Walker, Marlier win Turkey Trot 8k

Friday, November 29, 2013

photo Jessica Marlier and Mike Walker were the winners of the 2013 Turkey Trot 8k race.

Turkey Trot 8k LeadersTop three per age group and top 50 overall (out of 1,022) in Thursday's 8-kilometer race from the Sports Barn East (overall finish in parentheses):Overall winners: Mike Walker 26:00; Jessica Marlier (23) 29:14. Masters winners: Geno Phillips (9) 27:02; Dianna Leun (66) 34:09.FemalesAges 12-under: Justice McLaughlin 44:38, Ashley Eulo 46:34, Amelia Berz 48:05. 13-15: Kathryn Vradenburgh 36:01, Myra Brock 38:24, Emily Hamel 38:58. 16-19: Ruthie Townsend 34:49, Emily Poole 35:17, Caitlin Duggan 36:52. 20-24: Keeley Stewart (25) 29:45, Sarah Woerner (27) 30:38, Caya Bryan (56) 33:28. 25-29: Rachel Mason (54) 33:11, Karin Maucere 36:53, Savanna Stafford 37:24. 30-34: Mindy Freeman 33:46, Anne Kemmerer 35:41, Jenn Webb 36:01. 35-39: Jennifer Betit Yen 35:46, Beth Santoro 36:34, Chelsea Thorp 37:22. 40-44: Lisa Logan 35:24, Laurie Winston 38:04, Gina Tolbert 38:15. 45-49: Lisa Anderson 35:04, Sue Barlow 36:57, Lisa Nanni 37:24. 50-54: Vanessa Downs 38:47, Deborah Stairs 40:56, Beth Rice 41:01. 55-59: Karen Carden 47:25, Joy Stinsontucker 47:38, Connie Regal 48:51. 60-over: Sue Anne Brown 44:11, Mildred Bethea 44:19, Joyce Campbell 52:46.MalesAges 12-under: Carter Cheeseman (36) 31:15, Summer Kelley 40:13, Brayden Carney 46:45. 13-15: Ryan Gebelein (32) 30:40, Drew Dunston (38) 31:18, Jared Herzog (43) 32:03. 16-19: Paul Patterson (3) 26:23, Patrick Shultz (4) 26:27, Matthew Marshall (6) 26:50, Stephen Eldridge (17) 28:16, Jordan Ferguson (20) 28:32, Brody Cook (21) 28:33, Caleb Holland (35) 31:14, Alex Sumida (40) 31:35, Tyler Thurman (47) 32:11. 20-24: Thomas Barker (7) 26:52, Tobias Deardorff (8) 26:55, Jack Stone (10) 27:11, Tim Yates (28) 30:47. 25-29: Caleb Morgan (2) 26:23, Patrick Hall (12) 27:27, Andy Highlander (14) 27:51, Ben Wagner (18) 28:16, Daniel Lautzenheiser (19) 28:19, Daniel Goetz (26) 29:45, Drew Streip (31) 30:54, Ryan Heming (39) 31:30, Andrew Dorn (41) 31:52. 30-34: Joseph Goetz (5) 26:43, Brett Echerd (30) 30:50, Joe Melvin (34) 31:12, Neal Crutchfield (45) 32:09, Phillip Mansueto (49) 32:26. 35-39: Nathan Kile (33) 31:01, Gerry Taylor 35:09, Jason Tompson 35:11. 40-44: John Sillery (13) 27:44, Jeff Powe (42) 31:56, Les Conner (48) 32:15, Bill Ziesmer (50) 32:36. 45-49: Dean Thompson (11) 27:19, Troy Maddox (16) 28:03, Ryan Shrum (24) 29:43, Eric Green (29) 30:48, Mark Kuhn (37) 31:22. 50-54: Tim Ensign (15) 27:59, Jude Hacherl (44) 32:04, Bill Minehan (53) 33:04. 55-59: Chad Varga (46) 32:10, Steve Bradley 34:51, Mike Usher 36:00. 60-over: Roger Harris 35:38, John Walker 35:43, John Cdrawley 36:05.

In sub-freezing temperatures in East Brainerd, Mike Walker heated up late in his first Turkey Trot 8k race and won in 26 minutes even Thursday morning.

The 23-year-old former Red Bank High School and Lee University runner beat 1,021 others to the finish line at the Sports Barn East. The next finisher was his former Lee teammate and now the Cleveland school's coach, Caleb Morgan, who's 26.

Morgan's 26:23 edged teenagers Paul Patterson and Patrick Shultz -- freshmen at Dalton State and Lee, respectively, from Bradley Central and Polk County high schools -- by one and five seconds. Joseph Goetz at 26:43 headed another foursome finishing the course of just under five miles in less than 27 minutes.

The first female again was 28-year-old Jessica Marlier, adding another personal record to a year of them at various distances just 19 days after finishing third overall in the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. She was 23rd overall on Thanksgiving Day and pleasantly surprised by her 29:14 time.

"I don't even know where that came from. I guess my legs are back," Marlier said. "I took several days off after the marathon and then just did easy stuff, except for a pretty hard run Monday. But I didn't have any pressure today -- no expectations. I spent all day yesterday moving, so I just was out here to run and have fun and make room for an extra piece of pie."

Walker's first Turkey Trot was far from his first 8k -- the primary distance for college cross country -- and he didn't even beat his time from his one race this fall, a 25:46 while running unattached in the Berry Invitational on Oct. 19. He's been doing some "musical gigs," he said.

"But it was my PR for 27 degrees," he joked about his 26:00.

"I don't race well from the front, so I laid back and didn't really go till three miles," Walker added. "We were in a pack of four and we went out real slow, but I pulled away in the last 1.9."

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga runner Keeley Stewart was the women's runner-up and 25th overall in 29:46, and Sarah Woerner was 27th at 30:39.

Geno Phillips, 42, and Dianna Leun 41, were the masters winners in 27:02 and 34:09. Phillips was 10th overall.

Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.