Randy Ballew - High Mileage but Doesn't Need an Overall

Randy Ballew was born and raised in Athens and never found his way out of Clarke County except to hike and race.  He graduated from Athens High where he was on the cross country and track teams.  Randy and his brother trained by running the five mile distance between school and their home.  After graduation, the gears in Randy begin to turn as he found employment at local business Tiger Auto Parts where he remained for ten years.

Randy Dirt BikingRandy’s spare time begin to be filled with racing his Yamaha dirt bike.  His fondness for the sport led to an opportunity to join Cycle World in Athens where he worked for three years.  His ardor for the sport declined as the spills increased and Randy found the ground harder when hit as he matured.  Ten years later his mechanical aptitude was rewarded with the opportunity to join Heyward Allen Nissan/Toyota, one of the oldest and leading new car dealership in the Athens area.  Randy remained as an automotive technician at the dealership for eighteen years.  He was lured away by Phil Hughes Honda in Athens where he has worked for the past twelve years.  These stints total thirty years in the automotive service market in Athens and he is still counting as Randy is still employed full time including working every other Saturday.  Randy services Hondas from 1975 to the latest models.  His skill is evident in that he can service the older models whereas the newer technicians are limited in experience to computer analysis of new vehicles. 

Randy, Sherri, Kelsie and KaylaRandy’s long marriage to Sherri has produced a running family with two daughters.  Kayla, age twenty two, is an IT student at Athens Tech and twelve year old middle school student Kelsie.  All four can be found running in the same race every other weekend when Randy is free to run.  All four are highly ranked in Black Bag Race Series and Run & See Georgia standings.  Randy lived near the late Will Chamberlin and often wondered where Will was every weekend.  He found out when Kayla discovered Classic Race Services.  The family had been hiking on weekends until they got lost one time near Toccoa Falls.  Randy began to race as it was difficult to get lost even if you are close to being the leader.  His first competitive race was the 2012 Winder Summer’s End 5K.  Since then he has run with the family in multiple races every other weekend.

Randy Running HardRandy advised that he “runs as hard as he can” every race because he can participate only every other weekend.  He is a remarkable 22:19 5K finisher in the competitive men’s age 60-64 group.  He only runs 5K races; with his best time being 21:40.  Randy ran the Hot Chocolate 5K in Atlanta in January finishing 198^th out of 11,624 participants. His favorite Black Bag Race Series races are the Watkinsville Scarecrow 5K and the Madison Christmas Rush 5K.  Recently slowed by an elbow infection and later an infected dog bite (the bite was not from anyone else on the course), he is returning to form.  Randy can often be found waiting in front of the finish chute to greet Sherri and his daughters as they finish. 

 Bob checking out from the back of the pack. Look for the profile on Melinda Black and on Clarkesville bearded wonder Jerry Cunningham.

Remembering Ron Landen

Below is the runner profile originally printed in 2010 on our dear friend Ron Landen.  Ron was diagnosed with a very agressive cancer in December of 2013.  On March 22nd 2014, Ron competed in three 5K races.  On April 13th 2014, our running family gathered together to celebrate the life of Ron but sadly he was unable to attend.  On May 4th 2014 some might say Ron lost his battle with cancer but we would like to think that he crossed the finish line winning this human race by leaving behind so many wonderful memories and experiences.  We repost this article and encourage you to leave comments and memories of Ron.  Our hearts are heavy with grief but we know that his pain and earthly stuggles are over.  We love you Ron and will miss you.

"Where's Ron"

Roger Keel and Ron LandenThis is Roger Keel’s comment as he completes a race and is ready to depart back to the Valley, Alabama- Columbus, Georgia area.  Ron and Roger have become carpool buddies since the 2009 Sweet Tomatoes races.  Roger drives and Ron navigates between naps.  Ron, in his own words, considers himself to be the luckiest man in the world.  Ron has survived several cancer surgeries plus heart attacks and has a list of ailments to long for this commentary.  

