Monday, November 16, 2009

2009 FHSAA Region 1-3A / 2A Cross Country Meet

On 14 November 2009 Florida's capital was the cross-country running capital of north Florida, as high school teams from Pensacola to Jacksonville converged on Sunnyhill Farm in Tallahassee for the Region 1 championship. It's the last step in Florida's state championship series before the actual state championship meet at Little Everglades Ranch near Dade City. The class 2A and 3A teams in the competition were fighting to qualify for a trip to the state meet. 56 teams arrived at the course that morning, but only 24 would go on to the state championships.

The 3A girls ran first. The runners disappeared from the starting field immediately, but by the end of the first mile reports came back that Chiles' Lily Williams had taken the lead, closely trailed by her teammate Carly Thomas, the defending champion of Region 1. For the rest of the 5K race Williams and Thomas continued to move away from the rest of the field, but Williams never got away from Thomas. When the leaders burst into sight of the finish line back on the starting field, it was still all Williams and Thomas, and that's how it remained, with Lily Williams winning the Region 1 title in 18:30, and Thomas a few steps back in 18:32. With four runners in the top ten and all five scorers in the top 20, Chiles won its seventh-straight Region 1-3A team title with 34 points, comfortably ahead of the 59 points scored by runners-up Fort Walton Beach. Ridgeview (114 points), Creekside (119 points), Vanguard (149 points), and Niceville (171 points) also qualified to advance to the state championships.

"The best running talent in northeast Florida is Jimmy Clark," declared my Usually Reliable Albeit Disreputable Source from Jacksonville the afternoon before the Region 1 meet. The Source's assessment was confirmed during the second half 3A boys race, as Creekside's Jimmy Clark ran away from almost all of his competitors. However, he Clark couldn't shake off Leon's two-time state cross-country champion, Matt Mizereck, and Mizereck ran by him on the final stretch for the win, 15:27 to 15:29. In the team standings, Leon took three of the top four places and the Region 1-3A title, scoring 62 points. Runners-up Pensacola Washington scored 82. The other teams qualifying for the state championships were Fort Walton Beach (83 points), Niceville (158 points), Chiles (177 points), and Navarre (181 points). Clark's performance turned out to be one of the few bright spots for northeast Florida, as none of the District 2 teams advanced to the state meet.

By the second kilometer of the 2A girls' 5K, Stephanie Strasser of Fernandina Beach had started to move away from the rest of the runners in the race. Running steadily through three kilometers before slowing slightly on the last two kilometers, Strasser crossed the finish line in 18:18, the fastest girls' time on the course that morning. Bishop Kenny's Sarah Davis was the next runner in at 18:42, followed by her teammate Elizabeth Tucker in 19:02. Davis and Tucker led Bishop Kenny to a narrow team victory over their Jacksonville rivals, Bolles, 46 to 49. Episcopal (72 points) , Matanzas (148 points), South Walton (169 points) and West Florida (202 points) also won the right to compete at the state championships.

Bishop Kenny was even more dominant in the 2A boys' race, as B.K.'s Colin Barker and Michael Wallace ran away from the rest of the field to capture the top two spots in 16:06 and 16:09. Kenny's fifth scorer crossed the line in seventeenth, and Bishop Kenny won the Region 1-2A boys' title with 35 points. Nease placed as a distant runner-up with 83 points. The remaining four state qualifiers were Bolles (153 points), Matanzas (156 points), Fernandina Beach (161 points), and West Florida (175 points). In almost a reverse of the situation in the Region 1-3A boys' race, five of the six teams to qualify were from northeast Florida, and West Florida was the only District 1 team to advance to the state championships.

The Region 1 3A / 2A meet marked the debut of Sunnyhill Farm as a cross-country running venue. The farm is private property, closed to runners throughout the year, which makes it neutral ground--it's no one's home course, so no one has a home course advantage. The hills are gentle, most of the ground is soft, and the footing is punctuated by holes, but this is cross country. It's a scenic place to run, with a good mix of woods and fields. For spectators--well, there's plenty of parking. You get to see a couple of hundred meters of the start of each race and a couple of hundred meters at the end of each race. A short stroll across a hedgerow will get you a view across a peanut field of another few hundred meters of the race, but that's it. For most fans, this isn't a good spectator course.

