Since the fastest men generally finish ahead of the fastest women in road races, some events now give women a head start – called an “equalizer” – to provide a more exciting finish.

In this year’s Turtle Trot 5K, Tiffany Beechy didn’t need an equalizer.

Beechy, 32, of Yulee outpaced the guys Saturday morning in the 3.1-mile run, finishing in 18:16. Another North Florida elite runner also provided excitement in the 10K, as Jeremy Zuber, 28, of Jacksonville logged a course-record time of 34:15.

Britta Fortson, 36, of Jacksonville repeated as 10K women’s winner in 40:55, breaking the women’s course record she set last year.

The ninth running of the Turtle Trot was the largest yet, with 237 recorded finishers in the 5K and 197 in the 6.2-miler.

“This is my comeback to training and racing,” said Beechy, who moved here from one of the nation’s top running locales, Eugene, Oregon. After winning several races in that area, including the 2007 Eugene Mile Challenge in 4:57.88, she took two years off the racing circuit to settle into her new home and job. She’s an English professor at the University of North Florida, specializing in medieval literature.

Yulee provides a home that’s not far from the water, as her husband wanted, and also plenty of space for her training partners – the couple’s border collies. “With two herding dogs at home, I have no problem with motivation,” she laughed.

Recently she jumped back into the racing scene, placing among the top three women’s finishers in two Jacksonville-area runs. “After a 2-year hiatus, I think I have some unfinished business. I’d like to see what I can do in the 5K,” she said.

The Turtle Trot starting time was moved ahead this year by a half-hour, to 7:30 a.m., to help give runners a break from the summer heat. “It was warm, but not oppressively so,” Beechy said. “I liked that it was uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. On the way back you need the help.”

Winning the men’s 5K overall was a 35-year-old high school teacher, Christopher Armoreda of Macclenny, in 18:55. He had praise for the Yulee Middle School Symphonic Band, which performed the National Anthem and motivational music.

“That was very inspiring, to see them come out and do an awesome rendition of the National Anthem and the Rocky theme song. Very motivating,” he said “It was almost like being at a football game.“

Zuber, the men’s 10K winner, is also a fairly recent arrival to North Florida. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, he won the St. John 8 Tuff Miles race six times in a row. He also finished fifth in the Vancouver Marathon last May, in 2:36:55.

“I had a little trouble with my hip after that. My goal is to keep improving,” he said. Starting his new job as guest services manager at One Ocean in Atlantic Beach, “training had to take a back seat, but I’m settled now, I love my job, I love Jacksonville. One of the things that encouraged me to move here is, they have a great race schedule. Running stores, the Gate River Run, marathons -- it seems like a great running town. ”

10K women’s winner Fortson said she enjoys the Turtle Trot’s 10K course, running through shady Fort Clinch State Park for the second half of the race. “It’s a beautiful race course,” she said. “It was hot. A lot of people were saying ‘It’s early,’ but it ended up working out.”

Fortson’s racing resume includes a win in the 2009 Guana River 50K Trail Run, setting the female course record in 4:53:50. She said she’s currently training for a marathon and used the Turtle Trot’s 10K distance as a tempo training run.

5K Masters Winners		10K Masters Winners
5K Masters Female Barbara Gowdy	5K Masters Male Bill Dunn	10K Masters Female Deborah Dunham	10K Masters Male John Wisker

In the masters’ category, for runners age 40 and older, the overall 5K winners were Bill Dunn, 51, of Orange Park in 19:00 and Barbara Gowdy, 40, of Jacksonville in 21:51. 10K winners were John Wisker, 43, of Palatka in 38:53, and Deborah Dunham, 42, of Fernandina Beach in 48:44.

5K Grand Masters Winners		10K Grand Masters Winners
5K Grand Masters Female Cathy Campbell	5K Grand Masters Male Bill Beaumont	10K Grand Masters Female Terri Tankel	10K Grand Masters Male Whit Hyde

Winners in the grandmasters’ category, age 50 and older, in the 5K were Bill Beaumont, 52, of Yulee in 19:39 and Cathy Campbell, 54, of Baxley, GA in 26:11. 10K leaders were Whit Hyde, 52, of Jacksonville in 43:54 and Terri Tankel, 51, of Dunedin in 52:08.

Saturday’s event also featured a 1.5-mile noncompetitive walk, and untimed fun runs for children. First across the line in the half-mile run were two 6-year-olds, Jacob Faltemier – who also won his age group in the 5K race – and Aspen Boler.

Finishing first in the girls’ one-mile were Mary Crean – also a 5K age group winner – and Lexi Dunn. First in the boys’ mile were Nicholas Podvia, Austin Majewski and Sean Mooney.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, sea turtle patrols inside Fort Clinch State Park, and Amelia Island Runners youth running programs. The club’s next event will be the Reindeer Run 5K/10K, walk and kids’ runs on Saturday, Dec. 12.

Here are the official results: 5K Results    10K Results

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