While Rodney Stoker was making a triumphant return to the Turkey Trot road race Thursday morning in Chattanooga. Dylan Hassett was making a spectacular debut in the city and in 8-kilometer competition.
Stoker finished the 4.97-mile race beginning and ending at the Sportsbarn East on Lee Highway in 27 minutes, 18 seconds. Hassett was second overall as well as the first female in 27:47.
Seth Carley of Nashville was third in 27:57, UT-Martin running coach Peter Dalton was fourth in 28:05 and Rising Fawn resident Jack McGinness was fifth in 28:09, just ahead of masters winner John Sillery of Chattanooga in 28:16. Emily Cooper was the female masters winner in 33:57.
Rodney StokerThere were 691 finishers in the 8k.
Stoker is 41 and a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout who now works for McCallie School after coaching collegiately at Bryan and Tennessee. He ran the Turkey Trot for the first time Thursday since winning it in 2005.
Hassett is 24 and a former William & Mary competitor from Atlanta who now lives in Providence, R.I., and runs professionally for the New England Distance club.
Besides their overall wins Thursday, they have in common that they are training for the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships to be held Dec. 9 in Lexington, Ky. Home for Thanksgiving, Hassett was looking for a race, but Atlanta had nothing between a 5k and a half marathon for the holiday and she wanted "something in between."
She particularly wanted to do an 8k, which she had never run before, and Chattanooga was the closest opportunity.
"It was a little hillier than I expected, but it was good. I just wanted to run fast," she said. "I wanted to be the first female for sure and was trying to catch (Stoker), but he pulled away."
Stoker said she "was right on me" for about two miles.
Jessica Marlier was the 2016 women's winner in 31:56 while admittedly working her way back into competitive shape, and she was the second female and 19th overall Thursday in 30:05.
"I'm happy with my time," said Marlier, who's 32. "I was faster than last year when I won. I just wanted to break 31 (minutes) and I almost went under 30. I'm in better shape than last year.
Dylan Hassett"It's always fun to run here at the Turkey Trot. It's a good tradition."
Stoker mentioned the festive atmosphere as well, with people cheering for him and the other runners and everybody smiling and so many people participating. A one-mile fun run, a Kiddie K and a three-mile walk also were part of the brisk-morning event.
Besides using the Trot as a training race for the club nationals, Stoker had another personal reason to get back in this race. Proceeds go to the Kidney Foundation, and his late father was a two-time kidney transplant recipient. Daniel Stoker died this past Father's Day.
"He was a special man, and any time I can give back to the foundation I'll do it," Rodney said.
He cut back on his own running during his years as a college coach, but since moving back to Chattanooga in the summer of 2016 after taking the McCallie job, he has amped up his training and "gradually got back in shape."
"I'm definitely the fittest I've been in a decade," he said after Thursday's win, adding with a smile, "but when you don't race a lot you forget how it hurts a little bit.
"But it was fun. I just wanted to do under a 5:30 pace and see how it felt."
His pace was exactly 5:30.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.
TURKEY TROT 8K LEADERS
Thursday from Sportsbarn East
Overall winners: Rodney Stoker 27:18; Dylan Hassett (2) 27:47. Masters winners: John Sillery (6) 28:16; Emily Cooper 33:57.
Top 3 per age group, net times
(and top 25 overall by gun times)
FEMALES
12-under: Catherine Harris 40:38, Isabella Mendoza 43:41, Gia Barlow 48:42. 13-15: Ella Ensign 38:50, Katie Kleehammer 38:52, Alayna Bradberry 40:33. 16-19: Katie Dorris 38:38, Qynn Celichowski 44:10, Johanna Davis 46:24. 20-24: Eryn Turner 37:13, Kelsey Ensign 41:45, Jordan McCoy 41:58. 25-29: Chelsea Hassett 32:58, Dana Streufert 36:00, Marissa Wood 38:14. 30-34: Jessica Marlier (19) 30:05, Rachel Mason (24) 30:51, Kimberly Humphries 35:13. 35-39: Jennifer Curtis 34:52, Tasha Woody 34:52, Dana Bridges 37:46. 40-44: Michelle McIntyre 37:54, Betsy Ordonez 39:41, April Threlkeld 41:08. 45-49: Lisa Logan 36:00, Dawn Brown 37:55, Deb Grissett 37:56. 50-54: Kelly Jennings 40:38, Julia Buzzard 41:15, Nancy Hollingsworth 43:38. 55-59: Corinne Henderson 44:47, Pam Keeter 44:59, Cheryl Hamrick 45:47. 60-64: Joan Farley 58:32, Sally Taylor 1:01:17, Mary Wade 1:13:41. 65-over: Sue Anne Brown 52:41, Bonnie Wassin 1:07:25.
MALES
12-under: Henry Varner 34:32, Garrison Corley 35:30, Dane Anderson 36:27. 13-15: Grayson Kennedy 31:52, Brett Barton 35:46, Patrick Russell 36:09. 16-19: Micaiah Allison (9) 28:49, Max Blevins 32:46, Davis Carter 33:06. 20-24: Joseph Wilson (18) 30:00, Matthew Sheets (21) 30:26, Dillon Clemmer 31:21. 25-29: Seth Carley (3) 27:57, Jack McGinness (5) 28:09, Warren Buzzard (14) 29:39, Jonathan Hutchins (25) 30:08. 30-34: Andy Highlander (8) 28:42, Adam Veron (12) 29:34, Chris Clouzet (23) 29:40, Josh Shumaker (16) 29:53, Josh Morin (20) 30:10. 35-39: Peter Dalton (4) 28:05, Nicholas Selbo (7) 28:24, Ryan McGinnis (13) 29:38, Owen Speer (17) 29:56. 40-44: James Hintz 31:56, Ringo Long 33:33, Adam Barford 33:39. 45-49: Eric Green 31:50, Franklin Farrow 32:47, Brandon Meredith 32:52. 50-54: Dean Thompson (10) 28:54, Tim Ensign (11) 29:17, Ryan Shrum (15) 29:49. 55-59: Joe Johnson (22) 30:40, Ray Beem 36:53, Henry Prochazka 37:30. 60-64: Mayes Starla 34:41, Jeff Stracener 35:54, Jimmy McGinness 36:16. 65-over: John Crawley 38:23, Dennis Goodwin 41:11, H. Rick Rogers 42:35.