Twelve kilometers isn't a distance that Roger Schmidt races very often. Schmidt has raced just about every distance up to 50 miles, but there just aren't many opportunities to compete in a 12K. Nevertheless, Schmidt made the most of his opportunity in St Marks, Florida on Saturday morning, 20 February 2016. The Capital City Runners athlete won Gulf Winds Track Club's 28th annual Flash 12K, running 40:52. The first woman in the race was Katie Sherron, an FSU economics professor, who finished 23rd overall in 50:43. Sherron was no stranger to the 12K distance in general or the Flash 12K in particular; she also won the women's title at the race in 2012.
The race started just after 8:30 AM, with the runners heading north from Fort San Marcos State Park. The course was out-and-back--six kilometers to a turn-around point on the Saint Marks Trail, followed by a return to the Fort by the same route. Zach DeVeau, the previous year's winner was in the field, as was Vince Molosky, who had fought DeVeau much of the way in that earlier race. It wasn't the defending champ, though, who was setting the early pace. Roger Schmidt was the runner out front, with Molosky just off his shoulder. Nate Kaiser trailed the two leaders, with DeVeau farther back in fourth.
"Roger took it out pretty hard," said Molosky
"We went out on a stiff pace," agreed Schmidt.
Molosky stayed close for three kilometers, but then Schmidt started to pull away, breaking contact on the way to the turnaround at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, Nate Kaiser wasn't going away.
"Nate went by me just after the turnaround," said Molosky. "I just couldn't hang with him after that. My legs were dead."
"I was running scared," said Schmidt. "I told myself that Nate and Vince were breathing down my neck."
They weren't. Kaiser ran a strong second half, but he couldn't make up any of the ground he had already given up to Schmidt. Schmidt was first back to the fort, winning in 40:52. Kaiser was second in 41:30 and Molosky third in 42:29. Bryan Koon took fourth in 42:41, the top master runner in the race. DeVeau finished fifth in 44:01.
Katie Sherron, Anna Busby, and Jillian Heddaeus were together at the front of the women's field after the first kilometer of the Flash 12K. Sherron bid them adieu shortly after that, leaving Busby and Heddaeus twelve seconds behind by the four kilometer mark.
"At the turn-around I saw that Anna and Jillian weren't far behind me," said Sherron. "So I picked it up for about a mile, but then I fell back to my old pace. I slowed down more than I wanted to."
Sherron didn't slow down enough for anyone to catch her, though. She was the first woman across the finish line, running 50:43. Busby was second in the women's standings, placing 24th overall in 51:30. Angela Wable was the first woman master and the third female finisher, overtaking Jillian Heddaeus late in the race to place 30th overall in 52:42. Heddaeus was the fourth woman in the race, 32nd overall in 53:06.
Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 12K
- 40:52 ~ Roger Schmidt (M, 24)
- 41:30 ~ Nate Kaiser (M, 36)
- 42:29 ~ Vince Molosky (M, 36)
- 42:41 ~ Bryan Koon (M, 44)
- 44:01 ~ Zach Deveau (M, 28)
- 44:17 ~ Grady Smith (M, 39)
- 45:12 ~ Geb Kiros (M, 49)
- 45:18 ~ Ryan Truchelut (M, 30)
- 45:56 ~ Jim Halley (M, 36)
- 46:27 ~ Mike Peymann (M, 53)
Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 12K
- 50:43 ~ Katie Sherron (F, 34)
- 51:30 ~ Anna Busby (F, 25)
- 52:42 ~ Angela Wable (F, 42)
- 53:06 ~ Jillian Heddaeus (F, 32)
- 53:56 ~ Jocelyn Chan (F, 27)
- 55:15 ~ Katie Sack (F, 24)
- 55:31 ~ Emma Spencer (F, 35)
- 57:08 ~ Laura Reina (F, 51)
- 57:21 ~ Tsige Tadesse (F, 43)
- 57:31 ~ Nancy Proctor (F, 55)
213 athletes finished the 2016 Flash 12K. Another 87 finished the 6K race, offered for the eighth time in the 28-year history of the Flash. Crawfordville, Florida distance runner Travis Parks won the shorter race in 23:17, defeating two-time Flash 6K winner Duane Evans. Evans was the top master runner in the 6K, finishing runner-up in 23:34. Ten-year-old Leah Kiros finished at the top of the women's standings, placing thirteenth overall in 32:26.
