Carly Thomas

Formerly known as the Jesse Owens Classic, now re-branded as the Gatorade XC Classic, we look back at the best girls performances in the meet’s rich history.

A look at the Top 500 Florida high school girls XC 5K's of All-Time.

Who makes the cut for top 1000 all-time performers at McAlpine Park?

Check out the top 1,000 Florida girls performances all-time at the Champs (formerly Foot Locker) South Regional in Charlotte.

Check out the top 500 high school girls 5K times ever run at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.

Check out the top 50 high school girls performances by event in the MileSplit database all-time from the Florida Relays.

The coaching staff at Chiles High is full of talent, youth, and state championships. Often overlooked, these coaches may boast the most practical expertise to continue the Chiles legacy.  

Winter Park junior Rafaella Gibbons already has her name in the Florida history books as the only girls individual to qualify for Nike Nationals not just once, but twice. Gibbons finished sixth overall in 2014 and improved on that showing with a third place finish in 2015 running 17:30.80, the fastest ever by a Sunshine State girl at NXNSE. The top three performances by Florida athletes all came from that race.

Stanley Linton ran 15:24 to win Tallahassee's 21st annual Run For The Cookies 5K. FSU's Carly Thomas (8th, 17:54) was the women's champion. (via troubleafoot.blogspot.com)

I’ll try to make this short, but I don’t know how best I can do that considering all that Miss Thomas has done for the running in Tallahassee, in Florida and also for me. I do not even know where to begin and I could probably write a whole book on how amazing a person and athlete this young lady is. From a former teammate’s stand view, fellow competitor and best friend; I have seen Carly transform into one heck of a distance runner. She is one of my biggest competitors on the track and cross country course, and yes when we are out there it is pretty much a big battle field. But once off the course/track whoever prevails we congratulate and go back to being best friends. When I see her run, I see the fire in her eyes, the determination and the will to fight and work her hardest. 

Chiles standout Carly Thomas has chosen her college destination. The 2009 3A Cross Country State Championship will stay in Tallahassee and run for Florida State. In the end she chose the Seminoles over Mississippi State. She says it was her bond with Coach Karen Harvey and current FSU runners that sealed the deal.

We conclude our 2011 cross country coverage by honoring the top female harriers of the season. Congratulations to our 2011 All Flrunners Girls Cross Country Team.

Chiles made the long journey from Tallahassee to the Jesse Owens Classic in Oakville, Alabama. According to Google Maps, that's about smack dab in the middle of nowhere.  It's in the northern part of the state between Decatur and Moulton.

The girls at Chiles High School have won the past three 3A Cross Country Championships. The quest for number four won't be as easy. If the Timberwolves want to be on top they will have to do it with one of the top duos in the state, seniors Carly Thomas and Lily Williams.

What a great two days of events!  There were state meet records, national leaders, and lots of excitement.  Here is the summary and coverage links for the past two days.  Get all of the coverage links in one concise place!

Brian Atkinson had a fantastic day to won the race in 15:11 by three seconds. Melbourne upset Belen Jesuit to place as the top Florida boys team in 8th place, Tampa Jesuit was 11th, and Belen Jesuit 12th. Chiles girls were 7th place and Community School Girls 8th place. Erika Fluehr is top Florida girls finisher in 10th place with 18:11. While no Florida teams advance, Brian Atkinson can move on to the national meet in Portland.  This is the first year NXN is accepting individuals as well was teams.

There is a uniqueness to Tallahassee that separates it from the rest of the Florida when it comes to distance running. Couple an extraordinary network of running trails, an active and supportive community track club, a county-wide middle school cross country program more than 300-strong with a collection of the state’s most accomplished coaches and you have the blueprint for sustained success. You could make a compelling argument - without the benefit of lobbyists - that the Capital City is the state seat for high school cross country running, per capita, at least since 1997.

This weekend a couple thousand of runners, including many of the best in the state of Florida, will be headed to an out-of-the way ranch in dimly populated North Pasco County.  Down the small dirt, wooden path they will venture, hoping their bus does not get stuck.  And then finally over the railroad tracks, the woods open up and they will see it:  the beautiful Little Everglades Ranch.  Some hate the course, some love it.  But there is no denying it is one of the most beautiful spaces of authentic Florida that you will find.  No tourists.  No urban sprawl.  Just a serene natural setting filled with the greenest grass, wetland ponds, blue herons and other water birds, along with a few hundred head of cattle! 2096 athletes and 80 schools are entered, coming from as far away as Key West and Fort Walton Beach.  Some of them are perennial powers.  Others are small but developing programs.  All coming together for this preview of the season culminating state championship meet just over a month from now. Here is your first look at the competition.

Matt Mizereck won the boys race with a 15:06, with Atkinson and Stanford just behind. In the girls race it was the two freshmen from Chiles, Lily Williams and Carly Thomas with times of 18:12 and 18:31. Ralph Epifanio was there for flrunners.com with this great article and photos. Race Summary | Photo Album