A tour of the Cody Climb 8K road race course

I put together the Cody Climb 8K after writing an article observing that there wasn't currently an eight-kilometer event on the Tallahassee racing schedule. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The course is a sort of loop in the Southwood area of Tallahassee. I thought it would be fun to use kilometer marks instead of mile marks. Later on (when it was too late), I realized that this meant more places to locate and mark. I never thought of that advantage to Imperial measurement. Among other streets and trails, the course uses the east end of Orange Avenue, which is an old enough street to be the address for Conley Elementary School, but not an old enough street to be on any of the online map utilities (e.g., Google maps). This makes it hard to post a map of the course. Instead, I'm posting this photographic tour of the course.


This is a view from the starting line. The course starts on the Capital Circle SE Trail just north of Shumard Oaks Boulevard. The trail is a "wide, meandering sidewalk" that runs for 4.9 miles along Capital Circle SE (US 319). The Cody Climb 8K course uses just over two kilometers of the trail. From the start, you go directly south to Shumard Oaks Boulevard.



Here is where you run into Shumard Oaks Boulevard. Turn left (east) here onto Shumard Oaks.



Head east, staying on the left side of Shumard Oaks. You might feel safer staying in the bicycle lane. I won't tell you not to run on the sidewalk, but the course was measured on the blacktop.



The first kilometer ends at the corner of Shumard Oaks Boulevard and Four Oaks Boulevard. At the corner you turn left, heading north on Shumard Oaks.



Here the course is heading north on Shumard Oaks Boulevard towards the Southwood Town Center. You're starting uphill now, climbing the Cody Escarpment out of the coastal plain.



Here you cross Merchants Way on Four Oaks Boulevard. Do not be hit by a truck while crossing Merchants Way.



The two kilometer mark is on Four Oaks Boulevard at the intersection with Verdura Point Drive.



Four Oaks Boulevard intersects with Blairstone Road at a roundabout. Keep to the left side of the roundabout and stay on Four Oaks Boulevard. Do not be hit by a cement mixer in the roundabout.



Be careful not to wander out of the roundabout and onto Blairstone Road; you want to continue around to the north end of Four Oaks Boulevard. Do not be hit by a runaway Toyota in the roundabout.



The three-kilometer mark is about halfway through the roundabout. Do not be crushed by a Humvee while negotiating the roundabout.



Soon after you leave the roundabout, you'll be able to look ahead and see the end of Four Oaks Boulevard at Orange Avenue. Conley Elementary School is at that intersection.



Here's a view of Conley Elementary School from the last bit of Four Oaks Boulevard.



The end of Four Oaks Boulevard. Go left around the corner and head west on Orange Avenue.



Shortly after you turn onto Orange Avenue you reach the four kilometer mark, the halfway point of the Cody Climb 8K.



Here's a view of a straight and relatively flat stretch of Orange Avenue. For better or worse, though, you haven't seen the last of the uphill yet.



Another view west on Orange Avenue, showing more hills. At the top of the next hill you'll be turning left onto the Capital Circle SE trail.



The five kilometer mark is on Orange Avenue just before the left (south) turn onto the Capital Circle Southeast trail.



After leaving Orange Avenue you'll head south on the Capital Circle Southeast trail. The trail meanders quite a bit, so make sure you cut tangents (that's where the course was measured). There's still a bit of climbing left.



When you finally reach the crest of the course, if the air is clear you'll be able to enjoy views to the south of the coastal plain. Some of the views east into Southwood aren't bad either. Both are preferable to watching the traffic to the right on US 319.



You'll continue south on the trail across Blairstone Road. Do not be struck by a bus crossing Blairstone. The six-kilometer mark is on the trail just past Blairstone Road.



The seven kilometer mark is at the foot of the Cody Scarp, just before the Capital Circle SE trail arrives at Merchants Way. Turn left (east) at Merchants Way.



Head east on Merchants Way to the first right.



The first right off of Merchants Way is nameless road that accesses parking for the offices along Esplanade Way. Head south on this No Name Road.



No Name Road winds around a bit at first.



Then there's a long, straight stretch on No Name Road.



After a little more winding, No Name Road ends at Shumard Oaks Boulevard. Turn right (west) onto Shumard Oaks Boulevard.



Heads west along Shumard Oaks Boulevard.



Turn right off of Shumard Oaks Boulevard onto this concrete driveway. Head between the yellow posts and then make a beeline across the grass to the finish line on the Capital Circle SE trail. The finish line should be familiar; it was also the starting line.

Links:

• Pieces of Eight (the article that started this nonsense)
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/piece-of-eight.html
  
  
• 2010 Cody Climb 8K announcement
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-cody-climb-8k.html
  
  
• The course tour on Facebook
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2820704&id=5215641&l=db80bee127