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Running

Runners to line up for 5K Summer Showdown

As many as 300 college and high school athletes may enter the race Saturday morning at Whispering Pines Park.

By LARRY BUGG
Published July 8, 2005

INVERNESS - Vinny Ambrico, Tyrone Bell, Lee Stephens, Leela Hadsock and Holly VanSicklen - as well as many other high school and college distance runners - are scheduled to run in the fifth Citrus Summer Showdown at 8 a.m. Saturday at Whispering Pines Park.

There may be as many as 300 runners participating in the 5K race.

Ambrico, from Notre Dame, will try to defend his men's title. Ambrico attended Orlando Bishop Moore High School.

Bell is a Florida Southern College runner.

"The winner will be between those two," said Milton Lyons, the race's creator and co-organizer with Chris Moling.

Hadsock, of Hernando High School; VanSicklen, a senior at Crystal River High School; and Taylor Cooke, of Lecanto High School, will vie for the women's title. Cooke is recovering from a leg injury.

VanSicklen, the Citrus Road Runners Female Runner of the Year, is back from a foot injury that plagued her during the spring track season.

Hadsock is the Class 2A state champion in the 800 meters and will run at the University of Tampa this fall.

The race will serve as a summer warmup for a number of college and high school cross country teams. Teams from Florida Southern College, the University of Central Florida and various high schools will compete.

Lyons said that all the cross country teams from high schools in Hernando and Citrus counties, plus Ocala Vanguard, will compete. New Port Richey's Gulf High School girls and Land O'Lakes High School boys also will run. Land O'Lakes' Steven Bell is considered the best high school runner on the North Suncoast.

Tampa Jesuit High will be there, as will Trinity Mitchell High.

Lee Stephens, a former standout at Land O'Lakes High and Florida Southern, will run. He won the Road Warriors Grand Prix for 2004 and is in the running to repeat this year.

"I started (the race) when I was in high school (at Citrus High)," Lyons said. "Colon Joiner and I were good friends. I suggested that we could have a cross country run during the summer. It went off with a bang. We had 197 runners that year.

"A lot of kids don't do races over the summer because it costs $20 to $25 per race. This is free. We have sponsors."

Lyons, who currently runs at Florida Southern, said he was in the hospital for a week and could not get the sponsors he wanted.

The Citrus Road Runners are handling race direction.

"This has become a tradition among many runners, schools and families," Lyons said.

Runners can register at www.citrusroadrunners.org The deadline is noon today.

Late entries can register Saturday morning at the pavilion in Whispering Pines Park. There is no fee.

[Last modified July 8, 2005, 01:02:17]