Photo Album by Ralph Epifanio (255 photos)
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Men’s 8k – 37 finishers
Women’s 5K – 27 finishers
Wickham Park was besieged by an abundance of water, and all that comes with it; uncut, overly long grass, patches of soft clay—formerly softball fields--that quickly became quagmires, ankle-deep puddles, rugs of “hitchhiker” seeds that floated on every ripple, and half-drowned insects that clutched at the first leg that went by. By the end of the race, between the water, mud, rugs, and bugs, a slow-moving runner could gain ten pounds in unwanted flotsam. And that, in a nutshell, is why momentum was the key to success.
For the FIT team, it was truly a momentum-ous occasion. The whole Men’s team started out fast together, like a giant amorphous, maroon amoeba, trying to simultaneously escape the clutches of Wickham Swamp, and stay ahead of the small, but frisky field. Gradually, however, the forces of nature—plus the limits of rRNA*—shed a team member here, and later one there, until there was only one very fast-moving Kenyan left.
David Boiywo, 21—a sophomore transfer from Middle Tennessee—was due.
“During my first year, I had a lot of injuries,” he told me. “I ran indoor and outdoor, but not cross country.”
While at Middle Tennessee, where he concentrated on track, it seemed that the longer the distance, the better he ran. For example, while his best mile time was 4:23, his best 5K was 15:14.36 (at the Sunbelt Athletic Conference Indoor Championships on February 27-28, 2011), and he ran the 10,000 in 32:23.30 (on April 18-19 at the 2011 Rhodes Open [Outdoor] Meet). And this, a very challenging 8K, was his first cross country win. Nothing like adversity to bring out the best in a person.
“Are you a mudder?” I asked him.
When he didn’t answer, and remembering that he was from Kabarnet, Kenya (Atnas Kandie SS), I added, “A mudder is a term used to describe a racehorse that runs well on a wet or muddy track.”
Instead of answering—maybe he didn’t warm up to the idea of being considered analogous to a horse--he stated the obvious.
“I didn’t like the parts where the water was. It slowed down most of the pack,” he said. “This is my second race for FIT. Last week,” at the University of Tampa Early Bird Meet, “it was kind of hot; too hot.” It was an evening race. “Whenever you are running in the sun, it’s hard, and it was very sunny.”
In that four mile race, won by ERAU’s Evans Kirwa in 19:25, FIT was paced by teammates Moses Kirui (fourth in 20:09), and Boiywo (sixth in 20:11). The result was that Moses was chosen as the Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week.** In this race, they switched positions; David was first overall (26:42), and Moses second (27:01).
“That race was run different,” explained Kirui, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering. “The meet was shorter. This was an 8K. I do better in the shorter races.”
True enough. But it wasn’t always that way. Kirui has a 24:01 under his belt, and at altitude.
Like Kirui, senior Chris Cacciapaglia—who hails from Portage, Vashon (the largest) Island, in Puget Sound, Washington—climate might have had a lot to do with his decision to enroll at FIT.
“It was their location, and majors,” he said. “They have biology and Aerospace Engineering.”
Cacciapaglia only started running for FIT last year.
“I was just here. I wasn’t running; just doing school and playing intramural soccer for fun.”
But he joined the team, made inroads--like lowering his 8K PR to 27:00 at the October 9, 2010 Walt Disney World Classic—and now he is a solid third on the team, a position he reaffirmed at this meet, finishing in 27:28.
“Last summer I had an intern position at REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) on Dauphin Island, Alabama. (Now) I am used to the heat.”
And the water. He used to live near it; now he runs through it.
In the team race, the Boys of Tech splashed their way to a decisive victory, having a near-perfect day with 15 points (1-2-3-4-5-6-8). Sophomore Andrew Epifanio (28:52) held off their seventh runner, and led the way to a similarly tight 7-9-11-16-17-18-19 Stetson finish for second, with 61 points.
Much of Cacciapaglia’s statements were echoed by the Women’s Race winner, Nicole Clarke, a senior from Abingdon, Maryland. Though not as climatically challenged as the fog-bound Washingtonians, the seafood is, nonetheless, just as fresh in the upper Chesapeake Bay.
“I am a biochemistry major and they have a really good program here; the school is really good academically,” she reaffirmed.
Coming in to the race, however, she was less sure of herself.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t know what the competition would be like. My coach said, ‘It is going to be a small meet, but get your workout in.’”
As a bonus, she also received a pleasant surprise.
“I came in second once my freshman year, but this is my first win. It was definitely a good day.”
Early on, a smiling Stephanie Fonseca kept her company, and no less than three Rollins girls tried to eavesdrop. But the point difference was no laughing matter to either team. First Rollins’s Lauren Falcone passed Fonseca and claimed second, then Stetson’s Maria Harper eased on ahead to claim third (where they finished, respectively, in 19:36 and 19:59).
FIT was first, Rollins second; FIT fourth, Rollins fifth; FIT seventh, Rollins sixth; FIT eighth, Rollins tenth. At most, only three points separated the two teams until FIT’s Audryanna Fernandez (11th in 22:50) closed the door on Rollins.
As if describing more than the shrubbery, Nicole summed the day up by saying, “The course had some variety.”
The final score was FIT 31 (1-4-7-8-11-12-17), Rollins 42 (2-5-6-10-19-20-21), and Stetson 54 (3-9-13-14-15-16-18).
*runner Ribonucleic Acid
**Today’s trivia question: This is not the first time MK has been named a Conference Runner of the Week. Be the first to name the conference and the date, and you win an autographed Ralphoto. (Fortunately for you, it will be your photo and my autograph.)