1977 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships

The 1977 FHSAA boys' track & field championships were held at Winter Park High School's Showalter Field Track on Friday, 13 May 1977 (1A and 2A) and Saturday, 14 May 1977 (3A and 4A). Many athletes had record-breaking performances, perhaps most notably Brett Hoffman of St Petersburg High, whose 8:53.1 two mile still stands over thiry years later as the state meet record. It remains the fastest two mile ever run by a high school athlete on Florida soil.

The following results are principally from the results published in the Orlando Sentinel on 14 May 1977 and 15 May 1977. There may have been errors in the stories as originally published, and there certainly could have been errors in my transcription of the results (the microfilms I was working from could have been a lot clearer). Where possible, I checked questionable information against other sources. I welcome any opportunity to correct the remaining errors.

The results are also limited to the top six in each event, which is all that was printed in the newspapers. Perhaps in some forgotten file folder in the FHSAA offices there are complete results for this and the other state track and field championships going back to 1915. One can only hope. And one can only further hope that one day those complete results will be transcribed and published. Until that happy day, I present this small attempt at preserving and disseminating Florida athletic history.

Class AAAA

Shot Put
1. Dock Luckie (Fort Pierce Central) 65' 4"
2. David Galloway (Brandon) 60' 10-1/4"
3. Steve Gettell (Daytona Beach Seabreeze) 60' 6-1/4"
4. Clinton Blair (Hialeah Miami Lakes) 57' 9-1/2"
5. Nick Yonke (Pensacola Escambia) 57' 5-1/4"
6. Stanley Gavin (Fort Myers Cypress Lake) 56' 11-1/2"

Discus
1. Dock Luckie (Fort Pierce Central) 200' 5"
2. Joe Wickline (St Petersburg Northeast) 177' 1"
3. David Galloway (Brandon) 175' 7"
4. Greg McRoy (Jacksonville Ribault) 171' 0"
5. Barry Voltapetti (Hollywood Chaminade) 166' 11"
6. Jim Pokorney (Boca Raton) 164' 4"

Long Jump
1. Isaac Levine (Tampa Chamberlain) 23' 9-3/4"
2. James Glover (Tampa King) 23' 6-1/4"
3. James Thomas (Fort Lauderdale Nova) 22' 5"
4. Ricky Welch (St Petersburg Lakewood) 22' 5"
5. Larry Washington (Palm Beach Gardens) 22' 1-3/4"
6. Joseph Moss (Jacksonville Stanton) 22' 1"

High Jump
1. John Burch (Daytona Beach Mainland) 6' 10"
2. Dwayne McClairen (Daytona Beach Mainland) 6' 10"
3. Andrey Tarver (Jacksonville White) 6' 10"
4. Robert Haley (Brandon) 6' 8"
4. Sherman Washington (Tampa Jefferson) 6' 8"
6. Ruben Flowers (Miami Central) 6' 8"

Pole Vault
1. Don Bailey (Oak Ridge) 15' 6"
2. Greg Gibbs (Gonzalez Tate) 13' 6"
3. Steven White (Tampa Robinson) 13' 0"
3. Donald Mobley (Jacksonville Forrest) 13' 0"
3. William Lacey (Lake Brantley) 13' 0"
3. Donald Hancock (Winter Park) 13' 0"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Eugene Miller (Dunedin) 13.8
2. Wyman Daniels (Miami Killian) 13.9
3. Andy Walker (St Petersburg Northeast) 13.9
4. Sherman Davis (Boca Raton) 13.9
5. James Grant (Brandon) 14.0
6. Gilbert Brinson (Brandon) 14.1

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Wyman Daniels (Miami Killian) 36.7
2. Lester Jefferson (Orlando Jones) 37.5
3. Tony Randall (South Plantation) 37.8
4. Oscar Hadley (St Petersburg Lakewood) 38.1
5. Julius Shine (Tampa Chamberlain) 38.4
6. Russel Wilson (Sunshine Piper) 38.5

100-Yard Dash
1. Cyril Wyatt (Oak Ridge) 9.6
2. Carl Hudson (South Plantation) 9.7
3. John Hinson (Killian) 9.8
4. Walter McCoy (Daytona Beach Seabreeze) 9.8
5. Darryl Williams (Jacksonville Wolfson) 9.8
6. Richard Gary (Tampa Jefferson) 9.9

220-Yard Dash
1. Cyril Wyatt (Oak Ridge) 20.9
2. John Hinson (Killian) 21.3
3. Carl Hudson (South Plantation) 21.8
4. John Gary (Tampa Jefferson) 21.9
5. Walter McCoy (Daytona Beach Seabreeze) 21.9
6. Nate Washington (Sanford) 21.9

440-Yard Dash
1. Walter McCoy (Daytona Beach Seabreeze) 47.5
2. Isaac Levine (Tampa Chamberlain) 48.3
3. Don Barron (Sunrise Piper) 48.7
4. Howard Oliver (Orlando Evans) 48.8
4. Joe Henderson (Choctawhatchee) 48.8
6. Herman McCorvey (Pensacola Woodham) 49.1

880-Yard Run
1. Carlos Carillo (Titusville) 1:52.4
2. Robb Gomez (St Petersburg Boca Ciega) 1:52.6
3. William Middlemas (Largo) 1:54.3
4. Nick Chaconas (Dunedin) 1:55.3
5. Steven Edgecombe (Miami Jackson) 1:55.6
6. Charlie Nye (Pensacola Woodham) 1:56.7

Mile Run
1. Dennis Sweet (Miami Jackson) 4:17.9
2. Thomas Jacobsen (Dunedin) 4:19.0
3. Joe Weston (South Plantation) 4:20.4
4. Jarvis McArthur (Fort Lauderdale Stranahan) 4:20.8
5. Curtis Luster (Winter Haven) 4:22.9
6. Mike Clay (Choctawhatchee) 4:23.8

Two-Mile Run
1. Brett Hoffman (St Petersburg) 8:53.1
2. Herb Wills (Tallahassee Leon) 9:07.7
3. Thomas Jacobsen (Dunedin) 9:18.1
4. Steve Haug (Choctawhatchee) 9:23.3
5. Ray Wunderlich (St Petersburg Lakewood) 9:23.5
6. Mark Boyer (St Petersburg) 9:23.6

Sprint Medley Relay
1. St Petersburg Lakewood (Craig Hayes, Rick Welch, Michael Richardson, Henry Cummings) 1:56.0
2. Miami Northwestern 1:56.3
3. Tampa Bay Tech 1:56.6
4. Carol City 1:57.0
4. Orlando Jones 1:57.0
6. Orlando Evans 1:57.2

880 Relay
1. Orlando Oak Ridge (Stanley Dunn, Gary Henry, Ed Herring, Cyril Wyatt) 1:26.4
2. St Petersburg Lakewood 1:27.5
3. Miami Central 1:28.0
4. Miami Northwestern 1:28.2
5. Carol City 1:28.5
6. South Dade 1:28.8

Mile Relay
1. Tampa Chamberlain (Julious Shine, Ernest Clayton, Richard Bowers, Isaac Levine) 3:17.3
1. Miami Killian (Maurice Parrish, John Hinson, Eric Slaton, Wyman Daniels) 3:17.3
3. Jacksonville Raines 3:18.2
4. Orlando Evans 3:18.3
5. St Petersburg Lakewood 3:18.8
6. Winter Park 3:20.6


