Southpinellas: Gasparilla is good to Pinellas runners

Gasparilla is good to Pinellas runners

By DAVE THEALL

On a quintessential winter morning in Tampa Bay, close to 13,000 goal-oriented runners achieved a large measure of success crossing the finish line in the 23rd annual running of the Gasparilla Distance Classic last Saturday.

Whereas the men's 15K race was closely contested with Russ Gerbers of USF winning over Muchapiwa Mazano by only 3 seconds, the women's race was a runaway win for defending Laura Drake of Atlanta. Drake won in 52 minutes, 59 seconds, 2:09 ahead of runner-up Lori Stich of Stanwood, Mich.

Pinellas runners, headed by unseeded Scott Winnier of St. Petersburg (he wore No. 5858) and Judy Maguire, 41, of Clearwater, came on strong late in the race to capture third place in their respective divisions.

Winnier, 32, who ran for Lakewood High and Auburn University, was passed for third place between 6 and 7 miles by No. 4-seed Jeremy Edge of USF. However, the move wasn't authoritative as Edge maintained only a narrow lead approaching the finish.

"I planned to kick in anyway," said Winnier, "so when I caught him with about 1,500 meters to go, I hoped he'd go with me. I guess I was willing to hurt a little more than he was. ... I was pleased with my finish place but not with my time. Having run a couple of 5K recently under 15:10, I thought I'd run faster than 48:15."

Winnier covered the first mile in 4:45, the 5K in 15:37 and the 10K in 32 minutes.

"The race is different now without the elite athletes," he added. "I found myself running alone for much of the race.

"I'm happy to be a Tampa Bay Cup winner earning a trip to the Cherry Blossom race on April 9. I've been trying to run in some of those big national races lately. Last year I got to the Lilac Bloomsday Race (Spokane, Wash.) and the Falmouth (Mass.) Road Race."

Mike Ferreira of the Forerunners Club held off Jim Bumbul's determined finishing kick to take 22nd place by 3 seconds on the chip time and 2 seconds on the "gun," or official time.

Said Bumbul: "I tried to kick it in, but I ran my hardest between miles 6 and 7 trying to catch Laura (Drake). Mike had the momentum, and he passed me in the last 100 yards."

Said Ferreira: "I recognized Jim (Bumbul) coming up on me, so I just took it in; I felt strong finishing. It was a great race -- the conditions were perfect. I'm relatively new to this sport, and I'm having a blast. I'm just trying to realize my potential as I get ready for the Boston Marathon. I ran Jacksonville in December in 2:45. My goal at Boston is sub-2:40. Training 100 miles plus a week with the Forerunners, I think I can do it."

Ferreira, 35, a Coast Guard chief petty officer, said although Gasparilla was a big confidence builder for him, he still has a long way to go to realize his potential.

WOMEN'S GASPARILLA: Drake was pure poetry in motion as she clicked off the miles seemingly without effort.

"It wasn't easy," she insisted. "The heat got to me toward the end; I felt it."

Drake's weight has dropped to 115 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame as she switched from a carbohydrate-based diet to one with more balance. "I haven't hit my peak," said Drake, a member of the St. Pete Mad Dogs.

Whereas only one Pinellas male finished among the top 20, 10 of the first 20 women were from the county, not counting longtime resident Drake.

Following the 4-5 finishes of Christy Phillips and Lisa Valentine were: 8. Kim Bumbul; 12. Laure Blume; 13. Amy McClenathan; 17. Patty Farese; 18. Sandy Shelton; 19. Elaine Nicholson, and 20. Christa Benton.

Phillips, who will run the Olympic Trials Marathon with Valentine on Feb. 26, earned a trip to the Cherry Blossom along with cup winners McClenathan, Edge and masters winners Maguire and Arno Sist of Brandon.

AGE-GROUP WINNERS: Local age-group winners were Benton, girls 15-19, and Rosalyn Randall, women 50-54. Among men, Steve Mikles won the 45-49 division, and Bill Riley, a winter resident of St. Petersburg, won in 60-64.

Former Turkey Trot winner Cathy Kalway of Seminole finished second among women 45-49, and Shirley Taylor of Largo was second in 65-69.

TEAM RESULTS: Former Largo High and UF runner Bart Sellers led his Bank of America team to victory again this year. With Lisa Kothe of Clearwater, the Bank of America also won the women's team title. A third title, men's masters, also went to the title sponsor.

5K HIGHLIGHTS: Raymond Friedman, who ran for Countryside and Gibbs high schools, won a top-10 award for finishing sixth in 16:22. Kevin Lyons, a freshman at Clearwater Central Catholic, also won a coveted plexiglass trophy for finishing 10th in a personal-record 16:38. Lyons will run the Edison Festival of Light 5K in Fort Myers this weekend trying to break 16:30.

In the women's 5K, Jeanne Lesniak, 26, of St. Petersburg was the first Pinellas finisher in 20:07.

"I wanted to break 20 minutes," said Lesniak, an occupational therapist who ran for the University of Central Florida. "I guess I went out too fast; people were passing me in the last mile."