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Mackley, Bowerman Tops In 5k

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By BILL WARD and JEFFREY JONES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 10, 2008

TAMPA - Scott Mackley says he's had a rough time the last few months or so.

"I haven't been training very well - a bad breakup, drinking a lot," said Mackley, a former state track champion from Lakeland Kathleen High now competing for Florida Southern College. "I'm just not in that good of shape."

Despite those issues, Mackley was able to win his second consecutive 5-kilometer title at Saturday's Publix Super Markets Gasparilla Distance Classic. His time - 15 minutes, 24 seconds - was well off his winning time of 14:57 last year.

And at first, he was identified as his Moccasin teammate, former Hernando High star Ben Martucci. That's because Mackley was wearing Martucci's race number. Mackley had left his in their car and since Martucci was hurt and unable to race, Mackley decided he would wear his instead.

Once race officials sorted all that out, Mackley, a junior, sat back and reflected on what he would do next with his running. He knows he's not in the shape he should be but could be back in 14-minute shape for the 5k before the end of the track season this spring. The problem, he says, is finding his passion for running again.

"Sometimes, I just hate training and that's when it's so hard to motivate me," Mackley said. "That's when I feel like the only reason I'm running is for my college scholarship."

Taking second in the men's 5k race was Chamberlain High sophomore Mark Parrish, who shaved more than 20 seconds off his personal best with a 15:35. Parrish was the area's top finisher at last fall's state cross country meet with his fourth-place showing in Class 4A.

"I was actually hoping to run a little under 15:30 but I started out way too fast," Parrish said. "Still, I'll take that. Hopefully, that's a good sign for this track season."

Former Jefferson High star Evander Jones (15:45) was fifth and Sickles senior Ciprian Mejia (16:18) was ninth.

Laura Bowerman was a little disappointed with how she ran the 5k. That would seem normal, except for the fact that the 21-year-old Florida State senior was the top women's finisher in 17:28.

"It was a good returning time for me, but not as good as what I ran my freshman year FSU here," said Bowerman, a King High graduate. "Today's time was slower."
Bowerman runs for both the cross country and track teams at FSU, and was part of a group of about 15 women from the school that participated in Tampa's annual race.

At about the two-mile mark of Saturday's event, she checked her time and didn't like what she saw, and subsequently decided to make a move.

"I wasn't quite at the time I wanted to be, so I made a surge," Bowerman said.

With her family still living in Temple Terrace, Bowerman's trip here was something of a visit, too. At King, she won the 3A state titles in cross country her junior (2002) and senior (2003) year, and the 3,200-meter run her junior year in track.

The 5k was the first race Bowerman had run since May, and while that success bodes well for future races, the Hillsborough County native was just glad to be back on familiar turf.

"I get to stay home for the weekend," Bowerman said. "It's the first time I've been back since Christmas break."

Coming in at second place in 17:39 was Jessica Langford from Rockford, Ill., while Trish K. Butler of Coral Springs finished third in 18:17.

Tampa's Katrina Skinner of Wharton High finished sixth in 18:49.

Other notable runners from local high schools included Grace Van De Grift, a freshman from Durant who placed ninth in 19:35, Kathia Skinner (Katrina's twin sister), 18th in 20:23, and Lauren Moxley from King, who rounded out the top 25 in 21:07.

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