Class AAA

Shot Put
1. Eddie Weaver (Haines City) 59' 10-3/4"
2. Scott Allison (Titusville Astronaut) 55' 9-1/4"
3. Albert Craig (Tarpon Springs) 54' 1-1/2"
4. Mark Sieron (Crestview) 53' 6-3/4"
5. Dan Reid (Niceville) 53' 4"
6. Frederick Graham (Auburndale) 53' 3-1/4"

Discus
1. Harry Glenn (Apopka) 168' 3"
2. Hank Langee (Jacksonville Bolles) 165' 2"
3. Jerome Jones (Bartow) 158' 2"
4. Frederick Graham (Auburndale) 154' 11"
5. Johnny Parham (Bartow) 154' 9"
6. Sammie Hughley (Apopka) 150' 8"

Long Jump
1. Theopolis Manley (Lake Wales) 24' 5-1/2"
2. Darryl Simmons (Haines City) 24' 1-3/4"
3. Marcus Smith (Apopka) 24' 1"
4. Keith Washington (Delray Beach Atlantic) 23' 10-1/2"
5. Anthony Warrick (Bradenton Bayshore) 23' 10"
6. Timothy Cornelius (Delray Beach Atlantic) 23' 1-1/2"

High Jump
1. Ken Gibson (Apopka) 6' 6"
2. Timothy Cornelius (Delray Beach Atlantic) 6' 6"
3. William Mouzen (Apopka) 6' 6"
4. Jeffrey White (Bartow) 6' 4"
5. Myron Dilworth (Bartow) 6' 4"
5. Richard Whittaker (Tampa Jesuit) 6' 4"

Pole Vault
1. Gordon Cousins (Tampa Catholic) 14' 6"
2. Bob Duncan (Titusville) 14' 0"
2. Delmore Johnson (Haines City) 14' 0"
4. Leon Massey (Apopka) 14' 0"
5. Mark Ranstadler (Venice) 13' 6"
6. James Palmer (Fort Lauderdale Dillard) 13' 6"
6. Steve Houss (Rockledge) 13' 6"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Greg Brown (Ocala Vanguard) 14.1
2. William Mouzon (Apopka) 14.3
3. Elijah Thomas (Quincy Shanks) 14.4
4. Anthony Warrick (Bradenton Bayshore) 14.7
5. James Ganzy (Riviera Beach Suncoast) 15.0
6. Sammy Hughley (Apopka) 15.1

330-Yard Hurdles
1. William Mouzon (Apopka) 38.5
2. Larry Bradley (Madison) 38.8
3. Anthony Warrick (Bradenton Bayshore) 39.2
4. Michael Smith (Fort Myers) 39.8
5. Billy Thomas (Milton) 40.0
6. William Graham (Cocoa Beach) 40.1

100-Yard Dash
1. Ron Nelson (Rockledge) 9.9
2. Alphonse Brown (North Marion) 10.0
3. Dennis Smalls (Bradenton Bayshore) 10.0
4. Isaac Colson (Bartow) 10.1
5. Jerry Newsome (Bartow) 10.1
6. Tommy Blackshear (Crestview) 10.2

220-Yard Dash
1. Alphonse Brown (North Marion) 21.4
2. Ron Nelson (Rockledge) 21.6
3. Gerry Newsome (Bartow) 22.0
4. Robert Butler (Delray Beach Atlantic) 22.4
5. Larry Johnson (West Orange) 22.4
6. Tommy Blackshear (Crestview) 22.5

440-Yard Dash
1. Ron Nelson (Rockledge) 48.5
2. James Proctor (Madison) 48.8
3. Harold Wynn (Marianna) 49.6
4. Percy Walker (Rockledge) 49.6
5. Vince Zachary (Bradenton Bayshore) 50.0
5. David Dent (Jacksonville Bolles) 50.0

880-Yard Run
1. Earl Hill (Gainesville Buchholz) 1:55.3
2. George Tarr (Tampa Catholic) 1:56.1
3. Doug Overfelt (Titusville Astronaut) 1:57.2
4. Terry Stubbs (Bartow) 1:57.4
5. Robert Copeland (Quincy Shanks) 1:57.3
6. Alfred Carr (North Marion) 1:58.2

Mile Run
1. Doug Overfelt (Titusville Astronaut) 4:14.0
2. James Futch (Ocala Forest) 4:19.3
3. Brent Browing (Rockledge) 4:19.6
4. Ken Clark (Rockledge) 4:23.5
5. Robert Roarty (Tampa Catholic) 4:24.3
6. Paul Waldron (St Petersburg Catholic) 4:27.5

Two-Mile Run
1. Ken Clark (Rockledge) 9:20.9
2. Jeff Milliman (Punta Gorda Charlotte) 9:21.4
3. Paul Waldron (St Petersburg Catholic) 9:32.3
4. Bryan Artz (Venice) 9:33.8
5. Jeffery Warrick (Bradenton Bayshore) 9:43.2
6. Paul Tillett (Titusville Astronaut) 9:44.3

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Marianna (Al Hayes, Mark Robinson, Michael Sylvester, Harold Wynn) 1:57.1
2. Bartow 1:57.4
3. North Marion 1:58.0
4. Palatka South 1:58.5
5. Bishop Moore 1:58.9
6. Hallendale 2:00.4
6. Arcadia DeSoto 2:00.4

880 Relay
1. Bartow (Isaac Colson, Tony Thomas, William Blake, Gerry Newsome) 1:26.7
2. Marianna 1:28.0
3. North Marion 1:28.6
4. Delray Beach Atlantic 1:28.8
5. Gainesville Buchholz 1:29.0
5. Lake Wales 1:29.0

Mile Relay
1. Bartow (Tony Thomas, William Blake, Jim Austin, Terry Stubbs) 3:19.9
2. North Marion 3:20.1
3. Gainesville Buchholz 3:23.1
4. Quincy Shanks 3:23.8
5. Panama City Bay 3:23.8
6. Titusville Astronaut 3:24.0


Class AA

Shot Put
1. Darrell Demps (Melbourne Central Catholic) 55' 7"
2. Ellis Singletary (Jasper Hamilton County) 51' 5-1/2"
3. Willey Mitchell (Umatilla) 49' 1-1/2"
4. David Gay (Fort Meade) 48' 8"
5. John Gleason (Miami Westminster Christian) 47' 11-3/4"
6. Clifford Williams (Bushnell South Sumter) 47' 0"

Discus
1. Robert McLean (Clermont) 155' 3"
2. Mike Simms (Fort Meade) 148' 2"
3. John Gleason (Miami Westminster Christian) 147' 9"
4. Louis Schaeffer (Clearwater Central Catholic) 146' 9"
5. John Redmond (Clearwater Central Catholic) 144' 5"
6. Ellis Singletary (Jasper Hamilton County) 136' 11"

Long Jump
1. Terry Wright (Frostproof) 21' 11-1/4"
2. Gary Jones (Pahokee) 21' 10"
3. Phillip Goff (Palmetto) 21' 8-1/2"
4. Mike Bloomenfield (Miami Ransom) 21' 7-1/2"
5. Robert Donaldson (Umatilla) 21' 6-1/2"
6. Michael Favas (Hilliard) 21' 5-3/4"

High Jump
1. Gary Gassett (Alachua Sante Fe) 6' 7"
2. John Grattan (Miami Westminster) 6' 6"
3. Jeff Files (Pensacola Catholic) 6' 2"
4. Scott Owens (Miami Dade Christian) 6' 2"
5. Jeremiah Manning (St Augustine Florida Deaf) 6' 2"
6. Donald Poole (Palmetto) 6' 2"

