Seppala takes 8K again

By Christian Malone

July 04, 2008 11:42 pm

— VALDOSTA — The field was bigger, the weather was hotter, but the result was the same: John Seppala dominated the Baytree 8K.
For the second straight year, Seppala blew away the field in the annual Baytree 8K road race. He finished the race in 28:41, more than a minute faster than anyone else.
“It feels good to win it,” Seppala said. “I had a pretty good race. It’s a good feeling when you win a race, and I’ve been blessed to win my fair share.”
Seppala is a math professor at Valdosta State and the co-sponsor of the Tri-Blazers triathlon club at VSU. He ran collegiately at Shorter College. He won the 2007 Baytree 8K in a course-record 28:15.
Seppala won the race with his two young sons, Luke and Mark, cheering him on to victory.
Seppala was the first of 193 runners to cross the finish line Friday, the biggest turnout the annual July 4 five-mile race has experienced in its three years.
“I think the community is getting the hang of this,” race organizer Todd Smoot said. “We had more runners and more walkers than we’ve ever had.”
Valdosta State runners Steve Cary (29:47) and Alan McGough (30:21) finished second and third, respectively. Chris Gaither, last year’s runner-up, took fourth (30:38) and Chad Novack was fifth (30:56).
Kelly Fleming was the first woman to cross the finish line, running the race in 33:14. She shattered the female course record by over two minutes.
“It was a good race,” Fleming said. “I hadn’t run in a while, and it felt good to run today and win.”
Fleming, whose husband is stationed at Moody Air Force Base, was proud to be able to win a race on Independence Day.
“It’s good to be able to win this race and to support our country today,” Fleming said.
Fleming was one of three women to break the course record of 35:28, which had been set by Susan Fischer in 2006. Ashley McGee won the 25-29 age group and finished second among the women in 33:18. Jordanne Helton, a Valdosta State runner, was right behind her, crossing the finish line in 33:20.
Neeli Fortson, a 12-year old from Rebecca, ran the race in 36:41, winning her age group. That was the fifth-fastest time ever for a 12-year old in the state of Georgia. It also enabled her to take fourth place among the women on Friday.
Sara King broke the state record for 60-year old women when she ran the race in 46:01. That was 13 seconds better than the old record, which had been set in 1998.
This year’s race also had some of the fastest times ever recorded in the Baytree 8K’s short history.
Eight Valdosta State cross country runners competed Friday, and each of them finished high in the standings. Leading the group were Cary and McGough, who were the top two finishers in the 20-24 age group. Teammates Austin McDonald (32:03) and Parker Childree (32:42) finished ninth and 11th overall, respectively, and Patrick McGough (35:46) was 24th.
VSU’s women’s cross country team also had a good showing Friday. Helton and Kaynneka Gibbs (40:29) were the top two finishers in the 15-19 age group, while Alecia Beck (37:00) won the 20-24 age group. Helton finished third overall among the women, Beck was sixth and Gibbs ninth.
One of the best performances of the day came from Vickie Horne of Tallahassee, Fla. Horne pedaled her wheelchair fast enough to finish sixth overall, in a time of 30:59. Charlie Mizell of Pearson was the men’s wheelchair winner, in 47:30.
The U.S. military plays a big part in the Baytree 8K every year. Proceeds from the event are given to the Lowndes Veterans Council to assist local veterans. In its first two years, the race raised $5,000 for the organization, and Smoot expects to donate $4,000 from this year’s race. There were a number of veterans helping out along the course, many of them clad in patriotic red, white and blue.
A number of people with military ties ran in the race. Active military were given numbers in the 400s, while veterans were given numbers in the 800s, to distinguish each group. There were 33 active military personnel and 26 veterans who ran in the race.
The first male and female veterans to cross the finish line were given $100 prizes, contributed by an anonymous donor. Angela Gilbert was the top female veteran Friday, finishing in 42:46 (second in her age group), while Bret Wagonhorst was the top male veteran, running the race in 33:04 (13th overall).
The money was given in honor of John Lee Levitow, an AC-47 gunship loadmaster who was the lowest-ranking airman to ever receive the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism during wartime.
Wagonhorst was the men’s masters winner, while Tara Strickland (41:30) was the women’s masters winner.
Michaela Wood won the girls’ 11-under category, with Emmilee Bailey taking second. Helton and Gibbs finished 1-2 in the 15-19 age group, while Beck and Amanda Frederikson were the top two finishers in the 20-24 age group. Brandi Faircloth and Gilbert were the top two in the 30-34 age group, while Heidi Gonzalez and Jody Durham finished first and second in the 35-39 age group. Lisa Weldon and Sherri Welch finished 1-2 in the 40-44 age group, Jean Oliver and Ada Steele were 1-2 in the 45-49 age group, and Linda Wood and Janis Lee took the top two spots in the 50-54 age group. Carol Herndon won the 55-59 age group, King and Sandra Smith were the two fastest in the 60-64 age group and Carol Brookhouser and Marguenite Gravlee were 1-2 in the 65-69 age group.
Taylor Griner won the boys’ 12-14 age group, Gaither and Novack were the top two in the 15-19 age group and Cary and Alan McGough led the 20-24 age group. Veteran Kevin Roberts and Thomas Cargile were the top two in the 25-29 age group, Rodney Elliot and Mark Naglack (both of whom currently serve in the Air Force) led the 30-34 age group and Toby Kerner and Joseph Wilson topped the 35-39 age group. Jamie Welborn and Tony Smith led the 40-44 age group, Bob Horne and Joe Thwaites topped the 45-49 age group, Commander Les Martin and Charles LaHood were 1-2 in the 50-54 age group, Rusty Jones and Lars Leader led the 55-59 age group and Tim Davis and Nelson Acosta were the best in the 60-64 age group. Joe Christian won the 65-69 age group, while Kent Wiley and Jim Mathis led the 75-79 age group.
For the third year in a row, Valdosta mayor John Fretti was the race’s starter.
Smoot thanked the local police, who helped direct traffic for the runners to pass by. He also thanked Norfolk Southern, which delayed its busy train schedule so that the race could be run without a train holding the runners up.

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