In the Tallahassee, Florida region, April and October are the busiest months for road racing. July is probably the low point of the year. Maybe it's the weather, but other than Independence Day racing, you aren't going to see many opportunities to compete. Saturday, 30 July 2022 was typical, with Valdosta, Georgia's third annual Super Dad 5K the only race within 100 miles of Florida's Capital City. If you were willing to travel a little farther, though, there were three Florida Parkruns that day--in Gainesville, Clermont, and Pensacola.Parkruns are weekly, community-based races, usually (if not always) five kilometers long. The events are free and supported by volunteers. Don't expect swag. I doubt there's insurance. But Parkruns are timed, and obsessive about recording those times. Athletes can track their progress because the Parkrun courses don't change. If you want to race but your wallet is a bit light, a Parkrun may be what you're looking for--especially if you already have a drawer full of finisher medals and a closet bulging with event T-shirts.
In Gainesville, the Parkrun venue is a five-kilometer loop on paved trail in Depot Park, about 150 miles from Tallahassee. The 30 July 2022 race was the 138th Parkrun on the course. John Black won the race by just over 100 meters, running 22:38. Brynn Baker was the first female finisher, placing eighth overall in 27:47--her best time yet in the Depot Park event. Gainesville Parkruns are Saturdays at 7:30 AM ET.
In Clermont, the Parkrun is also every Saturday morning at 7:30 AM ET. The Clermont course is out-and-back along Lake Minneola on the paved South Lake Trail. The 5K is USATF-certified (FL15121EBM), and Ani Veltcheva set a single-age world record for twelve-year-old girls there at Clermont Waterfront Parkrun #173, running 17:17. Veltcheva's time equalled the women's course record, set by Kate Bazely the previous year at Parkrun #124. That record still stands. Clermont Waterfront Parkrun #389 was Saturday morning, 30 July 2022, when Julio Rojas threw down a winning 17:00. It was his best time at Clermont and his 30th Clermont Parkrun--he was doing the race as a cross-country runner at Lake Minneola High and is still doing the race as a harrier for Lake Sumter College. Claire Reburn was the first female finisher, placing seventeenth overall in 21:16. An eighth-grader, Reburn runs cross-country for Foundation High. 129 athletes finished Clermont Waterfront Parkrun #389.
Andrew Imre won Parkrun #116 in Pensacola on Saturday morning, 30 July 2022, finishing just a few steps ahead of runner-up Caleb Carmichael. The two went 21:43 and 21:46. Kimberly Stewart was the first woman in the race, placing fiftteenth overall in 28:01. 89 athletes finished the race, somewhat above average for this particular Parkrun. The five-kilometer course is on the University of West Florida's Rec Plex North, touring one-and-a-half loops of grass and trail--a cross-country experience.
All threee of these races will be back at their venues on Saturday morning, 6 August 2022, and each Saturday after that. If you're in the neighborhood and want to run, register online, then print out your bar code and take it to the race. You won't get a trophy, a shirt, a medal, or even a race bib. You will get a run and a time.
| Top Parkrun Performers, 30 July 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Top Ten Men | |||
| Place | Depot Park Parkrun #138 Gainesville, FL | Clermont Waterfront Parkrun #389 Clermont, FL | Rec Plex North Parkrun #116 Pensacola, FL |
| 1 | 22:38, John Black (VM 35-39) | 17:00, Julio Rojas (SM 18-19) | 21:43, Andrew Imre (JM 15-17) |
| 2 | 24:14, Patrick Musgrave (SM 30-34) | 17:07, Jeremy Arguelles (VM 40-44) | 21:46, Caleb Carmichael (VM 35-39) |
| 3 | 24:32, Trevin Houk (VM 50-54) | 17:14, Matt Wilder (VM 35-39) | 21:54, Casey Delong (SM 20-24) |
| 4 | 24:41, Andrew Nicholas Wilson (VM 45-49) | 17:52, Matthew Raucci (JM 15-17) | 23:39, James Johnson (VM 40-44) |
| 5 | 25:34, Andrew Rainey (SM 25-29) | 18:34, Anthony Aseere (VM 45-49) | 24:46, Tyler Doll (JM 15-17) |
| 6 | 26:44, Jeff Bunkin (VM 55-59) | 18:59, Connor Carroll (JM 15-17) | 24:56, Justin Briggs (VM 35-39) |
| 7 | 27:29, Rahul Razdan (VM 55-59) | 19:15, Justin Macenhill (VM 50-54) | 25:27, Noah Imre (SM 18-19) |
| 8 | 28:23, Zhida Zheng (VM 40-44) | 19:17, Benjamin Kazel (SM 18-19) | 25:30, Donovan Carmichael (JM 11-14) |
| 9 | 29:01, Casey Williams (SM 20-24) | 19:23, Guy Whitby-Smith (VM 40-44) | 26:07, Mark Casson (VM 50-54) |
| 10 | 29:19, David Voelker (JM 11-14) | 19:31, Sebastian Tideswell (SM 18-19) | 26:23, Dickie Rackley (VM 50-54) |
Top Ten Women | |||
| Place | Depot Park Parkrun #138 Gainesville, FL | Clermont Waterfront Parkrun #389 Clermont, FL | Rec Plex North Parkrun #116 Pensacola, FL |
| 1 | 27:47, Brynn Baker (JW 11-14) | 21:16, Claire Reburn (JW 11-14) | 28:01, Kimberly Stewart (VW 35-39) |
| 2 | 28:32, Alexis Gushiken (SW 30-34) | 21:35, Breanna Peine (JW 15-17) | 28:01, Avery Briggs (VW 35-39) |
| 3 | 28:39, Alison Ivey (VW 40-44) | 22:00, Fiona Tideswell (VW 45-49) | 31:09, Heather Tucker (VW 45-49) |
| 4 | 29:07, Dari Smith (VW 60-64) | 22:49, Sarah Raucci (JW 15-17) | 31:40, Claire McNeill (JW 15-17) |
| 5 | 29:12, Kaitlin Sovich (SW 30-34) | 22:59, Anne McFarlane (VW 60-64) | 31:46, Allison Miller (VW 45-49) |
| 6 | 29:50, Du Meyer (VW 45-49) | 23:01, Madison McCormack (JW 15-17) | 32:16, Cyprienne Gryskiewicz (VW 40-44) |
| 7 | 29:57, Maria Baroco (SW 20-24) | 23:31, Alana-Savannah Drage (JW 10) | 33:53, Sheila Owens (VW 55-59) |
| 8 | 30:01, Sarafina Musto (SW 25-29) | 23:47, Heather Barackman (VW 45-49) | 34:04, Melissa Kanet (VW 35-39) |
| 9 | 30:02, Leanne Dietrich (JW 11-14) | 24:34, Theresa Castellano (SW 30-34) | 34:48, Laura Baltazar (VW 35-39) |
| 10 | 30:04, Larett Dietrich (VW 40-44) | 24:51, Maria Robinson (VW 50-54) | 37:14, Catherine Suriano (VW 55-59) |
Links
- Three Florida Parkruns
- Clermont: https://www.parkrun.us/clermontwaterfront/
- Gainesville: https://www.parkrun.us/depotpark/
- Pensacola: https://www.parkrun.us/recplexnorth/
- “Schoolgirl Ani Veltcheva cranks a 17:17 5K in Clermont”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/03/clermont-parkrun-2017-03-18.html
- If there's a Parkrun in the Tallahassee region, you'll find it on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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