Pole Vault
1. Henry Willis (Fort Meade) 13' 6"
2. Harold Ward (Clearwater Central Catholic) 13' 0"
3. Randall Christiano (Clearwater Central Catholic) 12' 6"
4. Terry Wright (Frostproof) 12' 6"
5. Jeremiah Manning (St Augustine St Joseph's) 12' 0"
6. Calvin Brown (Lake Butler Union County) 11' 6"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Jeff Patterson (Miami Westminster Christian) 15.0
2. Charles Stephens (Tallahassee FAMU) 15.2
3. Kirk Neeley (Eustis) 15.3
4. Mike Anderson (Avon Park) 15.3
5. Jorge Guarch (Miami LaSalle) 15.5
6. Mike Borders (Mulberry)

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Mike Bloomenfeld (Miami Ransom) 39.3
2. Michael Borders (Mulberry) 39.5
3. Dennis Griffin (Port St Joe) 39.5
4. Charles Stephens (Tallahassee Florida High) 40.0
5. Bruce Reid (St Augustine Florida Deaf) 41.5
6. Cesar Wright (Interlachen) 41.5

100-Yard Dash
1. Leroy Love (Pahokee) 10.0
2. Mike Pitmann (Pahokee) 10.2
3. Ellis Singletary (Jasper Hamilton County) 10.2
4. Samuel McIver (Pierson Taylor) 10.3
5. Arthur James (Chipley) 10.4
6. Tony Whittle (Chiefland) 10.6

220-Yard Dash
1. Leroy Love (Pahokee) 22.2
2. Manual Raias (St Augustine Florida Deaf) 22.6
3. Mike Pitmann (Pahokee) 22.6
4. Louis Blount (Tavares) 22.8
5. Lucious Brown (Interlachen) 22.8
6. Marvin Roulhac (Cottondale) 23.0

440-Yard Dash
1. Otis Archie (Interlachen) 49.5
2. Jeff Dextraze (Mount Dora) 50.2
3. Norman Fritz (Pensacola Catholic) 50.3
4. Joseph Thomas (Crescent City) 50.5
5. Charles Fulmar (Coral Shores) 51.6
6. David Williams (Avon Park) 52.2

880-Yard Run
1. Alphonse Williams (Avon Park) 1:58.6
2. Albert Simkins (Miami Ransom) 2:01.0
3. Paul McNulty (Trinity Prep) 2:01.3
4. Willie Powell (Chiefland) 2:01.5
5. Patrick Tomblin (Miami LaSalle) 2:03.0
6.

Mile Run
1. Alphonse Williams (Avon Park) 4:19.5
2. Mark Scavelli (Clearwater Central Catholic) 4:20.5
3. Scott Scheffler (Clewiston) 4:26.6
4. Jerry Carnes (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 4:31.4
5. Paul McNulty (Trinity Prep) 4:32.6
6. John Whitmor (Pensacola Catholic) 4:39.8

Two-Mile Run
1. Mark Scavelli (Clearwater Central Catholic) 9:38.9
2. Scott Scheffler (Clewiston) 9:41.0
3. Jerry Carnes (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 9:46.6
4. Charles Roberts (Havana) 9:57.8
5. Lee Davis (Clewiston) 9:57.8
6. Doug Woodman (Trinity Prep) 10:00.5

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Pahokee (Ron Osborne, Bernard Jackson, Leroy Nieson, Ricky Butler) 2:00.8
2. Jasper Hamilton County 2:02.1
3. Tallahassee Florida High 2:02.2
4. Graceville 2:02.9
5. Crescent City 2:03.7
6. Chiefland 2:04.5

880-Yard Relay
1. Pahokee (Ron Osborne, Bernard Jackson, Michael Pittman, Leroy Love) 1:29.2
2. Avon Park 1:30.7
3. Jasper Hamilton County 1:30.9
4. Chiefland 1:31.5
5. Tavares 1:31.9
6. Interlachen 1:32.5

Mile Relay
1. Tallahassee Florida High (Sterling Smith, Reggie Bruce, Charles Stephens, Billy Kemp) 3:27.0
2. Pahokee 3:27.9
3. Interlachen 3:29.0
4. Pensacola Catholic 3:29.5
5. Trinity Prep 3:29.9
6. Frostproof 3:32.2


Class A

Shot Put
1. Reginald Williams (Branford) 49' 3"
2. William Sparrow (Branford) 47' 9"
3. Vincent Sthair (Fort Lauderdale Westminster) 46' 9-3/4"
4. Terry Bunton (Jacksonville Victory Christian) 44' 6-3/4"
5. Bob Reisert (Miami Dadeland) 44' 4"
6. Edwin Javier (Fort Lauderdale Gold Coast Christian) 44' 1-1/2"

Discus
1. William Sparrow (Branford) 139' 4"
2. Ross Lee (Carrabelle) 133' 7"
3. John Pritchett (Greenville) 130' 6"
4. Michael Williams (Branford) 128' 4"
5. Steve (Miami St Brendan's) 126' 10"
6. Jay Sestok (Miami Dadeland)

Long Jump
1. Gary Barrs (Branford) 21' 11"
2. Aldric Grifin (Sneads) 21' 10-1/2"
3. Michael Ryals (Mount Dora Bible) 21' 3"
4. Robert Trawick (Greensboro) 21' 2"
5. Chuck Brown (Baldwin) 20' 10-1/2"
6. Donald Odom (Branford) 20' 9-3/4"

High Jump
1. Carl Robinson (St Augustine St Joseph's) 6' 0"
2. Robert Trawick (Greensboro) 6' 0"
2. Terry Hinson (Tallahassee FAMU) 6' 0"
4. Kurt Wade (Fort Lauderdale Westminster) 6' 0"
5. Bill Tuten (Jacksonville Victory Christian) 6' 0"
6. Bob sman (Miami Gulliver) 6' 0"

Pole Vault
1. Joe Brubaker (St Augustine St Joseph's) 12' 0"
2. Tom Karst (Jacksonville Victory Christian) 12' 0"
3. Larry Gomillon (Freeport) 11' 0"
4. Mark Latner (Trenton) 11' 0"
5. Robert Williams (Branford) 10' 6"
6. William Kirkland (Tallahassee North Florida Christian) 10' 6"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Klent James (Greensboro) 15.7
2. Ken Grafe (Miami Christian) 15.9
3. Willie Harris (Hastings) 16.2
4. Larry Beard (Pensacola Christian) 16.3
5. Michael Williams (Branford) 16.5
6. Charles Pinkerton (Trenton) 16.6

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Klent James (Greensboro) 41.4
2. Joe Brubaker (St Augustine St Joseph's) 41.7
3. Anthony Evans (Greenville) 42.5
4. Maximino Rodriguez (Montverde Academy) 42.8
5. Ron Brown (Moore Haven) 42.9
6. Ken Grafe (Miami Christian)

100-Yard Dash
1. Charles Weaver (Tallahassee FAMU) 10.3
2. Jeff Wright (Paxton) 10.3
3. Robert McNealy (Greensboro) 10.4
4. Gary Dixon (Tallahassee FAMU) 10.4
5. John Hendry (St Petersburg Shorecrest) 10.5
6. Terry Bunton (Jacksonville Victory Christian) 10.5

220-Yard Dash
1. Robert McNealy (Greensboro) 22.4
2. Jeff Wright (Paxton) 23.0
3. Curtis McNealy (Greensboro) 23.0
4. John Hendry (St Petersburg Shorecrest) 23.0
5. Sam Blong (Jacksonville Trinity) 23.2
6. Terry Bunton (Jacksonville Victory Christian) 23.5