From the Region 1 meet, qualifiers advance to the FHSAA cross-country state championship at Little Everglades Ranch north of Dade City, Florida on November 21. There, the Tallahassee Leon boys will attempt to defend their 2008 FHSAA-3A state title, the Tallahassee Chiles girls will attempt to defend their 2008 FHSAA-3A state title, the Bishop Kenny girls will attempt to defend their FHSAA-2A state title, and the Bishop Kenny boys will attempt to win their seventh state title.

3A Girls' Team Standings
  1. Tallahassee Chiles, 34 points
  2. Fort Walton Beach, 59 points
  3. Orange Park Ridgeview, 114 points
  4. Creekside, 119 points
  5. Ocala Vanguard, 149 points
  6. Niceville, 171 points
  7. Jacksonville Bartram Trail, 227 points
  8. Pensacola Pine Forest, 238 points
  9. Pensacola Washington, 251 points
  10. Tallahassee Leon, 252 points
  11. Lynn Haven Mosley, 277 points
  12. Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee, 286 points
  13. Jacksonville Stanton, 292 points
  14. Gainesville, 324 points

Top Ten 3A Girls
  1. Lily Williams (Chiles) 18:30
  2. Carly Thomas (Chiles) 18:32
  3. Darroneshia Lott (Pine Forest) 18:52
  4. Crystal Wachob (Pine Forest) 18:53
  5. Kendall Andrews (Chiles) 18:57
  6. Holly Stanton (Fort Walton Beach) 19:00
  7. Marsel Mosley (Niceville) 19:03
  8. Jodie McGruff (Chiles) 19:09
  9. Iolani Scanlan (Fort Walton Beach) 19:17
  10. Lauren Rodriguez (Creekside) 19:31

3A Boys' Team Standings
  1. Tallahassee Leon, 62 points
  2. Pensacola Washington, 82 points
  3. Fort Walton Beach, 83 points
  4. Niceville, 158 points
  5. Tallahassee Chiles, 177 points
  6. Navarre, 181 points
  7. Jacksonville Bartram Trail, 209 points
  8. Creekside, 211 points
  9. Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee, 212 points
  10. Ocala Vanguard, 218 points
  11. Lake City Columbia, 289 points
  12. Jacksonville Stanton, 310 points
  13. St Augustine Menendez, 355 points
  14. Jacksonville Terry Parker, 375 points
  15. Tallahassee Lincoln, 380 points
  16. Orange Park Ridgeview, 382 points

Top Ten 3A Boys
  1. Matt Mizereck (Leon) 15:27
  2. Jimmy Clark (Creekside) 15:29
  3. Riley Doherty (Leon) 15:48
  4. Will Stanford (Leon) 15:57
  5. Kamal Koroso (Terry Parker) 16:03
  6. Brandon Scott (Columbia) 16:04
  7. Peter Fricke (Washington) 16:05
  8. Eric Ochoa (Bartram Trail) 16:07
  9. Robert Mann (Navarre) 16:08
  10. Christopher Haynes (Lee) 16:13

2A Girls' Team Standings
  1. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, 46 points
  2. Jacksonville Bolles, 49 points
  3. Jacksonville Episcopal, 72 points
  4. Palm Coast Matanzas, 148 points
  5. Santa Rosa South Walton, 169 points
  6. Pensacola West Florida, 202 points
  7. Fernandina Beach, 208 points
  8. Ponte Vedra Nease, 216 points
  9. Tallahassee Florida State University School, 220 points
  10. Pensacola Catholic, 240 points
  11. Crawfordville Wakulla, 246 points
  12. Live Oak Suwannee, 323 points

Top Ten 2A Girls
  1. Stephanie Strasser (Fernandina Beach) 18:18
  2. Sarah Davis (Bishop Kenny) 18:42
  3. Elizabeth Tucker (Bishop Kenny) 19:02
  4. Rebecca Chandler (Bolles) 19:06
  5. Leslie Blackshear (Episcopal) 19:30
  6. Mariah Loop (Episcopal) 19:42
  7. Allison Spiegel (Bishop Kenny) 19:44
  8. Lily Arnold (Bolles) 19:48
  9. Christine Marcano (Matanzas) 19:50
  10. Rachel Rice (Bolles) 20:00

