn Cameron (F, 24)
6. 24:39, Sarah Monbarren (F, 33)
7. 24:42, Isabella Laughton (F, 11)
8. 24:52, Kate King (F, 26)
9. 25:20, Rachel Lovestrand (F, 31)
10. 25:47, Isabella Davis (F, 12)

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153
9 April 2016	17:22, Matthew Phillips	20:22, Mariah Tinger	154
8 April 2017	17:49, Stanley Linton	21:18, Alyssa Terry	146
14 April 2018	19:04, Paul Hodge	19:43, Rory Claussen	155
13 April 2019	19:20, Michael Bennett	20:44, Rory Claussen	154

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ9N0dIE5BTDMGKwZVpEK1UzAChy8QNBULwpyqxU96H_h9TdcCPLQTkqASamynrXAaSKzhdLmyLJO01/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Paul Hodge and Rory Claussen were the early birds at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/04/worm-grunt-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Linton and Terry wriggle out victories at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/worm-grunt-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Phillips and Tinger win the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/worm-grunt-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/worm-grunt-2015.html
  
  
• Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival
  http://www.wormgruntinfestival.com/
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2489

Paul Hodge and Rory Claussen were the early birds at the Worm Gruntin' 5K

Athletes enjoyed mild temperatures, a gentle breeze, and a flat course in Sopchoppy, Florida on Saturday morning, 14 April 2018, during the annual Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K. Taking advantage of those close to ideal conditions, Tallahassee, Florida master runner Paul Hodge ran 19:04, winning the race by nearly 130 meters. Rory Claussen of Panama City, Florida took the women's title. Claussen, a sixth-grader who runs for the Shaldera Panthers Track Club, placed third overall in 19:43.


Duane Evans finished runner-up in the 5K, running 19:34. Evans, a master runner from nearby Crawfordville, Florida, was fifth in the 2016 Worm Gruntin' race and fourth in 2017. Another Worm Gruntin' 5K veteran, twelve-year old Josiah Chadwell, was the third overall male in the 2018 race, placing fifth overall in 19:59. Chadwell had run 22:20 the previous year, coming in tenth overall.


A few steps behind Claussen, Melissa Luke of Tifton, Georgia finished second in the women's standings and fourth overall in 19:46. Alyssa Langston, a junior on the Wakulla High cross-country team, was the third woman and eighth overall in 21:36. Paula O'Neill of Tallahassee, Florida was the first woman master and fourth female finisher; O'Neill placed twelfth overall in 23:51.


Worm Grunting, also called worm fiddling, is a method of using vibrations to drive earthworms above ground, where they can be collected as fish bait. This is usually done by rubbing an object against a stake driven into the ground. It's a lot neater than digging up your yard with a shovel, and according to Charles Darwin it actually works. Darwin remains silent, though, on whether fiddling the right tune will also get the worms to crawl onto a fish hook for you, or even head down to the river and fetch you a mess of trout.


Sopchoppy citizens practice worm grunting in the nearby Apalachicola National Forest, and celebrate the practice with an annual Worm Gruntin' Festival. Naturally, a festival requires a footrace, thus the Worm Gruntin' 5K.


155 athletes finished the 2018 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2018 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 19:03.86, Paul Hodge (M, 56)
2. 19:33.81, Duane Evans (M, 50)
3. 19:58.88, Josiah Chadwell (M, 12)
4. 20:12.50, Bill Starling (M, 30)
5. 20:23.03, Andrew Wilber (M, 28)
6. 21:42.72, David Yorio (M, 41)
7. 21:57.70, Chase Roberts (M, 15)
8. 23:27.95, Spencer Claussen (M, 12)
9. 24:03.46, Spencer Hingman (M, 14)
10. 24:10.82, Raymond Powers (M, 26)

Top Ten Women, 2018 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 19:42.87, Rory Claussen (F, 12)
2. 19:45.09, Melissa Luke (F, 36)
3. 21:35.78, Alyssa Langston (F, 17)
4. 23:50.79, Paula O'Neill (F, 56)
5. 24:12.99, Caroline Cummings (F, 13)
6. 26:00.43, Casey Tozzi (F, 37)
7. 26:17.70, Morris Davis (F, 61)
8. 26:44.23, Jessica Pichard (F, 26)
9. 26:53.01, Catherine Jones (F, 58)
10. 27:10.27, Debbie Peters (F, 57)