440-Yard Dash
1. Curtis McNealy (Greensboro) 50.8
2. Alfred Eldredge (Miami Palmer) 51.5
3. Kenneth Raines (Sneads) 52.4
4. Gary Bryant (Freeport) 52.6
5. Greg Terry (Pensacola Christian) 52.8
6. Gerald Duke (Bronson) 53.2

880-Yard Run
1. Bobby Wilson (Freeport) 2:02.7
2. Kelly Brown (Mount Dora Bible) 2:05.0
3. Stephen Chester (Tallahassee North Florida Christian) 2:06.2
4. Don Hubbard (St Augustine St Joseph's) 2:07.0
5. Mark Sanford (Fort Lauderdale Westminster) 2:07.6
6. Mark Johnis (Montverde Academy) 2:07.7

Mile Run
1. Sam Fead (Greenville) 4:34.7
2. Mark Johnis (Montverde Academy) 4:37.0
3. John Godwin (Freeport) 4:38.5
4. David Fees (Montverde Academy) 4:44.2
5. Terral Peddie (Bristol Liberty County) 4:45.0
6. Steve Dunn (Fort Lauderdale Christian) 4:45.1

Two-Mile Run
1. Sam Fead (Greenville) 10:05.6
2. Ellis Seymore (Greensboro) 10:13.3
3. David Fees (Montverde Academy) 10:18.0
4. Mike Hartigan (Miami St. Brendan's) 10:18.9
5. Greg Smith (Tallahassee North Florida Christian) 10:22.2
6. James Trim (Bronson) 10:32.8

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Sneads (Jackie Rivers, Aldric Griffin, Kenny Raines, Thomas Wooton) 2:04.5
2. Tallahassee FAMU 2:05.0
3. Bronson 2:05.2
4. Greensboro 2:05.8
5. Miami Gulliver 2:07.0
6. Montverde Academy 2:07.5

880-Yard Relay
1. Tallahassee FAMU (Renwick Barber, Charles Weaver, Gary Dixon, Anthony Norton) 1:32.6
2. Greenville 1:35.0
3. Miami Gulliver 1:35.9
4. Branford 1:36.0
5. Montverde Academy 1:36.5
6. Trenton 1:36.8

Mile Relay
1. Greensboro (Willie Travis, Eddie Baker, Robert McNealy, Curtis McNealy) 3:32.3
2. Tallahassee FAMU 3:34.3
3. Sneads 3:34.7
4. Bronson 3:40.4
5. Fort Lauderdale Westminster 3:41.5
6. Miami Northwest Christian 3:41.7

Links:

• 1971 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/1971-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
  
  
• 1973 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/1973-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
  
  
• 1975 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/06/1975-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
  
  
• 1976 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/03/1976-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
  
  
• FHSAA track & field site
  http://fhsaa.org/tr/
  
  
• FLRunners.com, the definitive source for high school athletics results
  http://fl.milesplit.us/
  

2009 Potluck Bash 4 Mile, Tallahassee, Florida

Jay Wallace ran a rugged route through Phipps Park in 22:40 to be the first runner to Forestmeadows Athletic Center and the finish line of Gulf Winds Track Club's Potluck Bash 4-Mile Run on 13 June 2009. Micah Adriani was the first woman finisher at 27:05. However, neither was the race winner, because Potluck Bash is a prediction run, with top honors going to the runner who can most closely predict his or her finishing time. Under those rules, the championship went to Jimmy Lee (35:50) and Jerry McDaniel (28:00), who each finished in exactly the time that he had predicted. You can't get any closer than "right on."

The course was cross country, over roads and single-track trails in Phipps Park. The runners started from the youth sports complex off of Meridian Road, headed west across the Meadows Soccer Complex to the Phipps Park trails. A little over three miles later, the runners returned east to cross the Meadows Soccer Complex parking lot, run a few yards on Miller Landing Road, and then turn south along a gas pipeline to finish in the parking lot of Forestmeadows Athletic Center.

The four-mile run was followed by a pot-luck dinner social, after which the recipients of the 2009 Chenoweth Awards were announced, the top male and female track and cross-country athletes from the Tallahassee region as recognized by Gulf Winds Track Club's Chenoweth Committee.

Links:

• More photos of the 2009 Potluck Bash Four-Mile Run
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2661610&id=5215641&l=b6814e95fd
  
  
• Complete results
  http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2009/Potluck09.htm
  

Fort Braden Trails (East Loop) Tallahassee, Florida

At just under five miles (4.94 miles), the East Loop of the Fort Braden Trails in longer than either the West Loop (3.37 miles) or the Central Loop (2.98 miles). However, about a mile and a half of the East Loop is trail that it shares with the Central Loop. There is some also some doubling back, as you hike in 0.61 miles, make a loop, and then return on the initial 0.61 mile approach.

The trailhead for the East Loop is north of the parking area. Follow the road beyond the gate at the north end of the parking area for about 200 feet, passing a chain across the road. The trailhead will be at a wooden gate on the right side of the road. This is also the terminus of the Central Loop, and for 0.81 miles you'll be doing the Central Loop "backwards" (i.e., counterclockwise rather than clockwise). Beyond the wooden gate the orange-blazed trail begins, flat and firm, in a woods of scrub oak and pine. Deer moss covers the ground below the trees.

At 0.15 miles the trail comes onto a very sandy road. Follow the orange blazes right and don't curse the sand too heartily--it lasts less than sixty yards, after which you turn right off of the road and into the woods. At 0.23 miles the trail intersects the pink-blazed horse trail, turn right and follow the trail down into a small ravine. The trees grow larger as you descend. At the bottom of the ravine (0.32) the trail crosses a small stream on a foot bridge. Climb away from the bridge over a tangle of roots, and then descend back into the ravine to cross another small bridge at 0.38 miles.

After the second bridge the trail climbs out of the small ravine, turning left to briefly follow an old road or firebreak at 0.45 miles. At 0.52 miles you cross the pink-blazed horse trail and then begin a descent into a second small ravine, reaching the bottom at 0.59 miles. Crossing a bridge at the ravine bottom, the trail climbs to an intersection at 0.61 miles, the start of the "loop" part of the East Loop. A sign here directs you to the "Trailhead" (pointing back toward where you came from), the "Central Loop" (pointing left), and the "East Loop" (pointing right). We'll be going clockwise around the East Loop, so take the trail to the left, even if the sign says "Central Loop."

Heading away from the sign, the ravine that you just climbed out of will be on the left and higher ground on the right. At 0.77 miles the trail crosses the pink-blazed horse trail, and at 0.81 miles you reach another signed intersection. Here you'll take the trail to the right, following the arrow pointing toward the "East Loop." The trail makes a short climb to circle a small steephead around 0.88 miles. For the most part, though, the trail will be making gentle descents as it heads toward Lake Talquin. Around 1.23 miles you cross a low, wet patch where you might find a stream but more probably will find mud; you won't find a bridge. In this flat area undergrowth may obscure the treadway, so look for the orange blazes--fortunately, there are plenty of blazes.

The trail crosses a road at 1.35 miles. If you glance to the left along the road you'll be able to see Lake Talquin. Continuing across the road, the trail makes a sharp left and then crosses a stream at 1.48 miles. There is no bridge here, but the stream is small enough to hop. Keep an eye out for Lake Talquin ahead of you. At 1.59 miles the trail right to follow the shore of the lake.

