Crisp morning greets Redfish runners

Saturday morning’s 5K Redfish Run was fit for a king.

A King Retsyo, that is.

In red, flowing cape, and t-shirt and gym trunks to match, Ottice Amison, 39, became the first king in history to run in the race that begins and ends near the front of the Gibson Inn and winds through the historic neighborhoods of the city.

He didn’t do badly, running a 28:20, after last competing, sans cape, three years ago.

But the crown of victory went to two Tallahassee runners who finished atop the field.

Joel Piotrowski, 42, a control room operator at Florida State University’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, finished with a time of 18:11 to lead the field of about 120 runners.

Leading the field of female runners was 20-year-old Sam Fortunas, who posted a time of 21:29.

“This cold air has got my lungs burning,” said Piotrowski, as he cooled down following the race. “It was good, perfect weather. This is like the first cold run of the year for us. The body’s not quite used to it.”

Piotrowski, who last ran two years ago in the Redfish, stayed on St. George Island with his brother, Kenny, and Lauren Levi, a scientist at the Apalachicola Rational Estuarine Research Reserve.

Piotrowki pulled away from runner-up Charlie Taylor, 52, of Nashville, Tenn. to secure the victory. The victory came after a strong performance in his first Boston Marathon, where he ran a 3:13:40.

Fortunas, a Florida State senior who stayed on the island all summer, ran part of the way with Eastpoint running enthusiast Hobson Fulmer, until “the very end, when he pulled away.”

A major in international affairs, art history and Arabic, Fortunas is a top mountain biker at FSU, after running cross country and the 400 meters at Lincoln High School. She’s the daughter of Jody and Steven Fortunas, and the granddaughter of Joseph and Mary Fortunas, from Apalachicola, part of a long legacy dating back to Greek sponge divers who immigrated here. In fact, her grandfather was born in the building that now houses Up the Creek restaurant.

“It’s really great to have heritage here,” she said. “It’s a good feeling to come from a small town.”

Fortunas said the redfish was “awesome, It was cold but I felt strong. Now I’ve started winning races, so I’m really happy.”

Also pleased with her performance was Apalachicola’s Cassie Gary, who sat a personal best with a 27:56, two minutes under her goal of beating 30 minutes.

Dr. Nancy Chorba, who now lives in Tallahassee, ran a 29:45, but was topped by daughter Marena Benoit, 12, who ran a 24:26. Benoit finished tops among girls age 12 and under, just as Ryan Putz, grandson of Cliff and Denise Butler, did among the boys age 12 and under.

Fulmer was the top local male finisher, with Lindsey Bockelman best among the local women runners. Charlie Taylor was best male in the Masters division, and Judy Graham was the best female.