Ron has been graced with two sons and five grandchildren.  Wesley lives in Vancouver, Canada where Ron has two grandchildren courtesy of Wesley.  Robert resides in Panama City, Florida where Ron has three grandchildren thanks to Robert.   Ron’s parents still reside in Virginia where Ron spent his early years.  Ron was raised in Norfolk, Virginia graduating from Maury High School in 1962.  Ron joined the Air Force after graduation with an initial tour of duty that ended in 1969.  Ron next attended and graduated from Gulf Coast Junior College in Panama City, Florida.  Ron later completed a BS degree inTeacher Ron history at Auburn University.  Both Ron’s sons are Auburn graduates.  Ron acquired a second BS degree from Florida A& M University and a Master’s Degree in Horticulture from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallassee, Florida.  Ron taught horticulture for ten years in the Bay County Florida school system.  Ron was selected as Vocational Teacher of the Year in 1982 for Bay County.  Ron remained active in the Air Force Reserve since 1969 and in 1990 returned to active duty for the Gulf War.  Ron remained on active duty in special operations in the Air Force and retried with the rank of Lt. Col. with thirty five years service for our country.     

Ron and JackieRon and Jackie Phillips have been companions for thirteen years.  Jackie and Ron began attending Run and See Georgia races in 1989 with Ron placing twelfth in his age group.  They mutually decided in 2005 to win their respective age groups in the Run and See Georgia series, which they did thanks to Jackie’s planning and Ron’s driving.  Ron would drive up from Florida each weekend to accompany Jackie to races.  Both have been fixtures in the Run and See Georgia circuit for years.  When Ron retired, he relocated to Columbus, Georgia and lives across the street from Jackie.  Ron recalls ten years ago he was still recording finish times in the low twenty minutes for a 5K.  Ron was second in the 60-64 men’s age group standings with 3,053 points in 2009, and is dominating the age 65-69 age group in 2010. Ron has competed races in thirty-three states.  His best marathon time was 3:40 in Jacksonville, but his favorite marathon was Kiawah Island which he completed one year to the day after his first heart attack.  His best half marathon was at Seaside in Florida with a time of 1:37.  Ron’s best 10K time was 40:05 and best 5K time was 18:58 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.    

In addition to Jackie, Ron loves gardening.  Ron has cultivated twenty-twoKeep Running Ron! rose bushes in his garden in Columbus.  He has twelve amaryllis plants that his grandfather gave to his father and that Ron is continuing to cultivate.  Beyond his horticulture goals Ron is aiming for Senior Grandmaster Runner of the Year recognition in the Run and See Georgia series in 2010.  Ron will achieve this goal if Roger Keel remembers to wake him up for races when they arrive at the start from having left South Georgia departing at times as early as 3 a.m.  David Watkins is in Ron’s support group as David has assisted Ron to avoid getting lost even on a straight course.  

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.

Belinda Moon - Multi Sport Long Tenured Athlete

Belinda was born in Augusta, Georgia and moved to Appling, Georgia when she was age six.  Her father worked construction and step mom was a housekeeper.   Summers were spent camping at nearby Clark Hill Lake.  Belinda and her parents would stay at their rustic lake campsite (no electricity) for weeks with occasional trips home for supplies.  As a youngster, Belinda loved climbing trees and collecting bugs but now she still loves climbing trees but collects rocks.  The family relocated to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina just before her junior year in high school.  Belinda graduated from North Myrtle Beach High in 1983. She was not involved in school sports but wanted to be a cheerleader. Belinda’s inability to do a cartwheel precluded her from being selected for the cheer squad.   After graduation Belinda returned to Augusta for a few months, thereafter soon moving to Chicago, Illinois to live with her mother.

Belinda and her mother moved back to Athens, Georgia in 1985 and she has resided in the Athens-Watkinsville area since.  She found employment with DuPont and currently works for Invista (formerly DuPont) in Planning/Scheduling with twenty-six year tenure.  She started her athletic apprenticeship after initial employment by going to a gym with friends after work for aerobics.  After a few months, Belinda and her roommate evolved their exercise routine into distance biking.  Belinda started taking courses at Akers Computerized Learning Center in order to advance at work but found she succeeded more socially as she met her future husband Paul whom she married in 1990. Belinda started running in 1992 by training and participating in a Duathlon at Jekyll Island.  She was ten weeks pregnant by race day and was relegated to the role of a pouting spectator.  After the birth of son Justin she began to run regularly with the goal of shedding the weight acquired during pregnancy.  Her first 5K was the 1995 Colbert Canna. Disappointed at not placing and frustrated at the speed of others in her age group, she pushed herself a little harder and took advice from new running friends.  Her friend Tony mentored and pushed her from two miles up to five miles on weeknights and thus success at races.