A bit further ahead (1.63 miles), the trail meets an old road. Turn left onto the old road, which is also the treadway for the pink-blazed horse trail. Crazed trail runners will hate this stretch, but I'm fond of it. The trail is wide, smooth, and shaded, with views of Lake Talquin through the trees on the left. Look for islands and boats on the water. Listen for ducks and other birds, outboard motors, the voices of sports fishers over the water, and mysterious splashes made by turtles, fish, or alligators. However, there is no unobstructed view of the lake on the East Loop as there is on the West Loop and the Central Loop. Furthermore, the banks of the lake are rather steep here, so shuffling off the trail to get a better look is not a good idea. Enjoy what you can see from the trail; it's better than falling into the lake.

At 1.94 miles trail turn left off of the road and away from the pink blazes but closer to the lake. The trail turns to the right at 2.01 miles to avoid an inlet of Lake Talquin, and then leaves the lake for good. By the time you cross an unbridged stream at 2.09 miles, you've seen the last of Lake Talquin on this hike. For better or worse, there are no spectacular inclines to emphasize the fact that the trail is climbing out of the lake basin.

For the next mile or so the trail runs alongside (but not very close to) Coe Landing Road, so you might occasionally hear a car through the trees on the left. The trail also winds quite a bit on this stretch, so watch the orange blazes. There is an unbridged stream crossing at 2.50 miles, and a bridged one at 2.67 miles. At 2.86 miles the trail crosses the pink-blazed horse trail. A 1000-foot detour to the left on the horse trail would take you to Coe Landing Road. I don't recommend it as a scenic side trip, but it could be useful.

A small brown wooden sign reading "MILE 7" is at 2.90 miles. This is the seven-mile mark for a hike that combines parts of the West Loop, the Central Loop, and the East Loop to make a single nine-mile long hiking loop. I can't say how many trail re-routes have been done since these posts were erected, or how accurately they were placed, but this one means that you have approximately two miles left in the loop.

Just past the "MILE 7" sign the trail crosses a small stream bed. There are bridged streams at 2.94 miles and 2.99 miles. About 3.11 miles the trail makes it's closest approach to Coe Landing Road as it skirts streams and steepheads on the right; you may even be able to see cars through the trees on the left. Further on, several large trees have fallen across the trail. On my visit, there were flags leading around the trees, making it appear as if re-routing rather than removal was going to be the solution. Once you do make it around the fallen trees, at 3.24 miles the trail crosses the pink-blazed horse trail. A 500-foot detour to the left on the horse trail takes you to a gate on Coe Landing Road, but we're pushing ahead. At 3.29 miles the trail crosses a wet area above a steephead then turns left to climb a bank.

At 3.43 miles the trail crosses a small stream on a foot bridge. (The bridge had become a dam on my most recent visit; I cleared the waterway underneath the bridge but anyone with a shovel could do a better job.) Once across the stream the trail climbs out of a small ravine and into a flat pine woods. Not being longleaf pines, these trees are probably doomed to removal.

The trail crosses the pink-blazed horse trail again at 3.66 miles. Afterwards, it begins winding through a flat, wet area while skirting a logged-out savannah. There is a foot bridge across some of the worst of the swampiness at 3.87 miles, and at 3.91 miles there is a series of almost 200 feet of plank bridges keeping the trail out of the mud. After this the trail is much better drained. A "MILE 8" sign has been placed for your amusement at 3.95 miles, and the trail crosses Beech Road at four miles.

After hopping a small stream at 4.13 miles, the trail passes a group of metal artifacts, some quite large. Were these auto parts? Logging machinery? Is it left over from when this was private timber land, or was it dumped out here when the area was more accessible? Is this a cultural resource, or is it trash? While you ponder these riddles, at 4.18 miles the trail comes out into a stand of young longleaf pines, too small to cast shade and too skinny to hold a blaze. Blazes on this stretch are on posts.

The sunny stretch doesn't last long enough to be oppressive and ends at 4.27 miles when the trail crosses a firebreak and heads into the woods. Going down a short incline, at 4.31 miles the trail arrives at an intersection marked by a sign--the first signed intersection you came to on the loop. This time go left, following the arrow marked "TRAILHEAD." From here you backtrack the first 0.61 miles of the hike, and arrive back at the trailhead at 4.94 miles. Including the distance from the parking lot to the trailhead and back, you can call it five miles.


Links:

• Fort Braden Trails (West Loop)
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/03/fort-braden-trails-west-loop.html
  
  
• Fort Braden Trails (Central Loop)
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/03/fort-braden-trails-central-loop.html
  
  
• More photos of the East Loop
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2660313&id=5215641&l=1c69dd988d
  
  
• Florida Trailwalker Program
  http://www.fl-dof.com/forest_recreation/trailwalker_index.html
  
  
• Lake Talquin State Forest
  http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/lake_talquin.html

10 June 2009 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 10 June 2009. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:

http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1

This is a listing of upcoming races within 100 miles of Tallahassee, Florida, roughly the area in the map below. If a race isn't listed, I probably haven't heard of it, so post a comment and let me know about it.

13 JUNE 2009

• Potluck Bash 4-Mile Run. 6:00 pm ET. Forestmeadows Athletic Center, 4750 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL. Entry form and flyer. David Yon, 850-425-6671 or david@radeylaw.com
• Watermelon Road Race 12K / 5K / 1-Mile Fun Run. 8:00 am ET. Cordele, GA. Event web page. Jamie Fernandez 229-271-1900 or jamiecfernandez@yahoo.com
  

20 JUNE 2009

• Big Bend Victim Assistance Coalition “Run for One, Run for All” 5K. 8:00 am ET. Southwood State Office Complex on Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, FL. Erica Higgins, (850) 922-3498 or HigginsE@leoncountyfl.gov
  
• Melon Run 5K. Old Jefferson County High School gym, Monticello, FL. USATF certified course #FL06044DL. Online registration at active.com. Entry form and flyer.
  
• Sunshine Trail Trot 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. 8:00 am CT. H.G. Harder's Sports Complex, 8110 John Pitts Road, Panama City, FL. Online registration at active.com.
  

27 JUNE 2009

• Hot Trot 5K. 7:30 am CT. Washington-Holmes Technical Center, 757 Hoyt Street, Chipley, FL 32428. Stan Owens 850-547-2244
• Sneads High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes Inside Out 5K. 8:00 am CT. Three Rivers State Park, 7908 Three Rivers Park Road, Sneads, FL 32460. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration on active.com.
• 10U Bay Bombers Disney 5K. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Panama City Beach, FL. Online registration at active.com. 850-774-7187.
  
• Summer Sizzler 5K / 1 Mile. 7:00 pm ET (1 mile), 7:30 pm ET (5K). St. George Island, FL. USATF certifed course #FL99035DL. Entry form and flyer. Hobson Fulmer, 850-927-2510 or hobson@fairpoint.net

4 JULY 2009

• Firecracker 5K. 7:30 am ET. Greensboro, FL. Entry form and flyer. Greensboro Kiwanis, PO Box 97, Greensboro, FL 32330.
• Valdosta 5K. 7:15 am ET. Valdosta, GA. Five Points, North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.
  
• Freedom Springs Triathlon. 7:00 am CT. Blue Springs Recreation Park, 5461 Blue Springs Road, Marianna, FL. Entry form and flyer. Terry Edwards (850)482-3415 or fst1@earthlink.net

11 JULY 2009

• Greeks In The Streets 5K. 8:00 am ET. Langford Green, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Emmy Hunt, gettingreeksinthestreets@gmail.com
  

18 JULY 2009

• Critter Run 5K. 6:00 pm CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. USATF certified course #AL86003JD. Event web page. Event entry form. Larry Dykes (334) 792-6021
• Barnes 100 Years 5K. 7:30 am ET. Barnes Drug Store Downtown, 200 South Patterson Street Valdosta, GA 31601. Event web site. Entry form and flyer.
  