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2018
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153
9 April 2016	17:22, Matthew Phillips	20:22, Mariah Tinger	154
8 April 2017	17:49, Stanley Linton	21:18, Alyssa Terry	146
14 April 2018	19:04, Paul Hodge	19:43, Rory Claussen	155

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT4DUOpcv9j4H42GBdDSyjDxq_MOwyBjFySCuTebotKSQRZ2ha1of5nt-f13K2BW9vVcswbJVkgKb_J/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Linton and Terry wriggle out victories at the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/04/worm-grunt-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Phillips and Tinger win the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/worm-grunt-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/worm-grunt-2015.html
  
  
• Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival
  http://www.wormgruntinfestival.com/
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2244

Linton and Terry wriggle out victories at the Worm Gruntin' 5K

Worm grunting is the art of using vibrations to drive earthworms to the surface of the soil where they can be collected and recruited into a new career as angleworms. This technique is also called worm fiddling, but the villagers of Sopchoppy, Florida decided to use the less savory-sounding term for the name of their annual celebration, the Worm Gruntin' Festival. As with most small town festivals, Sopchoppy's includes a Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K. United States Navy Ensign Stan Linton won the 8 April 2017 edition of the race, running 17:49 that Saturday morning. Alyssa Terry of Tallahassee, Florida was the women's champion, placing seventh overall in 21:18.


For Linton, it was his third Worm Gruntin' 5K title. The former Florida State University distance runner had also won the event in 2012 and 2013. His time in the 2013 race was 15:56, which may very well stand as some sort of record in the annals of annelid-themed racing. Tom Parker was second to Linton in the 2017 race, running 18:41. Travis Parks, the 2014 Worm Gruntin' 5K winner, placed third in 18:56. Parks and Linton had been teammates back when both ran cross-country at Wakulla High. Duane Evans of Crawfordville, Florida ran 19:07, finishing as the top master runner and fourth overall.


Paula O'Neill of Tallahassee was the first woman master and second female finisher, placing eleventh overall in 22:21. Fourteen-year-old Abigail Schwartz was third in the women's standings and twelfth overall in 22:36.


146 athletes finished the 2017 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2017 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 17:48.20, Stan Linton (M, 23)
2. 18:40.24, Tom Parker (M, 34)
3. 18:55.85, Travis Parks (M, 21)
4. 19:06.82, Duane Evans (M, 49)
5. 20:43.36, Scott Stewart (M, 47)
6. 20:56.22, Cade Cutchen (M, 20)
7. 21:38.88, Patrick Ake (M, 33)
8. 21:39.36, Monte Alxin (M, 43)
9. 22:19.32, Josiah Chadwell (M, 11)
10. 22:36.56, Matt Puckett (M, 41)

Top Ten Women, 2017 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 21:17.47, Alyssa Terry (F, 23)
2. 22:20.16, Paula O'Neill (F, 55)
3. 22:35.29, Abigail Schwartz (F, 14)
4. 23:04.72, Jenny Early (F, 33)
5. 24:26.01, Missy Raffensperger (F, 37)
6. 26:14.86, Tammy Poucher (F, 42)
7. 26:24.31, Melissa Champaly (F, 52)
8. 26:25.43, Dionne Wilson (F, 28)
9. 27:01.59, Debbie Peters (F, 56)
10. 27:54.28, Sharon Phelps (F, 41)

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2017
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153
9 April 2016	17:22, Matthew Phillips	20:22, Mariah Tinger	154
8 April 2017	17:49, Stanley Linton	21:18, Alyssa Terry	146

Links

• Complete results of the 2017 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K at gulfwinds.org
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16IQ_U6tNh6BPDhhTLpjNd04r-K6PjoqgoEATlyRCkTA/pubhtml
  
  
• 2016 story, “Phillips and Tinger win the Worm Gruntin' 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/04/worm-grunt-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/worm-grunt-2015.html
  
