The starting area is still very nice. The ground is rough under the grass, but this isn't supposed to be a golf fairway. The grass itself is long, which is to be expected in Florida during a summer with nearly normal amounts of rainfall. If your grass wasn't mowed this morning, it probably needs mowing right now. There is really no way to keep all the grassy areas of the course mowed all year round, short of installing a large herd of sheep or goats in the park.Speaking of ruminants, I saw my first deer on the course, a large doe that bounded across the starting area, proving that a talented runner can cover that part of the loop at a good clip. I've always seen deer tracks all over the loop, but had never actually seen one of the animals until today.
At the end of the starting field, there is now a 100-foot wide opening through the oak hammock, and the live oak canopy is undisturbed. However, the leaves and loose mulch need to be removed from the opening before athletes can use that avenue to run from one field to the next. Once that's done, the course should be able to accommodate races with hundreds of starters.
The crushed oyster shell surface on the third quarter mile of the loop is holding up well. The rain has washed very little of it away, and the loop here is more like a track than a cross-country course. On the fourth quarter mile, the meadow and the piney woods could use some mowing--but we've already discussed mowing.
Starting near the end of the first mile, a lot of small branches were down, most of which I picked up and threw off the trail. This is going to always be the case, especially on the jungle portions of the fifth and sixth quarter miles. In fact, after a big storm, you'll probably need a team with chainsaws to go in and clear the course of fallen limbs. This is the price you pay for running in the woods, and the only way to avoid paying that price is to have everyone run around treeless fields.
The causeway across the lowest spot of the course is still in great shape, over a hundred yards of fast running through the jungle over crushed oyster shells. The rest of the route through the jungle is holding up equally well except for the last hill, where the crushed oyster shell is being carried downhill toward Lake Lafayette during every rainfall. This stretch is either going to have to get a new load of oyster shell periodically--say once a year--or it's going to have to be dirt-and-leaves like the rest of the jungle.
The loop is easy to learn, but you have to be taught by someone else who already knows it. Without a few signs, anyone venturing out to Apalachee Regional Park on their own is not even going to suspect that there's a running loop on the grounds. And even if they know the loop is there, they're not going to be able to find it. Pin flags are a possible temporary way of marking the loop. Blaze marks painted on trees would be another, or strands of surveyor's ribbon. One Day there will certainly be handsome permanent signs and mileage marks on the loop, but right now there's nothing.
The loop is certainly not perfect, but it has a lot going for it and very little wrong with it that can't be fixed.
Links:
- A dedicated cross-country running facility for Tallahassee
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/dedicated-cross-country-running.html - Gulf Winds Track Club delivers financial support for cross country in Apalachee Regional Park
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/gulf-winds-track-club-deliver-financial.html - A tour of the Apalachee Regional Park cross-country course
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/06/tour-of-apalachee-regional-park-cross.html - A later (17 July 2009) set of photos of the course
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2681514&id=5215641&l=dd3a9d8acf
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