2A Boys' Team Standings
  1. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, 35 points
  2. Ponte Vedra Nease, 83 points
  3. Jacksonville Bolles, 153 points
  4. Palm Coast Matanzas, 156 points
  5. Fernandina Beach, 161 points
  6. Pensacola West Florida, 175 points
  7. Pensacola Catholic, 194 points
  8. Ponte Vedra, 221 points
  9. Jacksonville Episcopal, 228 points
  10. Tallahassee Godby, 238 points
  11. Panama City Beach Arnold, 256 points
  12. Santa Rosa South Walton, 288 points
  13. Green Cove Springs Clay, 290 points
  14. Tallahassee Florida State University School, 293 points

Top Ten 2A Boys
  1. Colin Barker (Bishop Kenny) 16:06
  2. Michael Wallace (Bishop Kenny) 16:09
  3. Anthony Sullivan (Matanzas) 16:19
  4. Gabriel Holguin (Bay) 16:37
  5. Mac Reynolds (Nease) 16:41
  6. William Rolke (Nease) 16:43
  7. Dieumy Duclos (Godby) 16:44
  8. Hunter Hayes (Bishop Kenny) 16:45
  9. Corey Mundy (Clay) 16:47
  10. Matthew Stukel (Bishop Kenny) 16:49

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

11 November 2009 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 11 November 2009. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:


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.

