Running

Winning woman stays close to the top men in 10K race

By DAVE THEALL
Published January 17, 2005

ST. PETE BEACH - The 1-2-3 finish of Dror Vaknin, Keith Sawayda and Steve Wilcox wasn't a surprise at the St. Pete Beach Classic 10-kilometer, but having a woman in the mix was unusual.

Sonja Friend-Uhl, 33, of West Palm Beach hung with the pack on Sunday behind Vaknin, a former track and cross-country standout at USF who led from start to finish and ran in 34 minutes, 13 seconds.

On a cool, blustery morning along Gulf Boulevard, Friend-Uhl hit the midway point, 3.1 miles, in 17:42, fast enough to have won the women's 5K easily.

She finished in 35:27, behind only Sawayda, 41, of Clearwater (34:30), Wilcox of St. Petersburg (34:36) and Shay Joyce of Burnham, England (34:49).

"I used this race as a tuneup for next week's Naples Half-Marathon," said Friend-Uhl, who was 15th in the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2000. "Still, I felt obligated to give it my best since I was an invited runner. (Race director) Wendy Johnson invited me over, in part, to check out the course to see if I thought it was suitable for a national championship event. I think it is, but they've got to change the finish area; it's too congested with both races finishing at the same time at the same place."

Maria Ghizzoni, 37, and Mary Ann Protz, 48, both of St. Petersburg, were second and third, respectively, in the 10K in 36:33 and 37:54. Protz set a personal best despite a fierce head wind early.

Vaknin, 37, clocked the first mile in 5:23, the second in 5:35 and the third in 5:30, running smoothly and checking behind him at times.

"I feel like I'm getting competitive again," the former winner of the Gulf to Bay race said. "This is a great event for St. Pete Beach and the whole area. I'm sure it will grow."

Dave O'Meara, 41, of Sarasota won the 5K in 17:05. Ali Crabb, 15, a sophomore at Lakewood High, took the women's title in 19:14, a personal best. She was followed by winter resident Rachel Winter (19:35) and Tampa's Kim White (19:39). Robert DiCarlo (17:27) of Tampa was second among men, with Robb Gomez (17:56) of North Redington Beach third.

[Last modified January 17, 2005, 01:05:20]