Marathon and Key West traveled to Boca Raton to compete in the annual Spanish River Invitational. In the girls’ race, Caylaa Makimaa was the first Keys runner to cross the finish line. The Conch junior finished in an incredible 20:03.60 and placed 11th overall out of nearly 300 runners. Laira Anaya (23:18.20), Violet Jangraw (23:41.03), Mia Steer (26:41.33) and Ava Gonzalez (26:58.54) rounded out the top five for Key West. With Naima Thomas unable to make the race, Gonzalez stepped in for her first ever 5k, finishing it in under 27 minutes and making coach Keara McGraw extremely proud. “I’ve got no voice left!’ McGraw said. She and the Lady Conchs have plenty to shout about, with their times continuing to trend in the right direction just in time for the postseason.
For Marathon, it was Mikkel Ross crossing first for the Fins and 72nd overall in 22:40.37. Next was Ella Dunn (23:14.03), Rain Banks (24:29.71), Madelyn Thornton (24:40.84) and Maeve Merryman (25:17.32) made up Marathon’s top five. But the Lady Fins have no clear roster for postseason travel. Sara Robinson was 10 seconds behind Maeve Merryman, seventh grader Rebecca Merryman was 20 seconds behind Sara Robinson and sixth grader Shaina Robinson crossed in 27:35.86. With their close times and similar names (Marathon has numerous siblings and cousins in its ranks), Marathon’s list for districts is anybody’s guess.
Marathon’s boys have a similar situation with multiple siblings and close times being traded in the race for the number seven spot to serve as the final traveler for postseason racing. The top six are fairly consistent but after that, it’s up in the air. Vaclav Bursa finished in sixth place overall and first for the Fins in 16:44.01. Brothers Jakub (18:43.46) and Antonin (18:47.41) were next followed by Mason Buxton (19:07.94). Brothers Dillon (19:44.33) and Caleb (20:15.37) Shelar finished fifth and sixth. Battling for the number seven spot are Adrien Holdinga (20:54.24), Allan Taylor (21:04.31) and seventh grader Lucian Burns (22:17.06) whose times continue to improve weekly. Marathon will travel to Miami a few more times in the coming week then enjoy a home advantage on Tuesday, Oct. 10 on a course that begins at Sombrero Beach. Middle school racers start at 3:30, varsity girls at 4 and boys at 4:30.
Key West’s Colbin Hill crossed first for the Conchs in 18:28.25 placing him 51st overall in a field of well over 300 runners. Andrew Fedor (20:30.90), Daniel Roy (21:10.17), William Forester (22:43.07) and Sebastian Jaroszewicz (22:45.26) completed the top five spots for Key West. Prometheus Delacerda (23:44.91) and Wyatt Gibson (25:36.41) finished sixth and seventh for the Conchs. The boys and girls from Key West will also travel in the coming weeks but plan to attend the Marathon home meet on Oct. 10.
Coral Shores’ girls traveled to Miami on Sept. 19 for the second race in the Lightning Invite Series at Ives Estates Park. The young team had a solid showing, placing fourth out of 15 teams. Kai Guth was first for the ’Canes, crossing the line in 25:52.7 which placed her eighth overall in the event. Jenna Mandozzi was 31st with a time of 28:26.8. Julia Rush, Saige Ensign and Hayden Teal all added to the team total. First year coach Lyndie Meyers is leading by example, training with the team through the brutal Florida late summer heat. “They are a young but hard working team, capable of so much. I love that they let me challenge them and run with them. It’s definitely getting tougher for me to keep up,” she said. Meyers’ team will have several chances to improve their times leading up to districts on Nov. 1 when the 2A ’Canes hope to advance to the next round of racing. Coral Shores’ boys will resume racing in October after taking September off to focus on training. Their next race is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 5 at Larry & Penny Thompson Park in Miami.