February weather in Florida's Big Bend is an iffy business. In the past athletes at the Flash 12K have experienced frigid temperatures or high winds. There wasn't much to complain about on the morning of the 2016 race, though. Conditions remained calm and comfortably cool till the last runner was done. After that things warmed up and it became one of those bright days where you just don't want to go indoors. It did get warm enough to wake up the no-see-ems, but that's part of life in Florida, isn't it?
Top Ten Men, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 6K
- 23:17 ~ Travis Parks (M, 19)
- 23:34 ~ Duane Evans (M, 48)
- 26:08 ~ Timothy Fraser (M, 38)
- 26:14 ~ Riley Welch (M, 19)
- 29:32 ~ Eric Miller (M, 29)
- 30:28 ~ Kyle Sill (M, 32)
- 31:14 ~ Clint Beam (M, 30)
- 31:27 ~ Jonathan Kiros (M, 7)
- 31:33 ~ Ronald Thomas (M, 44)
- 32:03 ~ Thomas Biance (M, 35)
Top Ten Women, Gulf Winds Track Club's 2016 Flash 6K
- 32:26 ~ Leah Kiros (F, 10)
- 35:28 ~ Arianna Neely (F, 15)
- 35:48 ~ Lois Burnette (F, 51)
- 36:24 ~ Teeah Grim (F, 38)
- 37:00 ~ Sarah Busby (F, 22)
- 38:04 ~ Maddison Green (F, 10)
- 38:34 ~ Jessica Johnson (F, 33)
- 38:51 ~ Chika Okoro (F, 35)
- 39:13 ~ Mary Jo Heaton (F, 36)
- 39:19 ~ Carolyn Johnson (F, 31)
| Gulf Winds Track Club Flash 12K Champions, 1989 - 2016 |
|---|
| Date | Distance | Men | Women | Finishers |
|---|
| 28 January 1989 | 12K | 39:44, John Devine | 48:50, Barbara Balzer | 155 |
| 17 February 1990 | 12K | 44:10, David Rigby | 54:40, Kathy Weiss | 102 |
| 26 January 1991 | 12K | 39:36, Jessie Close | 50:24, Tina Davies | 163 |
| 18 January 1992 | 12K | 39:33, Jessie Close | 45:24, Paula Johnson | 132 |
| 23 January 1993 | 12K | 42:40, Jonathan Bigg | 45:43, Linda Nilges | 134 |
| 15 January 1994 | 12K | 38:02, Robin Rogers | 45:34, Jane Johnson | 91 |
| 21 January 1995 | 12K | 40:49, Gary Droze | 45:34, Jane Johnson | 145 |
| 27 January 1996 | 12K | 41:10, Gary Droze | 44:27, Jane Johnson | 132 |
| 11 January 1997 | 12K | 39:25, Brian Erb | 47:57, Sarah Williams | 75 |
| 7 February 1998 | 12K | 42:57, Clarence Calloway | 45:12, Sarah Williams | 164 |
| 20 February 1999 | 12K | 44:40, Tim Simpkins | 46:27, Sarah Williams | 82 |
| 19 February 2000 | 12K | 39:44, Michael Strickland | 46:06, Sara Docter-Williams | 107 |
| 17 February 2001 | 12K | 43:56, Tim Unger | 45:38, Sarah Docter-Williams | 98 |
| 16 February 2002 | 12K | 40:35, Gary Droze | 47:17, Jane Johnson | 148 |
| 1 February 2003 | 12K | 42:52, Shawn Patterson | 52:18, Lisa Whitworth | 80 |
| 7 February 2004 | 12K | 42:46, Tim Unger | 52:49, Lisa Whitworth | 89 |
| 5 February 2005 | 12K | 42:05, Lee Willis | 45:30, Sarah Docter-Williams | 118 |
| 4 February 2006 | 12K | 42:49, Vince Molosky | 50:21, Lisa Johnson | 89 |
| 17 February 2007 | 12K | 44:58, Todd Smoot | 52:22, Kim Likens | 74 |
| 16 February 2008 | 12K | 43:10, Tripp Southerland | 50:57, Stephanie Liles | 131 |