• Summer Sprint 5K. 7:30 am CT. Panama City, FL. 850-234-4370
• Loop the Lake 5K. 7:30 am ET. Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, 2459-H US Highway 280 West, Cordele, GA 31015. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  

1 AUGUST 2009

• Fallen Heroes Run 5K. 8:00 am ET. Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, FL 32305. Event web page. Gavin Larremore, oovtally@comcast.net
  
• Possum Trot 5K. 7:30 am CT. Wausua, FL. Frank or Carol Kreis 850-773-2030

8 AUGUST 2009

• Mike Schneider Memorial 5K and 1 mile fun run. 8:00 am ET. Cobb Middle School, 915 Hillcrest Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Tolar Griffin 850-294-6456 or peoples.champ34@yahoo.com

15 AUGUST 2009

• Breakfast On The Track One Mile Run. 7:45 am ET. Maclay School track, 3737 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL. Bonnie Wright, 850-386-3500 or bwright@electro-net.com
  
• Georgia Veterans Duathlon and Triathlon. 8:00 am ET. Georgia Veterans State Park, 2459 U.S. Highway 280 W, Cordele , GA 31015. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com
  

29 AUGUST 2009

• Miller Landing Madness 8K/5K/3K. 8:00 am ET. Elinor Klapp Phipps Park, Miller Landing Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312. Mike Sims (850)514-3424 or Tom Perkins (850)894-2019
• Winnersville Half-Ironman & Sprint Triathlon. 7:30 am ET (Half-Ironman, 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run), 8:00 am ET (Sprint, 45 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3.6 mile run). Valdosta Lowndes 4-H Facility, 5000 4-H Club Road, Lake Park, GA 31636. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Registration form.
  

5 SEPTEMBER 2009

• 30th annual Midnight Chase 5K Run & 1-Mile Fun Run. 12:00 am CT. Panama City, FL. Nancy Dingus 850-763-6891 or Joe Edgecombe 850-774-0018

7 SEPTEMBER 2009

• 2nd annual Red Cross Hurricane Run 5K. 8:00 am ET. Southwood Office Complex, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Debara Jump, 878-6080 ext. 106 or debara.jump@tallyredcross.org
  

12 SEPTEMBER 2009

• Sickle Cell Foundation of the Big Bend 5K. 8:00 am ET. Jake Gaither Park, 801 Tanner Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32305. Velma Penermon Stevens, (850)222-2355
• Beach Blast Triathlon and Duathlon. 7:00 am CT (Sprint triathlon, 0.35 mile Swim, 15 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run; Olympic triathlon, 0.7 mile Swim, 25 mile Bike, 6.2 mile Run; Sprint duathlon, 1.2 mile Run, 15 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run; Olympic duathlon, 3.1 mile Run, 15 mile Bike, 6.2 mile Run). Mexico Beach, Florida. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  

19 SEPTEMBER 2009

• Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Optimist Park, East Indianhead Drive, Tallahassee, FL. USATF certified course #FL00022DL. Lisa Unger, ungertl@juno.com or 850-562-2901.
• Gulf Coast Community College Commodore Sun Run 10K / 5K / Fun Run. 6:30 am CT. Aaron Bessant Park (at Pier Park), 500 West Park Drive, Panama City, FL. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
• Trot with S.W.A.T. 10K. 8:00 am CT. Dothan Civic Center Parking Lot, 126 N. St. Andrews Street, Dothan, Alabama. Brian Goguen 334-794-9029 or cgoguen@sw.rr.com

26 SEPTEMBER 2009

• Salute to Prefontaine 5K Cross-Country Run. 9:00 am ET. Silver Lake Recreation Area of the Apalachicola National Forest, Silver Lake Road, Tallahassee, FL. Jeff Nielsen, 850-459-8859 or dobieman@comcast.net
• Quail Trail 5K. 8:00 am ET. Historic Pebble Hill Plantation, US 319, Thomasville, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. Helen Fennelly, 229-225-2186 or htfenn@hotmail.com

3 OCTOBER 2009

• Pelham Wildlife Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Family Bank, 134 Hand Ave W, Pelham, GA. 229-294-2341
  

10 OCTOBER 2009

• Pine Run at Tall Timbers 20K. 7:30 am ET. Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL. Gordon Cherr, 850-556-5957 or scam22@aol.com
• Stepping Out for your Heart 5K. 8:00 am ET. Tift County High School, Northeast Campus, 3021 Fulwood Rd, Tifton, Georgia 31794. Darian Peavy 229-353-7796 or darian.peavy@tiftregional.com, or Ernest Lang 229-383-4264.
• Oyster Spat Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Sugar Hill Beach in St George Island State Park, 1900 E. Gulf Beach Dr., St. George Island, Florida 32328. Event web site. rickplesinger@yahoo.com
  

17 OCTOBER 2009

• Girls Incorporated Half Marathon. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Panama City Beach, FL. Online registration at active.com.
  

24 OCTOBER 2009

• Expression 5K. 8:30 am ET. Christian Heritage Church, 2820 Sharer Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Liz Baker, 850-212-7406 or lizbaker777@aol.com or expressionrun@gmail.com
  

31 OCTOBER 2009

• Boston Mini-Marathon. 8:00 am ET. Commercial Bank, 124 West Jefferson Street, Boston, GA 31626. Entry form and flyer. Brad Johnson, bradjohnson@bankcb.com or 229-498-8500 (day) / 229-226-4679 (evening).
• Sixth annual St. John Road Race 5K, 1 Mile, and Tot Trot. 8:30 am ET (5K), 9:30 am ET (1 Mile), 9:45 am ET (Tot Trot). St. John Catholic School, 800 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602-1699. 229-244-2556
  

7 NOVEMBER 2009

• Alligator Lake 5K / 10K. 9:00 am ET. Alligator Lake Park, 1498 SW Country Club Road, Lake City, FL 32025. Online registration at active.com. Dusty Smith, halfmiletiming_dusty@hotmail.com
  

14 NOVEMBER 2009

• Miles for Smiles 5K. 8:30 am ET (one-mile fun run), 9:00 am ET (5K). Coffee Regional Medical Center, 1101 Ocilla Road, Douglas, GA 31533.
• YMCA Holiday Chili Run. 8:00 am ET. Albany YMCA Central Facility, 1701 Gillionville Road, Albany, GA 31707. Online registration at active.com.
• Trot for Tots 10K & 5K. 9:00 am CT. Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401. Online registration at active.com.
  

21 NOVEMBER 2009

• 15th annual Draggin' Tail 18-Mile Run & Relay 5K. 8:00 am CT. St Theresa's Catholic Church, 2056 Sunny Hills Boulevard, Sunny Hills, FL. Event web site. Marty Kirkland 850-265-8439 or Joe Edgecombe 850-763-5005, joeruns@yahoo.com
  

26 NOVEMBER 2009

• Tallahassee Turkey Trot 15k / 10K / 5K. 8:00 am ET. State Office Satellite Complex at SouthWood, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, FL. Event web site.
  

