A St.Petersburg runner has etched his name into the record book of the Times Turkey Trot.
Ian Jackson, 50, eclipsed the grand masters (50-and-over) mark for the annual 10-kilometer mega race by running 37 minutes, 5 seconds, on Thanksgiving. He averaged 5:58 per mile.
The time bettered the record of 37:16 set last year by Clearwater's Steve Mikles.
"My goal was to run under 37 minutes because I thought the record was 36:42," said Jackson, a native of Australia who moved to the United States in 1975 from Belgium. "I was happy when I learned that my time actually broke the record."
Knowing the course well from previous years, Jackson's plan was to start fast and break away from the crowd.
"That first mile on Keene Road is fast," he said, "but, overall, my experience is that you have to ease off in the middle and save something for the hills near the end. Also, the heat will definitely affect you in the last half of the race. As it happened, only a couple of runners passed me in the last mile, including the women's winner (Mary Level-Menton)."
Last year, Jackson's 36:42 performance was good for 28th. This time, a slower 37:05 received 16th.
Though he trains only 25-30 miles a week, Jackson entered the Turkey Trot with a measure of confidence.
The Sunday before the big race, he finished sixth overall in a half-marathon on a rugged cross-country course in Lithia. His usual training regimen includes a quality 12-15-mile run Sunday mornings with the Forerunners Club of St.Petersburg.
MORE TROT RECORDS: Clearwater's Keith Sawayda, 40, had ambitious designs on the masters record for the 10K and 5K.
By keeping the pressure on Wingding winner Ken Magee, Sawayda not only garnered second in the 5K but snared the 40-plus mark with a 15:59 performance. That eclipsed last year's record of 16:09 set by Alvaro Palacios of Salt Lake City.
Sawayda tried to come back strong in the 10K. His 34:57 effort was good for seventh overall in a strong field but not nearly enough to surpass the 32:44 mark Steve Wilson established in 2000.
One record that isn't maintained is oldest age-group award winner.
But if it were, it would go to Tampa's Don Ardell, who, at 65, earned the second-place bobblehead award in the 50-plus division of the Wingding. His time of 18:32 was bettered only by Royston Dillon's winning 18:08.
At age 60 and 61, Ardell won the grand masters divisions of the 10K in 1998 and '99.
Christy Phillips, 41, broke Judy Maguire's 1998 5K masters record by 3 seconds with an 18:13 effort.
You would think Phillips' overall second in the Wingding and third in the 10K Turkey Trot would be the best combined score, five, in the events. However, in 1998 Lisa Vaill went from a 5K win to a second (behind Level-Menton) in the 10K for a point total of three.
One record that is sure to stand for many years is number of overall wins.
With eight, dating back to 1984, Level-Menton is the queen of the Times Turkey Trot.
Another record seemingly beyond reach is the 4:14 Gobbler mile mark set by Brendan Matthias in 1998.
But it isn't every year the Thanksgiving Day affair attracts a former Olympian. Matthias ran (14:01) the 5,000-meter track event in the '92 Olympics in Spain for Canada.
Jeanne Lesniak, 30, may have traveled the farthest to run in the Trot, finishing 20th.
The former University of Central Florida runner flew in from London for a two-week holiday with her family.
SENIOR UPRISING: Duncan Cameron of Palm Harbor has been running well in his age division, but his overall victory in the Nov.22 Gobbler Gallop 5K on the golf course at Countryside Country Club was extraordinary.
Cameron, 61, nipped Shawn Brown, 20-29 division, at the finish line to win by a second in 19:28.
COMING UP: On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., the 21st annual Boley's Jingle Bell Run will be held at The Pier in St.Petersburg.
It is a low-key fun run of 3 miles - not a race - plus a mile event. Register online at www.active.com
