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It's all about pacing

By JESSICA MUNDIE and DOUG KATES , Times Correspondent
Published November 23, 2007

CLEARWATER

Counting down the training months until the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Lakeland runner Tyrone Bell won Thursday's 5K (3.1 mile) Wingding in 15 minutes.

Breaking away down the right side of Keene Road, Bell reached Mile 1 in 4:39, chased by a pack of eight runners.

At Mile 2, the clock showed 9:30 and Bell stretched his lead to 100 meters. By Cemetery Hill, Bell found another gear, increasing his solo effort to reach the track in less than 15 minutes.

Bell had his eyes focused on the clock as he sprinted onto the new track at Jack White Stadium at Clearwater High. No other runner challenged his finish.

"I keyed off the big crowds out there," Bell said. "I was happy just going for a sub 15."

The women's winner was Tarpon Springs teacher and track coach Jacki Wachtel (17:25). Wachtel, 28, led with a 1-mile split time of 5:23.

"I started out way too hard, but I kept going," Wachtel said. "The only other woman I saw had an FSU shirt on, so I thought I might be going too fast, but after the mile mark, I could tell from the crowds cheering that I had a good lead on her."

An assistant coach for Florida Southern College, Bell, 23, says he will ramp up his weekly mileage from 75 to 85 miles, aiming for the 1,500-meter event in the Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore., on July 3.

No matter the length, it's still a tradition

Betts and Martha Huntley have been married for 45 years and have competed together at 10 Turkey Trots. They started running races together, but said one day they were passed by a pregnant woman pushing a stroller and decided it was time to walk instead.

"We started off running the 10Ks," Betts said, "but then we got old."

Not to worry. Martha could have been mistaken as the 10K winner Thursday as she crossed the finish with a huge smile. She was joined by family locally and family from North Carolina.

"There's nothing like going out for a jog with an entire city," said Jennifer Huntley, a 1988 Countryside graduate who is home for the weekend.

It's all about timewith family and friends

Jeanne Clare has made about 25 trips to Florida in her lifetime, but now she is going to make it a Thanksgiving tradition because of the Turkey Trot.

Clare and her dog, Zoe, flew in from San Francisco to spend time with family and friends. She walked with longtime friend Betty Mendelsohn, who at age 76 said she was "competing" for the 25th year.

"We really enjoyed it," Clare said. "There was great chat along the way."

Clare and Mendelsohn said they finished in last place, but it didn't matter.

The walk provided the perfect backdrop for a long-distance reunion.

"We decided if we wanted to win, we could of," Clare joked.

Jessica Mundie and Doug Kates, Times correspondents

[Last modified November 22, 2007, 22:18:42]