On Friday, 31 December 2021--the last evening of the year in Panama City Beach, Florida--the top spot in the Ball Drop 5K came down to a duel between two Panhandle runners, Tim Goldy of Freeport and Bilal Mohammad of Panama City. Goldy prevailed on the 3.1-mile course in Frank Brown Park, 18:01 to 18:02. In the same race, the women's title was decided between two Colorado athletes, with Colorado Springs master runner Donna Garcia taking first in 21:23 and Molly Rogers of Lakewood second in 21:42.Goldy and Mohammad were followed across the finish line by Nathan Holmes, a senior on the North Bay Haven cross-country team. Holmes was third in 18:29. Ty Schumann, a high school sophomore from Michigan, took fourth in 19:04. Dan Station of Panama City was the first master runner in the race, coming in eighth overall in 21:08.
Garcia's 21:23 gave her the women's title and put her ninth overall. At 21:42, women's runner-up Molly Rogers placed eleventh overall. The third woman in the race, Rebecca Haines, was twelfth overall in 21:53. Ruby Douglas, a junior on the Nolensville High cross-country team, was fourth in the women's standings and sixteenth overall in 22:45.
225 athletes finished the 2021 Ball Drop 5K.
Top Ten Men, 2021 Ball Drop 5K
- 18:01, Tim Goldy (M, Overall) Freeport, FL
- 18:02, Bilal Mohammad (M, 20-24) Panama City, FL
- 18:29, Nathan Holmes (M, 15-19) Panama City, FL
- 19:04, Ty Schumann (M, 15-19) Bay City, MI
- 19:24, Alexander Albano (M, 11-14) Powder Springs, GA
- 20:19, Reilly Wynne (M, 11-14) Woodstock, GA
- 20:43, Connor Rising (M, 11-14) Destin, FL
- 21:08, Dan Station (M, 55-59) Panama City, FL
- 21:29, Charlie Holmes (M, 11-14) Panama City, FL
- 22:02, Cashel Kremer (M, 11-14) Woodstock, GA
Top Ten Women, 2021 Ball Drop 5K
- 21:23, Donna Garcia (F, Overall) Colorado Springs, CO
- 21:42, Molly Rogers (F, 15-19) Lakewood, CO
- 21:53, Rebecca Haines (F, 35-39)
- 22:45, Ruby Douglas (F, 15-19) Nolensville, TN
- 23:05, Andee Fitzgerald (F, 11-14) Morristown, TN
- 23:37, Natalie McCarthy (F, 15-19) Chesterville, ME
- 24:01, Sophia Buzzelli (F, 11-14) Clare, MI
- 24:21, Patricia Rogers (F, 45-49) Lakewood, CO
- 25:19, Julie Campbell (F, 50-54) Panama City Beach, FL
- 25:38, Courtney Holland (F, 35-39) Saint Peters, MO
| race winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Links
- Complete results of the 2021 Panama City Beach, Florida Ball Drop 5K
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRmHOz7q-uGkiRhjlBZwkywtwQdRnLQ844GzcoyrmgvNENZRFSwnZKjMOblPLrBtLyNZIsqxAOCse2M/pubhtml
- 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