  
• Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival
  http://www.wormgruntinfestival.com/
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1935

Phillips and Tinger win the Worm Gruntin' 5K

As themes for small town festivals go Sopchoppy, Florida's Worm Gruntin' Festival isn't that unusual. Other towns in the regions have celebrations centered around possums, fire ants, gnats, rattlesnakes, and wild chickens. Just down the highway, Panacea has a blue crab festival. If you can have a festival about consuming crustaceans, why not one about harvesting annelids? Still, the Worm Gruntin' Festival has inspired some disturbing artwork. Earthworms in bikini tops? Try to forget that image next time you're digging in the garden or baiting a fishhook.


Fortunately, Sopchoppy's annual celebration has also inspired the Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K, raced most recently on Saturday morning, 9 April 2016. Wakulla High alumnus Matthew Phillips won the race, edging Brian Tinger of Beverly, Massachusetts 17:22 to 17:25. Michael Martinez of Tallahassee, Florida was the fastest master runner in the race, finishing third overall in 18:36.


Beverly, Massachusetts athlete Mariah Tinger took the women's title, placing seventh overall in 20:22. Wakulla High cross country runner Connie Lewis finished runner-up in the women's standings and eleventh overall in 21:41. Jenny Early was the third woman in the race, fifteenth overall in 23:17.


In case you were wondering, worm gruntin' (which is also called worm fiddling) is the art of using vibrations to drive earthworms to the surface where they can be collected as fish bait. Science has shown that worm gruntin' works, but remains silent on the question of why. We may forever only be able to speculate about the motives of worms.


154 athletes finished the 2016 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee, Florida timed and scored the race.


Top Ten Men, 2016 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 17:21.91 ~ Matthew Phillips (M, 21)
2. 17:24.24 ~ Brian Tinger (M, 38)
3. 18:35.61 ~ Michael Martinez (M, 50)
4. 19:06.53 ~ Lane Williams (M, 20)
5. 19:22.02 ~ Duane Evans (M, 48)
6. 20:20.38 ~ Caleb Forehand (M, 19)
7. 20:55.13 ~ Michael Cipriano (M, 58)
8. 21:34.48 ~ David Harrell (M, 30)
9. 21:37.40 ~ Scott Stewart (M, 46)
10. 21:56.36 ~ Tyler Scott (M, 29)

Top Ten Women, 2016 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 20:21.28 ~ Mariah Tinger (F, 38)
2. 21:40.95 ~ Connie Lewis (F, 17)
3. 23:16.83 ~ Jenny Early (F, 32)
4. 24:38.35 ~ Emily Smith (F, 31)
5. 24:48.53 ~ Hannah Wheatcraft (F, 16)
6. 25:20.76 ~ Dionne Wilson (F, 27)
7. 25:45.58 ~ Jeanna Prisco (F, 19)
8. 26:10.99 ~ Jennifer Horvath (F, 33)
9. 27:11.98 ~ Nancy Lewis (F, 50)
10. 27:34.10 ~ Heather Gatten (F, 24)

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2016
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153
9 April 2016	17:22, Matthew Phillips	20:22, Mariah Tinger	154

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K at gulfwinds.org
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HMei5iSTM1BNMvjYa_62uIPPlOmLTWVx1ziyKan6bxY/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/04/worm-grunt-2015.html
  
  
• Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival
  http://www.wormgruntinfestival.com/
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1671

Savary and Wheatcraft take their turn with the worms

Of Charles Darwin's books, the most famous are The Origin of the Species and The Descent of Man. Less known is his last scientific book, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. In the pages of the latter Darwin wrote, “It has often been said that if the ground is beaten or otherwise made to tremble, worms believe that they are pursued by a mole and leave their burrows.”


That earthworms could be driven above ground by vibration is the basis for worm fiddling, or worm grunting as some call it. Worm grunters drive a stake into the ground, draw a metal rod across it like a fiddle bow to create vibrations, then harvest for fish bait the worms that pop out of the ground. Worm grunting has been practiced near Sopchoppy, Florida, for decades, so Vanderbilt University scientist Ken Catania went there in 2008 to see if there was anything to Darwin's theory--that worms' flight from vibration was an adaptation to avoid moles. Working with two of Sopchoppy's professional worm grunters, Catania was able to demonstrate that the reaction of worms to grunting was identical to their reaction to the movements of a hungry mole.


