Marshall 2nd Solo at Lock 4 Six-hour

Kenny Marshall

Kenny Marshall had an outstanding performance and placed second in the  Solo Expert Male division at the six-hour race at Lock 4 on November 14, 2009.  Marshall completed seven laps in 5:39:46 and was the fifth fastest among all the 60 solo entries of various groupings.  Marshall stayed ahead of all but three of the 20 teams that participated.

Jeremy Hall also raced in the same division as Marshall but dropped out with mechanical issues after four laps.

The race was conducted by Bikers Choice of Gallatin, TN  FULL RESULTS

Grey Ghost 5k: Sheer excellence

Becca Melton, Zane Smith and the Spring Hill Rotary Club volunteers pulled off an excellent race in Spring Hill (TN) on October 31, 2009.  It was  their first race and it was conducted like a big race with many years of experience supporting it.  They knew how to market the race because they had 225 finishers in the 5k, and this is an amazing first-year turnout.  There were more than 100 in the kids races.

The group did everything right:  They have a fully loaded website; they used the quaint setting of the Oaklawn Plantation; they had a scenic course; they used a professional scoring company.  The perks included a long-sleeve high-tech shirt, quality unique awards, burritos from Moe’s, a DJ with full-sound set-up, inflatible playground for kids, two divisions of kids races and enough tents to keep everyone dry.  The volunteers managed everything excellently.

Brandon Harmon 1st Overall

We have two very fast local males that showed up to battle at the front of the race.  Brandon Harmon of Columbia (TN) beat out Mitchell Jones of Spring Hill for the number one spot.  The two were tight for two miles, but it appeared that the last hill or two diminished Mitchell’s drive to hang on to Harmon.  Their times were 17:22 and 17:46.

In the overall masters category (runners age 40 and over) two local triathletes battled it out.  Billy Jolley (42) of Thompson Station cleared Brad Rollins (40) of Spring Hill by 11 seconds to finish in 19:51 and 20:02 respectively

Marcia Sorrell, 1st female

On the female side, 25-year-old Marcia Sorrell of Franklin was the overall winner with a time of 22:51.    Sorrell is a PE teacher at nearby Heritage Elementary.  Sorrell ran cross country in high school and one year at college.  This is her first overall win in an open road run.

The next fastest female was the masters winner, Gale Moore (50) of Columbia, with a time of  24:01.  Moore ran a very tight race against Melanie White (48) of Columbia  and it came down to a semi-sprint finish on the mudpuddled driveway finish.  White’s time was recorded at 24:03 and she was the third female overall.  White is the mother of first place finisher, Brandon Harmon.

The results do not show the city of each participant so I don’t have the ability to list how other local runners faired.     FULL RESULTS.  Here are my pictures.

Dressed up trio

Marcia Sorrell, 1st female

Becca Melton

Duane squeeze

Brandon Harmon 1st Overall

Melanie White & Bob Boehm

Kids’ race start

Gale Moore 1st Masters

Evan Yeager and dad (Jeff)

Hartsfield, Woody run Two Lakes Trail

Larry Woody

The Tennessee State Parks Running Tour started October 10 with a 5k run at Rock Island State Park.  There are 20 races in the tour that concludes with the Fall Creek Thaw 15k on March 6.  There is a Grand Prix competition associated with the tour that scores the best 8 finishes.  So far only two locals have participated.

Chris Hartsfield and Larry Woody ran in the Two Lakes Trail Run at Montgomery Bell State Park on October 17, 2009.  Most of the runs are on the road, but this one is a 7.6-miles on trails.  Hartsfield placed 8th out of 29 in the 40-49 age group with a time of 1:07:11.  Woody placed 5th out of 11 in the 50-49 age group with a time of 1:22:52.  Both of these guys are returning to running after foot injuries and are not at their usual speed.  Hartsfield is also studying to become a nurse practitioner.

One attractive feature about the tour is the $5 entry fee for each race.  A long sleeve shirt can be purchased independently.  The next run on the tour is the nearby David Crockett 10k in Lawrenceburg on November 7.

CCC & Mt. Pleasant ready for Scarecrow Century

A big group of Columbia Cycling Club members met this week to make preparations for the Scarecrow Century that is this Saturday, October 24.  Dean Harvill entered three of the courses on MapMyRide.  The City of Mt. Pleasant has their scarecrows in place.  Director, Tim Yeager, has been working hard to  cover the finishing touches.