Map

14 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Big Bend Victim Assistance Coalition 5K. 8:00am ET. Southwood State Office Complex, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Gwen Williams, williamsg@leoncountyfl.gov or (850) 414-9826.
  • Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA Veteran's Day Classic 10K. 9:00am ET. Bainbridge College, 2500 E Shotwell St, Bainbridge, GA 39819. USATF certifed course #GA98012WC. Entry form and flyer.
  • 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.
  • Lace Up for the Youth of Henry County 5K and 1-Mile. 8:00am CT. Henry County Courthouse, 101 Court Sq Ste H, Abbeville, AL 36310. Pastor Spears, jspears@mvpsportsonline.org or 334-685-9381.
  • Tri the Rez Triathlon and Triathlon Relay (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 5K run). 8:00am ET. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Entry form and flyer. Austin Boyle, alb06r@fsu.edu or 850-383-9196.
  • 18th Annual Run For Rover 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:30am ET 1-mile. Thomas University, Pinetree Boulevard and Millpond Road, Thomasville, Georgia 31792. USATF certified course #GA91032WIN. Online registration at RunSignUp.com. Entry form and flyer. Carol Jones, pets@rose.net or 229-228-0613.
  • Raider Run 5K & one mile. 9:00am CT 5K / 10:00am one mile. Houston Academy, 901 Buena Vista Drive, Dothan, Alabama 36303. Event web page. Entry form and flyer.
  • Don Hersman, Sr., 5K Run For ALS. 8:00am CT. Middlebrooks Park, Bonifay, Florida. Don or Dawn Hersman 850-547-5211
  • Blazer Corps 5K. 8:00am ET. Barton Street next to Mackey Park beside Valdosta Middle School track, Valdosta, Georgia. Adam Holbrook, aaholbrook@valdosta.edu or Get Active Running, 229-219-0010.
21 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Junior League of Tallahassee 5K. 8:00 am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Alison Voorhees, jlt5Krun@gmail.com
  • Marzuq Shrine Bradley's Country Fun Day Run 5K. 8:00am ET. Bradley's Pond, 9002 Bradley Road Tallahassee, FL 32309. Keiff Lindsey, romanroch@hotmail.com
  • 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. Online registration at active.com. Marty Kirkland 850-265-8439 or Joe Edgecombe 850-763-5005, joeruns@yahoo.com
  • Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia Turkey Trot 5K. 8:00am ET. Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia Golf Driving Range, 814 Radford Blvd, Albany, Georgia. Event organizers website. Online registration at active.com.
  • Run With The Son 5K. 9:00am CT. Altha Area Recreational Park, 15727 NW Bodiford Road, Altha, FL 32421. Online registration at active.com.
  • United Way Community 5K and Fun Run. 9:00am ET. Southside Elementary School, 491 3rd St SE, Cairo, Georgia 39828-2796. Entry form and flyer. Andrea Bentley, a.bentley@grady.k12.ga.us or 229-403-9075.
  • Turkey Trot 10k/5k & 1 Mile Fun Run. 9:00am CT. Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Center, Building 4605 Andrews Avenue, Fort Rucker, Alabama. Caroline Driscoll, caroline.driscoll@us.army.mil or 334-255-0308
  • Alabama-Auburn 5K Rival Run. 9:00am CT. Hartford National Guard Armory, Hwy. 52 and Hwy. 167, Hartford, Alabama. Event blog. Cary Hatcher, hatch@alaweb.com, 334-588-2343, or 334-944-7115.
22 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Engineers Without Borders 5K. 9:00am ET. FAMU / FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-6046. Event web page (includes course map). Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Heidi Coggins, hmc07@fsu.edu
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. Online registration at active.com. David Yon, david@radeylaw.com or 850-425-6671 or 850-668-2236
  • Valdosta Thanksgiving Day 5K. 8:00am ET 5K / 8:55am ET 1,500m. Patterson Street in front of Get Active, 3200-C North Ashley St, Valdosta, GA 31602. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
  • Move Your Feet to the Beat 5K. 8:00am CT. WaterSound Village Commons, U.S. Hwy 98, WaterSound, Florida. Online registration at active.com. Joan Luchese, jmluchese@bellsouth.net or 850-231-9941
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. Entry form and flyer. Judy Alexander, 850-383-1361 or jalexander98@comcast.net
  • Reindeer Trot 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 8:45am ET one mile. Bainbridge Country Club, 312 Country Club Road, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Entry form and flyer. Contact reindeertrot@gmail.com
  • Run For The Redfish Half-Marathon, 5K, and Kids' Fun Run. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Margaritaville, 16230 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach 32413. Event web site. Registration form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  • 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)
  • Jingle Bell Jog 10K / 5K / One-Mile. 8:00am ET (10 km) / 9:00am et (5 km). Tift Park, Corner of 5th and Monroe, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified courses GA05018WC (10 km) and GA05017WC (5 km). Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Kiwanis Hometown Holiday Celebration Fun Run. 2:00 pm ET. 8th Street Middle School's Brodie Field, 8th Street & Forrest Street, Tifton, Georgia. Online registration at active.com.
  • Winterfest 5K. 4:30pm ET. Valdosta, Georgia. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
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. USATF certified course FL08072EBM. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Gary Griffin, runlong@nettally.com
1 JANUARY 2010
  • Valdosta New Year's Day 5K. 8:00am ET. Patterson Street in front of Get Active, 3200-C North Ashley St, Valdosta, GA 31602. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
9 JANUARY 2010
  • Bowlegs 5K Run for Scholarship. 9:00am ET. FAMU / FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-6046. USATF certified course #FL95008DL. Larry Giunipero, lgiunip@cob.fsu.edu or 850-878-5569, or Bill Hillison, bhillis@garnet.acns.fsu.edu or 850-893-4557.
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)
23 JANUARY 2010
  • 5th Annual Special Olympics Leon County 5K. 9:00 am ET. Florida State University's Mike Long Track, Chieftain Way and Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. USATF certified course #FL06015DL. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Moving in Memory of Marline 10K, 5K, and 1 Mile Fun Run. Marina Civic Center, 8 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32401. Online registration at active.com.
6 FEBRUARY 2010
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
13 FEBRUARY 2010
  • 2nd annual Trade Love Run 5K & 10K. 8:00am ET. Willis Park, Bainbridge, Georgia. Larissa Carpenter, BainbridgeTradeLoveRun@gmail.com
  • St. Andrew's Mardi Gras 5K. 8:00am CT. Oaks Along The Bay Park, 10th Street and Beck Avenue, Panama City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Step Fitness Blue Grey 5K. 7:30am ET. Lake DeSoto, Lake City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
20 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Flash 12 km / 6 km. 8:13am ET. J Lewis Hall, Sr. Park, 7575 Old Woodville Road, Woodville, FL 32310. USATF certified 12K course #FL05007DL. Entry form and flyer. Mark Priddy, MarkPriddy@msn.com or 850-668-4907.
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.
3 APRIL 2010
  • Red Hills Triathlon (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). 7:30am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
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.
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Sunday, November 8, 2009

2009 FHSAA District 1-2A Cross Country Meet

On Saturday 7 November 2009 the 2A high school cross-country runners of FHSAA District 1 converged on Tallahassee's new Apalachee Regional Park Trail for the first round of the state championship series. When the day's running was over, the girls' teams from West Florida, Florida State, South Walton, Wakulla, Pensacola Catholic, and Suwannee had qualified to advance to the Region 1 meet, their next step on the trail to the state championships. Among the boys teams, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida, Arnold, Florida State, Godby, and South Walton earned a spot in the Region 1 meet. For everyone else, the 2009 cross-country season is over.

