On Sept. 21 all three Keys high school cross country teams met in Key Largo at John Pennekamp State Park to see who was the fastest 5K runner in Monroe County. With a storm threatening all afternoon, the race went on in a narrow window of decent weather, giving the runners a chance to compete in an unusual break in the heat.
It was Marathon’s Vance Bursa who took the title of King of the Keys, running alone for most of the course. Without another runner to pace with, Bursa chased the race official’s bicycle and finished in 16:46. The time was Bursa’s fourth personal record in as many races. In second place was Coral Shores’ Simon Gutierrez with a time of 18:29. Jakub Bursa of Marathon was third, Bobby Temkin of Coral Shores was fourth, and Marathon’s Tony Bursa was fifth.
The top five finishes by the brothers Bursa, Mason Buxton and Dillon Shelar secured Marathon’s team win on the boys side. The Fins are poised for another trip to the state meet and have been pushing their limits with track workouts and long-distance runs in order to peak at the right moment in the coming weeks.
Coral Shores’ boys team took second place overall, with solid finishes from Gutierrez, Temkin, Alaric Rodriguez, Jace Jackson and Jamie Cary.
Key West’s top finisher was Colbin Hill, in sixth place overall. The top five Conch finishers were Hill, Daniel Roy, Jervin Louis, Edward Baker and Sebastian Jaroszewicz. Coach Mark Coleman was very pleased with his team’s efforts, saying, “Every boy runner did their personal best at the race and we had a great showing.” Coming off a hard Monday workout, Coleman had some concerns for his team entering the race, but fatigue and soreness didn’t slow down the Conchs once the gun went off.
The girls race was won by Key West’s Caylaa Makimaa, who finished the 3.1-mile course in 21:55. Makimaa purposefully started her season slow, aiming at peaking in the postseason. Coleman said he expects “some more exceptional performances” out of one of the Lady Conchs’ top harriers in the coming weeks.
Coral Shores’ Kai Guth Was second in 22:19, cutting her time by nearly two minutes from her record last season.
After the first two finishers crossed the line in the girls race, it was a school of Dolphins, as Marathon’s entire top five finished within a minute of one another. Madelyn Thornton came in third place in 23:19, followed in quick succession by teammates Ella Dunn, Mikkel Ross, Sara Robinson and Maeve Merryman. The Fins’ team finish was good enough to win the race outright. Key West took second place and the Lady ‘Canes were third.
After Makimaa, the top Key West runners were Laira Anaya, Naima Thomas, Gianna Marchant and Deanna Mercier.
Coral Shores was a bit short-staffed on the girls side, with just three runners: Guth, Jenna Mandozzi and Kacelyn Hollis.
The teams will have another chance to compete against one another on Tuesday, Oct. 4 when they will meet in Marathon. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. at Sombrero Beach.
