Photo Album by Ralph Epifanio - Over 450 Photos
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Summary
Filling a date previously occupied by the now defunct Stetson Hatter Invitational, UCF moved their September race to mid-October in order to provide a "warm up" for the upcoming conference championships.
For the ladies, this was a "Race for the Cure," and all the women runners were "in the pink," wearing pink shoe laces, ribbons, etc. The men, however, ran in the dark (literally), because of a 6:45 PM starting time, a false start, and their longer (8K) distance.
JUs Joane Pierre ran a blazing 18:14 5K en route to her 21:47.32 6000 meter PR. (This event was billed as "the only women's 6K in the state of Florida this year.") Both JU and UCF scored 88 points, tying for first.
Favorite Evans Kirwa (ERAU) came tantalizingly close to his PR, but "settled' for a 24:15.10 win in the Men's Race. The UNF team placed five in the top nine to win with 30 points.
Story
There are bad dates (Harrison Ford and his monkey friend in Raiders of the Lost Ark), good dates (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail), and great dates (the 2011 “UKnight in Pink” Black and Gold Challenge).
This meet got its beginning in 2008, and in its first four dates had drawn between--a low of--seven teams (combined men and women) and 47 runners, and--a high of--11 teams and 99 runners. All of the previous meets were held in mid-to-late September. This year, however, UCF coach Caryl Gilbert Smith claimed a date formerly occupied by the Stetson Hatter Invitational—after 17 years as its coach, John Boyle retired in 2010—and hit pay dirt: 28 teams and 220 finishers. With two weeks to go before the participating colleges disperse for their respective conference championship races, they packed the field with teams and runners looking for one last “time trial.”
In addition to the date change, there has also been a name change. In the fall of 2010, Coach Smith learned that one of her runners, Mason Goldberg (she ran in 2009-2010), was hanging up her spikes to devote more time to her mother Gale, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Compelled to do something herself, Smith decided to rename the race in support of a member of her running “family.” (You can read more about this on the UCF Cross Country website.)
College Women’s 6K Race
This was less a race than it was an opportunity for some of Florida’s top college teams to showcase their talented women runners, and to get a glimpse at where they stack up two weeks prior to the biggest race of the season, the respective conference championship(s). This was especially true of junior Joane Pierre of Jacksonville, who finished third in the 2010 A-Sun race (17:51.91). In that race the winner was (then) senior Mackenzie Howe of Kennesaw State (17:22.78), and in second was Shelby Kittrell (like Pierre, a junior, in 17:24.18). In the grand scheme of things, it may very well be the latter two who battle it out for the title of conference queen two weeks hence. At UCF, UNF’s Kittrell was conspicuous in her absence, but beforehand, Pierre did not make more of it than was necessary.
“I usually don’t like to look ahead,” Pierre explained. “I don’t want to psych myself out; I like to run my own race, so I didn’t worry about who was here.”
And yet, there was something “different” this time.
“Starting when I was warming up,” she said, “I thought ‘This is my course. I love the trails.’ So going into it, I was psyched. This whole day took me back to high school. Some of our high school races were in the evening, and we ran through trails then too.”
Pierre went out in a blistering pace, and by the mile--which she ran in 5:45—she was jettisoning even those few runners who were barely hanging on to her.
“It felt good. I decided to take the lead, and not settle into a pace. I was on my own the whole way.”
This course’s 5K record, set on September 24, 2010 by Webber’s Juline Brice, remains 18:08.2. Still running on a pace close to that of her opening mile, Pierre almost equaled the CR on her way to the 6K finish line.
“I think I ran through the 5K in 18:14.”
When the finish came up, Joane was in total control, and half a minute ahead of second place runner Kadian Dunkley, of Bethune Cookman.
“I was trying to stay with her, but I couldn’t,” Dunkley admitted. But, “I think—for this time of year—I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
Kady, like Joane, enjoyed the course.
“I think it was a good race, and the 6K was something different,” Dunkley said after finishing. “I thought the wide open course kept me focused; seeing the water—I liked the lakes—and the trees, people cheering…I thought it was a great course.”
Kady was here for the same reason as Joane.
“This is the right time to get a feel for the competition and run against other schools, and I think I’m right where I’m supposed to be at this point in the season. I’m excited about the (upcoming) MEACs.”
At UCF, Pierre finished first in 21:47.32, and by virtue of its being a new course with a longer distance, is the course record holder. Dunkley finished second in 22:20.90.
College Women’s Team Race
Who could have predicted that the team title would be decided, not by who finished, but by who did not? When the team scores were tabulated, host school UCF (3-11-16-24-34-41-42) and powerful Jacksonville (1-6-12-29-40) were tied at 88. The tie breaker would be runner #6, which turned out to be the Golden Knight’s Amelia Williams. Despite being three minutes and 40 places behind Joane Pierre, she was UCF’s MVP. Florida A&M was third with 103 points (8-14-18-27-36-54-61). 128 women ran and 16 teams scored.
College Men’s 8K Race
With sunset at 6:57 PM, and the college men’s race scheduled to go off at 6:45 PM, for those photographers fidgeting with their ISO settings—while looking frantically at the rapid repose of the sun—it was the one time all year that the start time earned greater attention than the finish time.
And then Murphy* stepped into the picture. Shortly after the runners were released by the starter’s pistol, an optimistic Stetson runner got his legs entangled in the crowd’s and went down with a flourish. The subsequent impact on the race lasted longer than his lead had.
Next came the initial sound of the recall gun, soon followed by the sound of three or four more of Sir Referee’s blanks…or could that have been sporadic gunfire from the press corps?
At any rate, the runners pictured in the photo gallery are who they seem to be, even though not seen in their “best light,” since all but one was lost to the darkness. That “one” was eventual winner Evans Kirwa, who was able to use the head lights of the pace cart to light his way, and follow its tail lights to the finish. (Although the bets were a steady 2:1 that Evans would outrun his escort.)
In second, and fending for himself, was Florida A & M’s Shuaib Winters.
“He seemed within reach,” Winters said of Kirwa. “My strategy was to stay patient and run with him. But he got away. That’s where the race was won. But I didn’t give up.”
Shuaib only heard one split, 9:45 for two miles.
“It was motivating. I knew what was going on, and I tried to make my move in the woods where it was winding and no one could see me. If it weren’t for that, Kirwa would have been much further ahead. I know that, in the last mile, when I tried to go get him, he had a ‘different gear.’”
Winters is no stranger to Kirwa’s superior transmission.
“Last year he did win the UF Invitational (where Kirwa finished third (in 24:51.54, and Shuaib fifth in a 25:06.89). I think he beat me by more than he did last time, but what I was looking for was an improvement.”
Like everyone else, the A&M junior—majoring in construction engineering and technology--is looking forward to his conference meet, in what may be a significant level of anticipation.
“I won it last year, so I am going to try to defend my title.”
His time on October 30, 2010, was 24:31.30 (but run in daylight). His time here was 25:04.12.
Kirwa, meanwhile, had finished in 24:15.10, thereby erasing Jonathan Mott’s 25:53.79 (which was run for the same team, and on the same date, as female record holder Juline Brice) from the Golden Knights record book.
*In reference to Murphy’s Law; Part 6, section 4, paragraph 2; “If you change the date, don’t forget to change the time too!”
College Men’s Team Race
With a team average of 25:41.89, and five in the top nine, the University of North Florida won with 30 points (3-5-6-7-9-12-15). Second, with 72 (10-13-14-16-19-22-25) was A-Sun rival Florida Gulf Coast University, and in third—three points behind them--Florida A&M (2-4-17-20-32-41-43; 75). 92 runners and 12 teams scored.