Tim Yeager

A group of us rode the course last Saturday (in the cold and rain) and I was reminded about how awesome this course is.  It has a lot of long flat stretches, there are several points of interest, and the area is just beautiful.  The food will be awesome too; we will have BBQ sandwiches from the volunteer fire department and pasta from Mt. Pleasant Grille.

Nettleton 1st O’all at Alpha Delta Pi-athlon

Tommy Nettleton placed first overall in a small triathlon hosted by a sorority of MTSU in Murfreesboro on October 11.  The numerous college girls were probably amazed to see the likes of the two leaders who are about the age of their own parents.  Tommy (48) battled a 50-something male on a P4 who pulled away on

ADPi volunteers

the $6400 Cervelo bike.  However Tommy passed him on the run near the second mile.  Good thing too because this race wasn’t giving awards to second, third, etc.  His prize was a basket of goodies such as a jersey, shirts, hat, etc.  The distance/times details are 300-swim 5:07; 10-mile bike 26:58; 3.1-mile run 19:48.  There were 64 finishers on this cold day.  Full results.

Two 5k’s in Mt. Pleasant on Oct. 24

If you are local runner, there are two opportunities to run in a 5k event on Oct. 24.  Susan Bailey is conducting the Big Bigby Bolt 5k near her home at Cross Bridges.  This event is to attempt to raise money for a scholarship in the name of Josh Bailey who died tragically a few years ago.  The location is about 3 miles north of Mt. Pleasant on Cross Bridges Road at the intersection of Hwy 412 and Cross Bridges Road.  The 5k starts at 8:00, and there is a 1-mile race for elementary kids at 7:30.  Cost is $25 unless you can find a brochure to pre-register for $20.  There is a website and a telephone number of 931-698-5889 is given.

The other 5k will be conducted from the square of Mt. Pleasant.  This coincides with the Scarecrow Festival and the Scarecrow Century (bicycle tour).  The Mt. Pleasant High School Boosters are attempting to raise money to pay for a field house under construction.  This event will start at 9:00.  The cost is $25 unless you can find a brochure to pre-register for $20.

If you are ambitious, you may be able to run in both due to the start times!

Both races promise a t-shirt but neither mention scoring, awards or a certified course length.

Ray Garrett places 3rd at M’boro Half Marathon

Ray Garrett

This race on October 3, 2009, had 1564 finishers, so Ray Garrett was confident he was in way down in the ranks.  However when he checked the results on-line he discovered that he had placed third in his 55-59 age group.  This was his first such accomplishment.  Reading further into the website, it said that awards would not be mailed.  Sorry, Ray, that you missed out on the prize, but CONGRATULATIONS!  [I hope that helps.  Maybe it was just a two dollar generic medal.]  Full Results

AgePlc	Overall	SexPlc	Name	Age	Time	Pace
59	228	182	Brady Henson	38	1:48:59	8:20
3	247	197	Ray Garrett	55	1:49:58	8:24
17	335	82	Ashley Pratt	34	1:54:05	8:43
19	348	87	Christy Horner	30	1:54:46	8:46
12	362	92	Holli Ingrassia	43	1:55:20	8:49
20	370	95	Jaimee Reynolds	33	1:55:35	8:50
36	500	147	Lori Mizer	38	2:01:25	9:17
53	677	228	Colleen Lee	37	2:09:04	9:52
6	703	246	Ann Mullen	53	2:10:11	9:57
29	827	320	Virginia Webb	46	2:15:17	10:20
110	1065	462	Noelle Willingham	34	2:28:46	11:22
25	1324	644	Kimberly Willis	53	2:48:48	12:54
146	1463	750	Nicole Moore	29	3:10:28	14:33
38	1485	768	Deborah Johns	52	3:14:28	14:51

Jerry Houston 2nd at Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15k

Jerry Houston

On the rain-drenched morning of September 26, 2009, 181 runners completed the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15k to benefit CASA.  Jerry Houston of Columbia was among the soaked, and he placed 2nd in the 55-59 age group with a great pace of 8:20 per mile for this 9.3-mile flat run.  I took this picture of Jerry at the 2009 Mule Day Kick.  Full Results

Place	OverAll	Sex	Sex Plc	Name	Age	Time	Pace
2	64	M	44	JERRY HOUSTON	55	1:17:25	8:20
11	138	M	77	NATHAN MILLER	33	1:34:32	10:10
9	139	F	61	ASHLEY MILLER	31	1:34:33	10:10
18	179	F	94	ROBIN JONES	34	1:53:09	12:10
15	180	F	95	TAMMY MCCOY	35	1:53:09	12:10

Local Jailbreak finishers

Alida Jacob of Columbia was awarded the Fastest Individual Female at the Jailbreak Triathlon on September 26, 2009.  Alida and Missy Meador received the first place trophies in the female team division.  Kyle Pitts and Gale Moore received the first place Jailbreak bars in the mixed relay division.  Here are the rest of the locals.  Full results are HERE.

