PULASKI, Tenn. — With the Tick Ridge Trek ending after 10 years, a wily veteran and head-turning younster captured wins on a blustery Saturday morning.
Josh Whitehead of Madison captured the 25K title, his second win of the year after a strong 2022 season. Whitehead crossed the line near the Wolf Gap History & Education Center in 1:55:28, more than two minutes ahead of his closest competitor.
“Great time, had a great time out there,” he said. “With this being the last one, I knew I wanted to come back and do something fun. The course was great and I took a lot of photos along the way.”
Koen Ploeckelman, 18, of Clarksville, Tenn., was second in the 25K in 1:57:56. Chris Roth, 38, of Huntsville, was third in 2:05. Whitehead and Ploeckelman were the only two coming in under two hours. Jeanne Bennett of Huntsville was the first female (14th overall) in 2:23:23. Jennifer Wenneker of Lewisburg, Tenn., was right behind her in 2:23:28. Jamie Morrow of Arab was third (29th) in 2:51:47.
The 25K, 10K and 5K runners all took off at 8 a.m. in a colorful string that stretched as far as you could see in each direction. By the time the last runners were making their way around the big lake, the leaders were on the climb of the first big hill. Seventy runners finished the 25K, 66 in the 5K and 222 finished the 10K. Blustery wind gusts and chilly temps, along with a few mushy trails, were the norm all morning.
Young Champion
While Whitehead added another win to his ledger, 11-year-old Rosetta Fowler of Fayetteville sprinted to the 5K win. Fowler crossed in 28:14, with Caleb Christopher, 35, of Madison in second at 29:23. Henry Christopher, 8, of Madison, was third in 29:29. Out of the top 30 finishers in the 5K, 10 were age 13 or younger.
Maegan Dolan, 12, of Thompsons Station, Tenn., won the 5K women’s title in 29:34. Charlene Christopher, 10, of Madison, was second (9th) in 33:52. Hillary Richardson, 39, of Nashville, was third (12th) in 37:20.
Bailey Herfurth, 24, of Hartselle, won the 10K title by almost four minutes with a stout time of 46:25. William Wells, 42, of Sewanee, Tenn., was second in 50:07, and Reed Perry, 13, of Harvest, was third in 57:16. Justus Fowler, 40, of Fayetteville, Tenn, was fourth in 59:44. Those four were the only 10K finishers in less than an hour.
Masha Toulokhonova, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., won the women’s title in 1:03:18. Mercy Hash, 32, of Lewisburg, Tenn., was second (12th) in 1:05:43. Jillian Fowler, 14, of Fayetteville, Tenn., was third (15th) in 1:06:23.
See all of the Tick Ridge Trek 10K finishers here.
Race Director Tony Osani thanked the runners and volunteers for 10 years of time, effort and contributions. Proceeds benefit the Wolf Gap History & Education Center. Team Rocket Tri Club of Huntsville puts on the event, with help from generous sponsors and volunteers. Tick Ridge Trek is one of two popular trail runs ending this year.
PHOTO: Will Crisp of Huntsville chugs home to the finish line in the Tick Ridge Trek 25K Saturday in Tennessee. (Photo: Alan Clemons)
