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Holassie Gets Second Chance, Wins Gasparilla Men's Marathon

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By BILL WARD, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2008

TAMPA - As a former champion of the Publix Super Markets Gasparilla Distance Classic's 15-kilometer race and a two-time winner of the 5k, Miramar's Ronnie Holassie says he has fond memories of Tampa. He also lived here nearly three years, working as a groom at Tampa Bay Downs.

But his results at last year's Gasparilla Marathon will probably go down as one of the most trying times of his life. It wasn't Holassie's fourth-place finish, which was just one spot out of the race's prize money. And he wasn't upset with his time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 8 seconds.

It's the events that transpired shortly after the race that still haunt Holassie.

Shortly after driving back to his home in South Florida, Holassie was writhing on the floor in pain. Rushed to the hospital by paramedics, doctors discovered he was passing a kidney stone, one that likely started moving during his marathon in Tampa.

"I actually felt it the stone in the race after the six-mile mark but I ran through it," Holassie said. "I just thought it was a serious cramp."

The stone eventually passed but he continued to suffer related pain, essentially wiping out the rest of his 2007 running campaign and ruining his chance to run in November's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in New York.

Sunday, Holassie returned to the streets of Tampa and eased those painful memories. He didn't run faster than last year's Gasparilla Marathon, but his first-place finish and time bonus has tentatively earned him $6,000. He won that amount for taking first place among Florida runners ($3,000), first overall ($1,500) and for running 2 hours, 22 minutes, 23 seconds, well less than the time bonus ($1,500) for a performance under 2:30.

"You know, I've run several marathons and have been second, third, fourth but I tell you what, this feels really good to win a marathon in Tampa and also in Florida," said Holassie, 36. "I really wasn't looking at the time bonus. I wanted to run really fast, under 2:20, but the last two miles into the wind here was tough."

The only hitch to Holassie's earnings is the fact he still has aspirations of representing his native Trinidad and Tobago in the marathon of this summer's Beijing Games. He ran the marathon for T&T in the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Games, and he says his time Sunday could put him on track to be considered by T&T's Olympic selection committee.

But because he has not represented T&T in more than three years, is a U.S. citizen and full-time Florida resident, Holassie was determined eligible by Gasparilla officials for all of their prize purses. However, race director Susan Harmeling says she would "take issue" with Holassie running for T&T and accepting a cash award she set up specifically for Floridians with U.S. citizenship who can represent this country in the Olympics.

"Rest assured, before I mail the check, he and I would need to talk about that," Harmeling said.

For now, Holassie says he is grateful for being healthy and running strong again. After visiting his brothers in Tampa, both of whom work for Tampa Bay Downs, he plans to drive back to South Florida and return to his own business called Road Runner Auto Detailing. Holassie said the $6,000 he could earn here would take more than a month of detailing cars. But he says running a marathon is a lot harder.

"It might sound crazy, a month of that detailing cars is easier than running a 2:30 marathon," Holassie said. "It's not just the 2 1/2 hours of running. It's all the months of training you have to do to run that fast."

Taking second in the men's marathon was 27-year-old Bob Adams of Knoxville, Tenn., who is preparing for April's Boston Marathon. He covered the course in 2:39:11 but was not eligible for the Florida prize purse. The next cash award went to third-place - and 48-year-old - Phillip Walkins of Coral Gables. Walkins, a sprinter in college, took up marathon running just two years ago. In just his fourth marathon Sunday, Walkins, a coach and teacher, set another personal best (2:39:47) and won $2,000.

Former University of South Florida distance runner Ryan Thomas, now an engineer with Polk County's Mosaic, earned $1,000 in his marathon debut. He was the third Floridian and fourth overall in 2:41:13.

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456 or wward@tampatrib.com.

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