Her first marathon was in 1999 at McDonough with her first and only marathon in 2000 at Tybee Island. Accomplishments to date are nine half marathons, one marathon, two sprint triathlons, three duathlons, a one hundred century bike ride, four fifty mile charity bike rides, two metric century rides (sixty-four miles),  and a lot of 5,8, and 10K races.  Belinda is currently ranked in both the Run and See Georgia and Black Bag Race Series in the 45-49 female age group and has been so for years.  A special sprint triathlon was at Callaway Gardens a few years ago where Mark and Nancy Kelly were married after the event.  Belinda observed that she “has traveled to many races with my awesome friends over the years. We are all so spread out in different towns, but that was a fun way to meet up and socialize and get some running in.”  Belinda did the Thrill in the Hills Half Marathon and plans on repeating the event in 2014.  It rained so hard prior to the 2013 race that Belinda felt she was running in a creek for the entire course.  Training for trail runs has resulted in a few cuts and bruises over the years.  Her favorite race was her first Peachtree.  

Son Justin, now twenty, begin running at age twelve but has not done so consistently in his teenage years.  Recently on a weekday run at Veterans Park with son Justin he caught up with her at the two mile mark and ran the last three miles of her training run with her.  Belinda describes this as “a mother’s dream! “Her weekly fitness routine is Yoga two days a week, running at least three days, and taking Friday off with a few bike ride thrown in at random.             

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.  Watch for articles on Ricky Hayes and Sarah Wishnietsky.

Troy Garland - Running from Cancer

Troy was born in Milledgeville, GA, the elder of two children born to Brenda and Tommy Garland. His brother Brendan presently resides in the North Georgia Mountains.  He attended John Milledge Academy from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, graduating in 1989. Troy participated in basketball, baseball, and track in middle school and high school.  Unlike Joel Chandler Harris, Troy opted to stay in Milledgeville and continue his education at Georgia College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information Systems/Communications while working full time as Assistant Manager for the  Sherwin-Williams Company.  Troy was active in Kappa Alpha Order at Georgia College and served as chapter treasurer for several years.

Graduation led to placement with Hanson Aggregates, a firm with mining operations in the continental United States and Europe.  Troy started as a quality control technician at the firm’s Sparta, GA location, progressing to the positions of Area Supervisor of Quality Control and Pit Forman.  Troy continued his post graduate education in the evenings.  He accepted a position with the Coca-Cola Company in 2001 as a Programmer Analyst in the Atlanta area.  When his position was outsourced, Troy returned to Milledgeville to be employed by the Unimin Corporation at their Kaolin mining and processing facility in their McIntyre, GA facility as a shift supervisor.  Troy has persevered and is now the plant superintendent at that location.  

Troy has always led an active life playing tennis and golf in college as well as intramural basketball, softball, and flag football.  He continues to enjoy hunting and fishing mostly on his family’s land in Hancock and Washington counties.  He bought his first motorcycle in 2001; a used Honda Shadow.  After owning several bikes, he now possesses a stable which includes a Harley-Davidson Softail, a Kawasaki KLR (dual sport) and a few dirt bikes.  Troy rides his Harley to Daytona Beach every March for Bike week.  When not running, he enjoys riding his bikes in the North Georgia Mountains with his brother and friends.   He also finds time to serve as a Deacon at Darien Baptist Church in Linton, GA. 

Troy suffered a setback in late 2005 when at the age of thirty-four he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  A minor sinus infection led to the discovery of the cancer.  Fortunately five months of chemotherapy and one month of radiation at the Georgia Cancer Specialist section of the Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville knocked out the disease.  After seven and half years, Troy is still cancer free.  In 2011 Troy had been steadily gaining weight after recovering from his fight against cancer.  When the scales tipped two hundred and forty pounds, Troy decided to reverse course.  Weight lifting and treadmill running were his initial efforts.

In November 2011 Troy completed the Big Dam 5K in Milledgeville and began to participate in local area races every other weekend.  Running in the Clover Glove Legging It for Lincoln at Rock Eagle in 2012 changed his view of running and led him to kick the treadmill in favor of the outdoors. The Clover Glove Race Series he found was a fun close knit group of runners.  The Twelve days of Christmas series in July 2012 was his first venture in distance beyond a 5K.  It was also his introduction to points racing.  He has found that the Clover Glove, Black Bag, and Run and See Georgia Grand Prix series have been a fun motivational way to keep running exciting.  The other runners he has met have been “a true blessing”. Troy has found the series participants to be a “motivating and caring group”.     