In the girls' 5K race, West Florida's Jeronda Stringfield, Bria Upshur, and Keyundra McCastle jumped out in front early. They were still leading at the mile, but they were being stalked. At the two-mile mark Stringfield was running in first, but her teammates had dropped back. Alex Weiner of South Walton and Mikayla Hodges of Arnold were now at Stringfield's heels. Running through the woods on the third mile, Weiner broke the race open and went on to win in 20:50. Stringfield outkicked Hodges in the final yard to take second, 21:08 to 21:12. West Florida also took fourth, fifth, and seventh, but had to wait till the 34th runner had crossed the line for their fifth scorer. Nevertheless, West Florida won the district title, outscoring runner-up Florida State 44 to 60.

Pensacola Catholic's Roman Kowalski didn't immediately take the lead in the boy's 5K race, but he was among the leaders early in the race. After the first mile Kowalski seized the front position for himself, but Bay's Gabriel Holguin and Dieumy Duclos of Godby remained in striking distance. Duclos faded, but Holguin shadowed Kowalski to the very end of the race. On the final straight Kowalski continued to hold off Holguin, running 16:42 to win by four seconds. Led by Kowalski's win, Catholic put five scorers in the top fourteen and won the district title with 45 points, well ahead of runner-up West Florida's 84 points.

After the district races, Godby hosted the "Fundracer 5K" open race on the course. Jana Stolting of Maclay ran the most remarkable performance in this third race, finishing second overall in 17:46, breaking her own high school girls' 5K course record at Apalachee Regional Park. Stolting had set the original record for the course earlier this season at the Florida State University Cross-Country Invitational.

The top six teams and top fifteen individuals in each of the district races advance to the Region 1-2A meet, which will be held in conjunction with the Region 1-3A meet at Sunnyhill Farm in Tallahassee on Saturday morning, 14 November 2009. The District 1 qualifiers will be joined at the Region 1 meet by the qualifiers from District 2. The top six teams and top fifteen individuals in each region will earn the right to compete in the state championship meet at Little Everglades Ranch on Saturday, 21 November 2009.

Girls' Team Standings
  1. Pensacola West Florida, 44
  2. Tallahassee Florida State University, 60
  3. Santa Rosa South Walton, 67
  4. Crawfordville Wakulla, 81
  5. Pensacola Catholic, 131
  6. Live Oak Suwannee, 143
  7. Panama City Bay, 214
  8. Tallahassee Godby, 224
  9. Springfield Rutherford, 228

Top Ten Girls
  1. Alex Weiner (South Walton) 20:50
  2. Jeronda Stringfield (West Florida) 21:08
  3. Mikayla Hodges (Arnold) 21:12
  4. Bria Upshur (West Florida) 21:22
  5. Keyundra McCastle (West Florida) 21:23
  6. Allison Murray (Florida State) 21:27
  7. Jazmyne Branch (West Florida) 21:28
  8. Amanda Toothman (Florida State) 21:56
  9. Jamie Schramm (Pensacola Catholic) 22:00
  10. Meghun Ryan (Arnold) 22:02

Boys' Team Standings
  1. Pensacola Catholic, 45
  2. Pensacola West Florida, 84
  3. Panama City Beach Arnold, 97
  4. Tallahassee Florida State University School, 108
  5. Tallahassee Godby, 136
  6. Santa Rosa South Walton, 149
  7. Marianna, 172
  8. Crawfordville Wakulla, 215
  9. Panama City Bay, 216
  10. Springfield Rutherford, 253
  11. Bratt Northview, 289
  12. Havana East Gadsden, 324

Top Ten Boys
  1. Roman Kowalski (Pensacola Catholic) 16:42
  2. Gabriel Holguin (Bay) 16:46
  3. Dieumy Duclos (Godby) 16:55
  4. Robert Abellera (Florida State) 17:04
  5. Terrell Bryant (Godby) 17:08
  6. Albert Edwards (Florida State) 17:22
  7. Anthony Rickets (Pensacola Catholic) 17:29
  8. Chancellor Mason (Arnold) 17:41
  9. Jacob Leuze (South Walton) 17:42
  10. Nicolas Mascardo (West Florida) 17:47