28 NOVEMBER 2009

• Pilgrim Chase Trail Run 5K. 8:00 am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Larry Dykes 334-792-6021

5 DECEMBER 2009

• 2009 Gulf Winds Track Club Ten-Mile Challenge / Five-Mile Run. 8:00 am ET. Killearn Lakes Elementary School, 8037 Deerlake Drive East, Bradfordville, FL. USATF certified courses FL07049EBM (10 mile) and FL07048EBM (5 mile). Event web page. Judy Alexander, 850-383-1361 or jalexander98@comcast.net
• Christmas Parade 5K. 6:00 pm ET. Douglas, Georgia. Cathy Browning (912-384-1616 or cbrowning@windstream.net) or C.M. Jenkins (912-384-7448 or 912-383-5445 or cimjenkins@windstream.net)
  

12 DECEMBER 2009

• 29th annual Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50K/50M. 7:00 am ET. Wakulla Springs State Park, 550 Wakulla Park Drive, Wakulla Springs, FL. Event web site. Gary Griffin, runlong@nettally.com

16 JANUARY 2010

• Gulf Winds Track Club 30K / 15K. 7:30 am ET. The Retreat at Bradley's Pond, 9002 Bradley Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309. USATF certified courses FL06013DL (30K) and FL06014DL (15 K). Jerry/Jackie McDaniel (mcdanieljackie@hotmail.com or 850-297-0009)
  

7 FEBRUARY 2010

• 36th annual Tallahassee Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:30 am ET. Mike Long Track, Florida State University, Chieftan Way at Spirit Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306. Event web site. USATF certified course FL06020DL (Marathon), FL06021DL (half-Marathon). Online registration at active.com. Tallahasseemarathon@gmail.com

6 MARCH 2010

• 4th annual Snickers® Marathon® Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:00 am ET. Veteran's Park, Front Street, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified course GA07003WC (Marathon), GA07002WC (half-Marathon). Event web site. Online registration at active.com. info@SNICKERSmarathonenergybarmarathon.com
  

27 MARCH 2010

• 35th annual Springtime 10K, Publix 5K & Fun Station 1-Miler. 8:00am ET. Leon County Courthouse, 301 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Event web site. USATF certified course FL96048DL (10 km). Judy Alexander, jalexander98@comcast.net or 850-383-1361.
  

10 APRIL 2010

• 36th annual Palace Saloon 5 km. 8:00am ET. James Messer Fields Park, Jackson Bluff Road and Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. USATF certified course FL99027DL. Online registration at active.com.

2009 Ride For Hope

I heard that there were over 300 bicyclists in Tallahassee's fourth annual "Ride For Hope" on 6 June 2009. That's not a fact that for which I could give testimony, even though I was there, because there were more accurately five rides for hope--a 100 mile, a 100 kilometer, a 40 mile, a 15 mile, and a five mile. Starting times were staggered, with the 100-mile ride and the 100-kilometer ride starting at 7:00 am, while the 40-mile riders and the 15-mile riders started at 8:30 am, and the five-mile "fun ride" started at 10:00 am. Because I rode the 100-kilometer route, I saw very few of the people in the three shorter rides. In what seems to be cycling tradition, the posted distances were very approximate. The 100-kilometer ride, for instance, came in at about 59 miles or 95 kilometers, while the 15-mile course included a free bonus mile and was actually about 16 miles long.

The starting time also turned out to be approximate, but we were sent off about 7:10. From Celebration Baptist Church the route headed onto Centerville Road then north, quickly losing 100 feet of elevation as we descended to where Lake Kanturk drains under the road. Unfortunately, we were going to have to give all that elevation back on the last mile of the ride.

The course went from Centerville Road right onto Roberts Road, right onto Crump Road, right onto Miccosukee Road, left onto Miles Johnson Road, and right onto Chaires Cross Road. Then after fifteen miles of pedaling we were in the village of Chaires, the location of the first stop. Not that you had to stop, but I was glad for the excuse. I wasn't alone. If nothing else it was a chance to get a drink and visit the plumbing, both of which were available in Chaires.

After the stop we proceeded through Chaires, crossing the railroad tracks before turning east onto Capitola Road. Passing through Capitola, we headed onward to Lloyd and the second stop. Arriving at the Lloyd stop, it turned out that one of the 100-milers I had been riding with had a stuck brake and a flat tire. I was wondering how I had been able to keep up. However, from Lloyd, the hundred-milers were turning south, while the hundred-kilometer course continued east on the Old Lloyd Road. There was another stop a mile past Lloyd, but a mile was too early to make another stop, even for me, and even though the bananas looked tempting.

There is not much good to say about the Old Lloyd Road. I suppose that the pavement is good, and the scenery is fine, but the road is wide open, exposed to the sun and wind. The terrain is mostly rolling, but as you head between Interstate 10 and US 90 there is one major uphill (where I geared down and took it easy). No, there is not much good to say about the Old Lloyd Road, except that it eventually dead ends into US 90, at which point you've finished half of the 100-kilometer course.

US 90 is also known as the Fred Mahan Drive, after Monticello pecan tycoon Fred Mahan, who donated thousands of plants for beautification of the highway right-of-way between Tallahassee and Monticello. Unfortunately, after a commemorative plaque was erected in 1953, maintenance on the landscaping was minimal, and most of the plants are dead or strangled by kudzu or muscadine vines. Even so, Mahan Drive is an attractive stretch of road. We turned left onto it and headed west, passing what was left of Mahan's plants, some blooming crape myrtles that were added more recently, and Lake Miccosukee. We also had to pedal in and out of the Lake Miccosukee basin, but those slopes were surprisingly gentle. Best of all, there was a bike lane along the highway, clear save for a dead possum or two.

Last year the course had left Mahan Drive on Sunray Road, but this year we had to push on to Old Magnolia Road. Apparently too many cyclists had complained about the pavement on Sunray. I had enjoyed it myself, but I had been riding a steel hybrid with 2.125" tires, while the whiners had probably been riding carbon-fiber insects on pencil-thin rims. In deference to the road bicycles, we traded the oak canopy of Sunray Road for a few more miles of Highway 90, followed by a right turn onto Old Magnolia Road. There was another stop at 39 miles, near the corner of Sunray Road and Old Magnolia Road. Real food here; sandwiches and strawberries. The gentleman staffing the stop lived here, so we talked about his goats (a cute pair of youngsters) and the roads in the area before I climbed back on my machine to push it for the last twenty miles.

We turned left onto Rococo Road just before the unpaved section of Magnolia Road started (which is beautiful, but the road bikes can't take it), and then right onto the Veteran's Highway. I went by three cyclists getting a flat tire fixed on Veteran's Highway, then arrived in the village of Miccosukee, where a rest stop was getting packed up. Was I really that far back? In Miccosukee the route turned left onto Moccasin Gap Road, where I overtook Jeanne O'Kon and two other cyclists who were doing the the 40-mile ride. I rode with them to the next stop at Bradley's Country Store. There was ice cream at Bradley's; there was no way I was skipping that stop.

"Two of our friends missed the turn at Mahan Drive and ended up on the hundred kilometer course," Jeanne said. That didn't seem like it would have been hard to do. I hadn't seen any marks at that intersection for the 40-milers. On the other hand, I hadn't been looking for any marks for the 40-mile route.

Bradley's marked ten miles to go, which made it that much easier to enjoy the gentle slopes and canopy oaks of Moccasin Gap Road, which mysteriously becomes Centerville Road as you get closer to Tallahassee. The course turned left onto Bradfordville Road, and then onto Santa Anita Drive, the location of the last rest stop. From there, you were into the maze of residential roads of Dublin Downs, Killearn Acres, and Killearn Estates--turning right onto Pimlico Drive, right onto Clarecastle Way, right onto Shannon Lakes Drive, left onto McLaughlin Drive, and then right onto Tralee Road. All these turns were well marked. On Tralee Road, we had to climb back out of the Lake Kanturk basin. Gear down, pay the elevation debt, and curse the memory of Isaac Newton. After climbing the hill, Tralee dumped me back out onto Shamrock Drive next to Celebration Baptist Church, where I had to avoid getting creamed by cyclists leaving in their cars while trying to figure out how to get to the finish area. I think that I guessed right, but who knows? There were no signs or arrows on the pavement.