In early 2012 Troy borrowed a bicycle and joined the Georgia College Wellness Center to learn how to swim correctly.  He competed in the Old Capital Sprint Triathlon in May 2012. Triathlon cross training has provided a different component to his level of fitness.  Troy completed his first half marathon at the Athens Half Marathon in the fall of 2012. Later in the fall he participated in the Peachtree City 25K.  He also completed a Tough Mudder event in Tampa, Florida and several Warrior Dash Mud Runs.  Troy comfortably leads the Black Bag Race Series 40-44 age group in 2013 with 747 points, and The Clover Glover Race Series age group with 551 points.  Troy’s goal in 2014 is to complete his first marathon and Ironman.       

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.  Watch for the profiles on Belinda Moon and on Ricky Hayes.

Mitchell Sinyard - Growing on the Run

The Boston 4, Josh Myers, Mitchell Sinyard, Perry Slaughter and Alan BlackElite runner Mitchell Sinyard tends to a three quarter acre garden located across the road from his home on twenty acres he recently purchased from what was his late grandfather’s farm.  The garden produces  squash, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, and cantaloupes from which his family along with wife Lynn feed themselves.  Daughter Jessica has already left the bread basket by marring and now resides in Concord, GA with two children, daughter Scarlett and son Hayden.  Her brother, fourteen year old son John Mitchell, (they call him by both names) is still garden dependent.  Mitchell’s farming roots run deep having been raised in Hawkinsville, GA and worked after high school graduation on his grandfather’s farm for five years.  Mitchell’s grandfather intensively farmed four hundred acres of row crop peanuts, cotton, and corn plus tended a heard of fifty cows and one hundred and fifty hogs.  Mitchell’s grandfather named him his number “one hog man”.  Grandchildren Hayden and ScarlettMitchell alleges “hogs were sent to earth to teach patience” to their handlers.  Mitchell’s patience resulted in the hogs dining on mostly corn, soybeans, and supplements while not following his directions.    

 Mitchell spent the next six years porking out working on two different hog farms prior to accepting a position as a sheet metal specialist at nearby (thirty-one mile commute) Warner Robbins Air Force Base.  Mitchell toiled seventeen years as a government service sheet metal specialist prior to upgrading to a C-5 aircraft inspector for four years.  Mitchell’s running experience paid off as he has to climb every inch of the air frame during his inspection.  Mitchell now holds the position of an Industrial Planner at Warner Robbins Air Force Base.     

Mitchell and JessicaMitchell’s first race was the Macon Labor Day 5K in 1993 and he has never looked back.  His favorite is the old Tar Baby 10K (now The Torture Trail 10K) in Eatonton, GA.   Mitchell participated in forty-nine Run and See Georgia races in 2012 with a max of seventy-six a few years ago.  Mitchell also serves on weekends as back up song director for County Line Baptist.  Mitchell muses that if the Baptists need his services, he is severely limited in the number of hymns he can summon.  Mitchell acknowledges that his wife Lynn, used to be aggravated with the time he spent doing races.  Now she only inquires which direction he is going on a Saturday morning!  His hobbies include camping, with Dillard, GA being his favorite camp venue and his favorite area camping race being the one up the mountain at Sky Valley.  

Mitchell placed third in 2012 in the 50-54 men in the Black Bag Race series only due to the limited number of races he participated in, not for lack of speed or athletic ability. Mitchell didn’t even realize he had placed in the series until he ran a race at Middle Georgia Technical School where he received his Black Bag and Black Bag Series Shirt.   Mitchell would like to see more Black Bag scheduled in South Georgia in the future.   His best 5K time was 18:26 at a Plain’s Peanut Festival race, 38:52 for a 10K, one hour and 27 minutes in aMitchell with his Tar Baby Award half marathon, and three hours 17 minutes in a full marathon.  A tribute to Mitchell’s running prowess was that he qualified and participated in the 2005 Boston Marathon (Lead photo of the event with Josh Myers, Perry Slaughter, Mitchell, and Alan Black).

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.  Look for the profiles on Mary Hayes better half Larry Hayes, and on Cheryl Cook, and on Milledgeville’s Troy Garland.