5K- 634 finishers
Walk - 1000? finishers
Walk - 1000? finishers
As in almost any field, be it politics, business, or even sports, the standard bearers of success must maintain their grasp on the pulse of the people. And in 2008, no topic is hotter than--excuse the pun--Global Warming. Because the Daytona International Speedway has taken its share of criticism for being a mega waster of watts, endless emitter of carbons, and leaders in lead, they have chosen to take the initiative and turn the negative into the positive, and go Green.
Their most recent effort was launched in the early morning of January 26, 2008. Under the code name CROC (Cars Racing without Omitting Carbon), 1600 entries took to the track for the ultimate test of speed and performance: an all-out, one lap + .6 mile (a total of 5K or 3.1 miles) race to the finish.
There were two classes of competitors allowed, ingeniously labeled The Walker and The Runner. The winner-take-all prizes were provided by CROCS (for the first male and female walkers) and Puma (for the first male and female runners): new treads, especially designed for the experimental classes.
Driving the pace car, a super charged, Chevy SS Impala that tachs out at 140--but is capable of a 180+ hot lap--was Mary Kay Hansen. Despite those impressive numbers, she was noticeably nervous.
“They’re not going to pass me, are they? I’m going to try to stay ahead of them.”
At precisely 7:08 AM (new projects rarely begin on time), the green flag was dropped and the field took off…well, maybe squeezed through would be a better description. Unfortunately, it took awhile for all 634 Runners and 1000+ Walkers to fit through the starting chute. Apparently the DIS failed to notify their Department of Experiment and Design that the prototype racer of tomorrow was shaped a little differently than what they were used to seeing. (See photo.) Also, because of the 1:30 scheduled start of the Rolex 24 Hour Endurance Race, the speedway was forced to conduct a mass time trial.
Entrant # 2096 (G. Andrew Epifanio, of DeLand) took the early lead. After a quarter of a mile, however, he was overtaken.
“I went out as fast as I could,” he said afterward. “I had the lead and began thinking, ‘Maybe I can win this race.’ But then this guy caught up to me. I think maybe I slowed down a little and he just kept the same pace.” Andrew finished a strong third in 17:47.4.
17 year old Jason Zayac took a short break from his senior year at Roy Hart High School in Gasport, New York to enter the race. “My grandmother told me about the race last year, so I came down. I was sick, but placed fifth in 17:25.
“This year she kept saying, ‘You’ve got to come down and win this thing.’ So my whole family came down--my mother, step-father, and brother (Adam, 19; 18:36).
Zayac finished 10th (16:44) as an independent in the New York State Class C Cross Country Championship this past November. And yet, after the 2007 Daytona 5K, this was only his second road race.
“I went out slow. Then it seemed as if everyone was falling back to me. I guess what actually happened was that I was holding my pace. I went through the mile in 5:12 and had 100 meters on the second guy (21 year old Richard Dudney, who finished in 17:20). At 1 ½ miles I threw in a surge.”
Perhaps the weather contributed to his decisive win.
“Last week it was freezing (back home)…the low teens. When we get the cold weather I try to get out of it. I hope that when I get out of college I can come back.”
Zayac is considering a pre-med program at the SUNY at Geneseo, beginning next fall.
33 year old Colleen Nicoulin, who recently won the Ed Root 10K, was the women’s winner in 19:30.2.
“I led (the women’s field) pretty much from start to finish. The start was kind of narrow. I was outside (the start chute). They told us to cut in, but I went to the right of the finish (which was situated smack dab in the middle of pit row road, about 50 yards from the start) to avoid the bottle neck.
“I was happy with the 19:30. I came to see where I was and to set up for spring training.”
Among the throngs of people racing into history were snowbirds Curt and Irene Robinson, from West Islip, Long Island, who vacation in Port Orange each winter and were not only thrilled by the course, but looking forward to enjoying the complimentary Rolex 24 tickets given to all the race entrants.
It remains to be seen, however, if three year old Kelly Coleman will stay awake long enough to see the whole race. Granted she had no problem getting up to accompany her Dad Matt. She was quite snug against the showery, 50 degree weather in her comfortable stroller, wrapped in a super soft pink blanket and listening contentedly to the music coming from the stroller’s stereo speakers.
“I take her along to all my races--5Ks, 10Ks, 10 milers, and even half marathons,” explained her “chauffeur,” a third grade teacher at Pathways Elementary School in Ormond Beach. “She has a five year old sister, Katie, and sometimes I take them both along in a double stroller.”
Believe it or not, Kelly is well into training for her first marathon.
“It’s called the Five Points of Life Gainesville Marathon,” explained Matt Coleman. “She run/walks a little bit each day, maybe a half mile or so. It’ll take her awhile; a period of months. Meanwhile, I track her to see how she does. On the 23rd of February we’ll turn in her running log, showing that she’s done 25 miles, and then she’ll complete the last 1.2 miles in Gainesville. The next day, the 24th, is the full marathon for the adults.”
Also at the race were Flagler-Palm Coast High School runners Chris Pagello and Kyle McCrossen (both juniors), and Seabreeze’s Justin Shyrar (fifth in 18:10).
“We did this last year too,” said McCrossen.
“It’s a lot of fun. We want to get in one more 5K before track season. Plus I’m a big Nascar fan. We have tents and we’re staying the whole 24 hours (of the race),” added Pagello.
Accompanied from Jacksonville by her family--she had to leave at the ungodly hour of 4:30 AM--was Jackie Culver, who finished eleventh among the women and second in the 35-39 age group in 23:12.
“It was very windy; I guess the older you get, the more sensitive you get to your environment. But the course was very interesting. You can see everybody, see how you are doing.”
So there you have it: they came, they saw and they raced. But will the sponsors buy it? And how many spectators will sit through 200 laps of six minute miles? Perhaps the marketing department of Daytona International Speedway could throw together a package that would include No-Doze (do they still sell that stuff?), very comfortable chairs and complimentary library carts as a distraction until the final lap. At any rate, it’s fun being a stock car, even if it’s only once a year.
Top 10 Performances
Males Time
1)Jason Zayac 16:37
2)Richard Dudney 17:20
3)G. Andrew Epifanio 17:47
4)Godfrey Walker 17:57
5)Justin Shirar 18:10
6)Tim Unger 18:13
7)Danny Taurasi 18:25
8)Adam Zayac 18:36
9)Tommy Taurasi 18:39
10)Billy Young 18:42
1)Jason Zayac 16:37
2)Richard Dudney 17:20
3)G. Andrew Epifanio 17:47
4)Godfrey Walker 17:57
5)Justin Shirar 18:10
6)Tim Unger 18:13
7)Danny Taurasi 18:25
8)Adam Zayac 18:36
9)Tommy Taurasi 18:39
10)Billy Young 18:42