Even before Sopchoppy performed this service for science, the village had been holding an Worm Gruntin' Festival on the second Saturday of each April. Of course, a festival requires a 5K road race, so there was a Worm Gruntin' 5K. The race faded away after a few years, but it was revived in 2012. Stronger than ever, the Worm Gruntin' 5K returned to the streets of Sopchoppy on Saturday morning, 11 April 2015. North Florida Christian School junior Chase Savary won the 3.1-mile event in 17:45, the first of 153 finishers. Wakulla High frosh Dylan Peebles finished secon in 18:28, just ahead of another Wakulla High runner, senior Travis Parks. Parks was third in 18:39. William Carter edged Jeff Kuperberg for the top master spot in the 5K, Carter taking 11th in 21:29 while Kuperberg finished 12th in 21:34.


The 2015 Worm Gruntin' 5K women's crown went to Wakulla High frosh Hannah Wheatcraft. Wheatcraft, 15, placed 14th overall in 22:05. Connie Lewis, a Wakulla High junior, took second on the women's side, finishing 15th overall in 22:49. Juanita Chalmers, 32, was the third female finisher, coming in 18th overall in 24:12. Belinda Wharton came out ahead of Connie Clarke 25:09 to 25:10 in a close fight for the top woman master spot. Wharton and Clarke were seventh and eighth in the women's standings, coming in 24th and 25th overall.


In 2016 the second Saturday in April will be the 9th. Expect another Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' Festival and another Worm Gruntin' 5K then.


Top Ten Men, 2015 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 17:45 ~ Chase Savary (M, 16)
2. 18:28 ~ Dylan Peebles (M, 15)
3. 18:39 ~ Travis Parks (M, 19)
4. 18:44 ~ Dalten Wood (M, 15)
5. 18:54 ~ Israel Diaz (M, 14)
6. 19:20 ~ Trevor Marshall (M, 33)
7. 20:17 ~ David Harrell (M, 29)
8. 20:18 ~ Scott Lloyd (M, 14)
9. 20:23 ~ William Thomas (M, 15)
10. 21:24 ~ Finley McMillan (M, 12)

Top Ten Women, 2015 Worm Gruntin' Festival 5K

1. 22:05 ~ Hannah Wheatcraft (F, 15)
2. 22:49 ~ Connie Lewis (F, 16)
3. 24:12 ~ Juanita Chalmers (F, 32)
4. 24:30 ~ Malisa Anderson-Strait (F, 37)
5. 24:35 ~ Andrea Palmiotto (F, 29)
6. 25:08 ~ Vaishali Desai (F, 28)
7. 25:09 ~ Belinda Wharton (F, 54)
8. 25:10 ~ Connie Clarke (F, 53)
9. 25:40 ~ Nancy Lewis (F, 49)
10. 25:44 ~ Jessica Wells (F, 29)

Known winners of the Sopchoppy, Florida, Worm Grunting Festival 5K, 2003 - 2015
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
12 April 2003
10 April 2004
9 April 2005	18:36, Mackey Tyndall	20:57, Julie Clark	59
8 April 2006	Karl Hempel	Karmen Duchon	55
14 April 2007	20:11, Brett Templeton	Sydney Nutting	56
14 April 2012	17:27, Stanley Linton	23:00, Julie Rose Travis	111
13 April 2013	15:56, Stanley Linton	21:46, Emily Smith	139
12 April 2014	20:48, Travis Parks	21:20, Kayla Webbe	140
11 April 2015	17:45, Chase Savary	22:05, Hannah Wheatcraft	153

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 Worm Grunting Festival 5K at gulfwinds.org
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2015/Worm%20Gruntin%202015.asp
  
  
• Jessica Marshal, “Worm Grunting Mystery Solved”
  http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27281253/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/worm-grunting-mystery-solved
  
  
• If there's a festival, there's a 5K, and the 5K is on the Trouble Afoot! race calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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