Back at the church the food was good and I found that I wasn't too tired to chew. The rain had held off and the weather was still gorgeous with (relatively) mild temperatures (for north Florida in June). A few hundred milers were still coming in, but I was suddenly very tired--In addition to the ride, I usually don't get up at 5:00 am and Saturday morning and change the tires on my bicycle.

Ride For Hope is a fund raiser for the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center. After four years it's also getting to be a pretty good bike ride. It should be back next spring.

Links:

• Ride For Hope web site:
  http://www.ride4hope.net/
  
  
• My Ride For Hope photos on Facebook
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2658294&id=5215641&l=a83b46668e
  

Parking Lot Loops

If you can walk around it, someone is going to try to run around it.

In Britain, the Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge, was completed sometime in the early 1600s. Not much later, scholars started running around the Great Court. When the College clock was added later in the century, Trinity College's athletes had a goal: to complete the circuit of the Great Court before the College clock can finish striking twelve. 1928 Olympic gold-medalist David Cecil, Lord Burghley, became the first runner to beat the clock around the quad in 1927. Burghley's performance in the Great Court Run was the inspiration for a scene in the movie Chariots of Fire.

On this side of the Atlantic, Hamilton, Ontario bookie Billy Carroll and his cronies had a lively discussion about who had made the fastest circuit of Hamilton Harbour, a loop of about nineteen miles. Voices were raised, bets were made, and on Christmas Day of 1894 the Hamilton Around the Bay Race was established, three years before that upstart marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. The Hamilton Around the Bay Road Race remains the oldest long distance race in North America.

Yes, if you can walk around it, someone is going to try to run around it. Then someone else will measure it and try to time it. And in America, yet another person will find a way to sell tickets, auction off the television rights, and get the winner's picture printed on a box of "Wheaties."

There are several natural loops in the Tallahassee area, as short as a dash around the State Capitol Complex or as long as a circumambulation of Lake Jackson. In between, I've already written about the trails that circle Lake Henrietta, Lake Elberta, and the pond at Martha Wellman Park. But I also have a strange fascination for loops around parking lots.

Parking lots are not exactly havens of arboreal splendor. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot," the song says. But if you're running a road race, you've already committed to running on pavement. In a parking lot, the race directors should easily be able to control automobile traffic and protect the runners (it's easier to close a parking lot than to close a highway). And if you're driving to the race, there should be plenty of parking when you get there.

So here are three such loops that I've given some thought to.

Terminal Drive Loop


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While driving around Terminal Drive at Tallahassee Regional Airport, waiting to pick up a debarking family member, I started to wonder just how long a loop it made. Was it a mile? Could this be the future course of the Tallahassee Airport Mile?

As it turns out, the loop is about 0.8 miles long. I'll measure it with surveying equipment someday when I don't mind exciting the fine men and women who work for the Transportation Security Authority. Still, you could lengthen that to a mile quite easily by repeating the straightaway along the terminal. Or you could do almost four laps and have a 5,000 meter course. The loop is actually fairly attractive, with a tree-lined north straightaway and a modest change in elevation on the curves between the north straightaway (which is lower) and the south straightaway (which is higher). One annoying detail is that this is an airport, and you probably couldn't shut it down for a race. However, there doesn't seem to be any passenger traffic in or out of Tallahassee after midnight. Thus, a Midnight Mile! Or series of one-mile races. Or an elite 5,000 meter race. Terminal Drive is well-lit, and spectators could see most of the race from the terminal. But you'd have to convince everyone involved (including the Transportation Security Authority) of the worthwhile cultural and economic benefits of such an event.

Governor's Square Mall Loop

22 laps around Governor's Square is a marathon!


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Or at least very, very close to a marathon. The loop around the Governor's Square Mall parking lot is right about 2100 yards, which is not quite 1-1/4 miles or a bit short of two kilometers. Not that you'd necessarily want to run a marathon on this loop. For one thing, the mall was built on a hillside, and there is a pretty good elevation change between the low end of the loop to the north and high end of the loop near Apalachee Parkway. After nine or ten times around the mall, I imagine that hill would get a bit monotonous.

Still, there are worse roads to run on. For a shorter run, the slopes wouldn't be particularly challenging but would still cause runners to change the muscle groups they were using as they moved around the loop. Almost the entire loop is lined by trees, including live oaks, white oaks, and magnolias.

There are interesting possibilities for holding a race on the loop. A 4K would be a little more than two laps, and is enough of an oddball distance that nearly everyone would be guaranteed a personal best. Spectators might be disappointed to find that there is a large building in the middle of the loop (i.e., Governor's Square Mall) blocking their view. Most of the loop is wide enough that you could cone off a lane for the runners, altho' you'd probably still want to schedule the race to take place before the mall's regular hours (you certainly wouldn't want to hold a race during the Christmas shopping season). Governor's Square might even be happy to host an event that brought several hundred people to the mall.

Tallahassee Mall Loop

If no one stages a race around Governor's Square Mall, then someone is liable to put on a race around Tallahassee Mall.

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There actually was at least one road race starting from Tallahassee Mall back in the 1980s, attested to by the yellowing pages of old Racing South magazines. More recently, the mall was expanded, and the developers attempted to add a perimeter road to the parking lot. They were fairly successful to the east and to the north of Tallahassee Mall; the perimeter road is wide, landscaped, and goes by woods and ponds. To the south--especially parallel to North Monroe Street (US 27)--you're in the old parking lot, and the perimeter road is flanked by asphalt on both sides. To the west, things are even worse. There is no perimeter road to the west. In order to complete a loop around the mall, you either have to snake through the parking lot itself or head out onto Allen Road.

Portions of the loop have all the charm of an alleyway (or a parking lot), but some of the newer parts are landscaped. Almost none of the loop is flat, most of it being gently rolling, with a genuine hill on Allen Road. It's a bit longer than the Governor's Square loop, measuring about 2,350 yards (1-1/3 miles, or 2.15 km). Two loops plus 700 meters would be a 5K, or two loops less 300 meters would be a 4K. Once again, spectators would have the mall blocking their view, and mall merchants would have dozens if not hundreds of potential customers in their parking lot.

This isn't a comprehensive list of Tallahassee's parking lot loops, and I'm sure that there are a few long loops around apartment complexes or Wal-Mart stores that I've missed. A few people may be adamant that a parking lot is the worst place in the world to race, but if the alternative is yet another 5K around Maclay Gardens State Park or the Florida State University campus, then the parking lot loops at least look like a change of scenery.

I'll agree, though, that a marathon of 22 laps around Governor's Square Mall isn't a great idea.

Links:

• Trinity College's "Great Court Run" web page
  http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php?pageid=378
  
  
• Chariots of Fire at the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082158/
  
  
• Hamilton Around the Bay Road Race web site
  http://www.aroundthebayroadrace.com
  
  
• Chapter about the Hamilton Around the Bay in David Blaikie's Boston: the Canadian Story
  http://www.davidblaikie.com/david_blaikie/boston/baa_bay.htm
  
  
• Lake Elberta Park Trail
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/03/lake-elberta-park-tallahassee-florida.html
  
  
• Lake Henrietta Park Trail
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/01/lake-henrietta-trail.html
  
  
• Martha Wellman Park Trail
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/04/martha-wellman-park-trail.html