| 21 February 2009 | 12K | 42:34, Jay Wallace | 50:48, Jane Johnson | 105 |
| 6K | 23:21, Brian Corbin | 21:36, Jana Stolting | 30 |
| 20 February 2010 | 12K | 41:57, Daniel Lee | 47:12, Sheryl Rosen | 176 |
| 6K | 24:43, Ben Kail | 31:35, Rachel Phipps | 53 |
| 19 February 2011 | 12K | 40:57, Thomas Kunish | 49:23, Kelly Stevens | 214 |
| 6K | 23:59, Caleb Harris | 31:26, Ashton McMurray | 73 |
| 18 February 2012 | 12K | 41:23, Stephen Cox | 49:52, Katie Showman | 214 |
| 6K | 24:57, Duane Evans | 27:39, Nancy Gribble | 89 |
| 16 February 2013 | 12K | 38:41, Kevin Sullivan | 46:17, Sheryl Rosen | 268 |
| 6K | 21:54, Michael Martinez | 25:09, Jessica Gillard | 70 |
| 15 February 2014 | 12K | 39:39, Stanley Linton | 45:20, Seeley Gutierrez | 262 |
| 6K | 21:56, Jon Mason | 28:15, Sarah Taff | 85 |
| 21 February 2015 | 12K | 42:03, Zach Deveau | 47:33, Sheryl Rosen | 207 |
| 6K | 23:30, Duane Evans | 24:20, Katie Gorman | 98 |
| 20 February 2016 | 12K | 40:52, Roger Schmidt | 50:43, Katie Sherron | 213 |
| 6K | 23:17, Travis Parks | 32:26, Leah Kiros | 87 |
In 1989-2004 the race started and finished in Chaires. (FL88036BH and FL94001DL)
In 2005-2010 the race started and finished at J. Lewis Hall Park in Woodville. (FL05007DL)
In 2011-2016 the race started and finished at Fort San Marcos de Apalachee in St. Marks.
(FL11133EBM) |
Links
- Complete results of the 2016 Flash 12K (and 6K) at gulfwinds.org
http://gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2016/Flash%202016.asp
- More photos of the 2016 Flash 12K (and 6K)
- Fred Deckert's photos of the 2015 Flash 12K (and 6K)
https://picasaweb.google.com/112560881455823075870/Flash_16
- 2015 story, “DeVeau and Rosen first in the Flash”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/02/flash-2015.html
- 2014 story, “Linton and Gutierrez try, try again...and win, at the Flash 12K”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/02/flash-2014.html
- 2013 story, “Flashy victories for Sullivan and Rosen”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/02/flash-2013.html
- 2012 story, “A dozen fast for Cox and Showman at Flash 12K”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/02/flash-2012.html
- 2011 story, “Kunish and Stevens are the fastest Flashers in St. Marks”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/02/flash-2011.html
- 2010 story, “Lee and Rosen Flash to the Front”
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/02/flash-12k.html
- 2008 Flash 12K story
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2008/02/2008-flash-12k.html
- USATF course certification map (FL11133EBM) for the Flash 12K
http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL11133EBM
- 12K, 6K, or some other distance, find upcoming races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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