TEAMS	Place	Time	Combined	Cat	Age
ANDY MOORE	2	1:43:20	3:45:19	TM	36
VIC BECK		2:01:59	3:45:19	TM	34
JEFF YEAGER	3	2:04:13	3:52:42	TM80+	43
TOMMY NETTLETON		1:48:29	3:52:42	TM80+	48
MISSY MEADOR	1	2:27:48	4:37:56	TF	38
ALIDA JACOB		2:10:08	4:37:56	TF	32
RELAYS	Place	Time	Cat	Age
JOE SHAPIRO	3	1:50:01	RM	16
DRAKE FLEMMING			RM	17
GALE MOORE	1	1:55:31	RX	50
KYLE PITTS			RX	21
JEFF ESTES	2	1:56:54	RX	43
CAROL DAVIS			RX	41
GREG PHILPOTT	14	2:37:56	RM	37
JON-MICAH CLANTON			RM	36
LARRY WOODY	8	2:42:51	RX	55
NOELLE WILLINGHAM			RX	34
COURTNEY MOORE	16	2:49:16	RM	16
DICK MOORE			RM	53
HARVEY FISCHER	17	2:57:46	RM	58
JERRY WORKMAN			RM	45

Joe Shapiro and Drake Flemming

Carol Davis and Jeff Estes

Jeff Yeager and Tommy Nettleton

Alida Jacob and Missy Meador

Kyle Pitts and Gale Moore

Vic Beck and Andy Moore

Jailbreak Triathlon: A mudfest

Relentless rain leading up to the 8th annual Jailbreak Triathlon had Columbia Cycling Club organizers (yours truly) stressed with entertaining the idea of alternative plans.  The river was too high a few days prior and the backup plan was to continue the event as a bike-run duathlon.  The river receded enough to continue with the canoe, but the rain came back with a vengeance on race morning.  The lightning was minimal, so we carried on with the event.

The fields were too water soaked for parking, so the canoe companies stayed on dirt road leading to the put-in, and participants parked along the dirt road leading to the RC air field.  The finish line was moved to the top of the hill near the air field.  The transition box remained in the same place but it was a wet/muddy mess.

The race started on time but without a rope across the river.  The swift river cut the canoe time by ten minutes.  When the canoes arrived at the take out, there was only one spot for canoes to exit.  So racers were instructed to disembark out the front of the canoe and then drag their canoe 15′ to the boat ramp.  This seemed to work for the most part.

The first challenge that awaited the racers on the trail was a steep, slick downhill that goes from the upper trail to the lower trail.  Running was especially troublesome there, and on top of this, bees were stinging people there.

Reports indicate that the fastest mountain bikers had no trouble with the trails, but the trails apparently worsened over time.  Matt Winstead had the fastest bike split of 43:13 which is 3:30 slower than last year’s second fastest bike split.  The fastest last year was pro Xterra super-triathlete, Craig Evans, so his time is being thrown out of the equation.

There were two relay females on the bike course just over two and one-half hours.  Not sure what they were doing.  Well actually I do know; here is what I received from one of them, Kristin Polidoro of Spring Hill:  “I started off the hill flipping over my handle bars and landing on my bike… and the other almost 8 miles weren’t any better HAHA.. I wrecked at least 10 times… not to mention every time I came to a hill and tried to get up it…. I slid right back down with my bike on top of me… went to grab a tree… grabbed brier bush… that’s just how my 2:30:00+ time was on the trail HAHA… it was one of those times in life I wish I had a video camera following me… I might have won at least $10,000 for funniest videos !!“

People were finishing with smiles on their faces and soon after were snapping pictures of their mud covered bodies.  Most of the pictures that we took were of the finish line.   There were 192 racers which is considerably less than last year’s 250.  There were 30 no-shows.

Swapping battle stories

Alida Jacob fastest female

Canoes at road

Typical mud covering

Playing with mud

Sprint finish