Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Champions of weekend races range in age

Area runners in their 40s dominated the 11th Walt Disney Marathon.

Forerunners training partners Kim Donaldson and Mary Ann Protz placed 1-2 in the women's division Sunday.

Tampa's Brian Bradway, 42, Protz's brother-in-law, was the first finisher from the five-county bay area. And 47-year-old Fred Dorsey, fresh off a 1:22:55 Max Bayne Half-Marathon the previous weekend, ran a swift 3-hour, 3-minute event through the theme parks in Lake Buena Vista.

In contrast, Saturday's Run For The Rec 5K in Belleair saw a teenage dominance, at least in the men's division.

Ken Magee, a Seminole High School senior, led a group of five teens across the finish line on a cold morning along Florida's Gulf Coast. Indian Rocks Christian's Nate Holden, a friend and former prep teammate of Magee, took an early 50-yard lead by the half-mile mark.

"Nate took it out real hard," said Magee, who was in a similar situation at November's Times Turkey Trot 5K before posting a 15:44 win.

"I didn't catch up with him till about the three-quarter-mile mark, and we ran together and talked some for another half mile," Magee said of the Rec 5K. "At that point, I was feeling a little too comfortable and decided to pick up the pace."

Magee gradually pulled away, finishing in 16:45. Holden followed in 17:05, then it was Largo High's Karim Abdelbary in 17:35.

Magee hasn't done much running since the end of the cross-country season and the Turkey Trot but said he expects more track success.

Last year, Magee placed seventh in the Class 3A state 3,200-meter event in 9:42. In a November meet in Gainesville, he lowered that to 9:32. This spring, he's aiming for 9:20. Next fall, Magee will be competing for the Florida Gators or North Florida or Columbia University. He has been accepted to the first two schools.

In age-group competition in Belleair, Clearwater's Steve Mikles not only won the 50-54 division in 18:26 but prevailed over the 40-44 and 45-49 winners. Dunedin's Victor Yeager captured the masters title in 17:52.

Judy Maguire, 45, of Clearwater, defended her crown by holding off Vicki Stum, 18:43-18:49. Maguire finished 12th overall in a field of 353, significantly up from last year's turnout of 270 despite the weather conditions. Indian Rocks Christian sophomore Melissa Kotchman out-sprinted Donna Nesslar of Largo to take third by a second in 19:31.

Maguire and Stum will renew their friendly rivalry in Gasparilla on Jan. 24 in downtown Tampa. Stum was fourth last year.

Lisa Valentine, coming off a Max Bayne Half-Marathon victory, will be in Gasparilla. However, it will be after another half marathon, this weekend's 13.1-miler in Naples.

RUN FOR THE REC NOTE: Anticipating a big crowd, the Belleair Recreation Department used a large, heated tent for its post-race pancake breakfast.

Race director David Portilia says nearby Belleview Biltmore Hotel has offered to host next year's breakfast. MAX BAYNE RACE REVISITED: Coach Joe Burgasser of the Forerunners narrowly missed another age-group record when he posted a winning 1:24:15 in the 50-and-over division at Fort DeSoto Park for 13.1 miles.

The mark in his 65-69 class is 1:23:50, set by Mike Bertolini in 1985, according to the USATF Road Running Information Center in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Burgasser, ranked second in nation for his age group in 2002, will try for the record again this week in the Naples Daily News Half-Marathon.

Running Times rates masters runners for 2003 in its March issue, due out early next month.

She won last January's Hops Marathon in 3:01:18, her previous best; then captured her third Ocala Marathon title in February in a women's course-record 3:04:59. Donaldson also has won the Jacksonville Marathon, giving her six victories in 13 starts, not counting her Forerunners team win at last year's Boston Marathon.

Not many marathoners at any level have a winning percentage of 46. Donaldson was overwhelmed with Sunday's victory.

"I never thought I'd win," Donaldson said. "My whole focus was breaking 3 hours. But with about 3 miles to go, I began to think I had a chance, except that I began to be concerned that Mary Ann (Protz) would come back to pass me.

"The win was very emotional for me because the Disney people treat you like royalty," Donaldson said. "I've already been invited back for next year."

Donaldson plans to run but not race in the Jan. 25 Hops Marathon. She's recovering from Disney since it takes her 3-4 weeks to return to speed, Donaldson said.

Debby Farias and Patty Farese were the top overall Pinellas performers in the Disney Half-Marathon. They finished virtually together in 1:35:35.

Half-Marathon winner Clint Verran of Michigan has designs on an Olympic Marathon berth by qualifying with a top-three finish in next month's trials.

His best time is 2:14:17. He finished third in the 2003 U.S. Championships.

The men's international qualifying standard has been eased from 2:12 to 2:15. For women, it has gone from 2:32 to 2:36. That helps the U.S. to have three runners in each Olympic marathon this time.

In 2000, just one American qualified in the men's and women's race, which has been contested since 1896 in Athens.

CROSS COUNTRY: After running undefeated all season, St. Petersburg High's Kerry Allen finished second to Jennifer Barringer of Oviedo in November's Class 4A state meet.

How good is Barringer? She went on to win the South region Footlocker title in North Carolina, then placed third in last month's national prep championships in San Diego's Balboa Park.

In the boys national, Ryan Deak finished sixth. He was the runner-up to Tony Teats in the 2002 Midnight Run in Dunedin. Deak moved from Tallahassee to Colorado last year to train and compete at altitude.

NEXT UP: It's not too late to register for the Jan. 24 Bank of America Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K or 5K.

Sign up online at www.tampabayrun.com The prize money for men's and women's finishers 1-5 is $100-1,000. Full-time area residence is a requirement, and awards will not be made until verification.

Teats and Keith Sawayda are the top Pinellas entries. Teats took fifth last year, and Sawayda is coming off a half-marathon win at Max Bayne.

The Jan. 25 Hops Marathon goes five deep, with prize money ranging from $250 to $2,250 for men and women. No residency restrictions apply.

FITNESS EXPO: Tampa's Don Ardell will be among many expert speakers for the St. Pete Beach Classic Expo, Feb. 7 at County Park, across from Dolphin Village Shopping Center.

The event for fitness, nutrition and overall wellness is scheduled for 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. The next day's 10K starts at 7:30 a.m. Age-group awards go five deep. On-line registration is available at www.stpetebeachclassic.com For information, call 727 363-8881.