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Friday, November 6, 2009

2009 FHSAA District 1-1A Cross Country Meet

The girls from Maclay, Jay, Aucilla Christian, Altha, Pensacola Christian, and Freeport high school cross-country teams each successfully cleared the first hurdle on the way to the Florida state cross-country championships by advancing out of the FHSAA District 1 meet, run Thursday, 5 November 2009 at Maclay School in Tallahassee, Florida. For Wewahitchka, Baker, and Paxton it was one, done, and wait till next year. Maclay's girls easily won the district title, scoring a near-perfect 17 points. The Marauders' top three girls--Shelby Salimone (20:25), Jana Stolting (20:26), and Stephanie Kurgatt (20:27)--toured the course together, taking the first three places. Their teammate Kristin Sweeney (20:43) finished immediately behind them in fourth. Emerlee Trevino (5th, 21:28) of Jay and Sarah Sorenson (7th, 21:57) of Aucilla Christian made it across the line before Maclay's fifth runner, Lindsey Poole (8th, 21:59), preventing the Marauder's from scoring a perfect 15 points.

The boys' race followed. The Maclay boys also dominated on the home course, putting five runners in the top eight and scoring 22 points for the district title. Jay (67), Pensacola Christian (93), North Florida Christian (148), Freeport (178), and Wewahitchka (194) also advanced out of the district. Similar to the girls' race, Maclay's Patrick Swain and Austin Stevens ran easily together up front, both finishing in 17:23.

Both races were run on a new course on the Maclay School campus, a modified version of what was run the previous week at the city championships. The runners circled a loop three times and then finished with a lap on the school track (the course included close to a kilometer of running on the track).

The first six teams and the top fifteen individuals in each race qualified to go on to the Region 1-1A meet, which will be held at Sante Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, 14 November 2009. The District 1 qualifiers will be joined by the District 2 qualifiers at the Region 1 meet. The top six teams and top fifteen individuals in each Region will advance to the FHSAA state championship meet on Saturday, 21 November 2009 at Little Everglades Ranch, north of Dade City, Florida.

Girls' Team Standings
  1. Maclay, 17
  2. Jay, 66
  3. Aucilla Christian, 84
  4. Altha, 109
  5. Pensacola Christian, 121
  6. Freeport, 194
  7. Wewahitchka, 197
  8. Baker, 204
  9. Paxton, 214
Top Ten Girls
  1. Shelby Salimone (Maclay) 20:25
  2. Jana Stolting (Maclay) 20:26
  3. Stephanie Kurgatt (Maclay) 20:27
  4. Kristen Sweeney (Maclay) 20:43
  5. Emerlee Trevino (Jay) 21:28
  6. Christy Allen (Rocky Bayou Christian) 21:35
  7. Sarah Sorenson (Aucilla Christian) 21:57
  8. Lindsey Poole (Maclay) 21:59
  9. Elizabeth Riley (Aucilla Christian) 22:06
  10. Taylor Copeland (Aucilla Christian) 22:07
Boys' Team Standings
  1. Maclay, 22
  2. Jay, 67
  3. Pensacola Christian, 93
  4. North Florida Christian, 148
  5. Freeport, 178
  6. Wewahitchka, 194
  7. Altha, 201
  8. Laurel Hill, 219
  9. Baker, 241
  10. Paxton, 257
  11. John Paul II, 261
  12. Aucilla Christian, 281
  13. Milton Central, 357
Top Ten Boys
  1. Patrick Swain (Maclay) 17:23
  2. Austin Stevens (Maclay) 17:23
  3. Michael Graziani (Freeport) 17:37
  4. Dennis Keane (Maclay) 17:42
  5. Drew Kennedy (Jay) 17:43
  6. Dylan Nadsody (Jay) 17:46
  7. Travis Covert (Maclay) 18:02
  8. Jacob Coates (Maclay) 18:14
  9. Jeffrey Fisher (Jay) 18:18
  10. John Scott (Baker) 18:27
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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Kevin Sweeney wins FSECC 5K

Ocala's Kevin Sweeney reached the finish line ahead of over 400 other athletes, running 17:56 for the win at the FSECC 5K in Southwood on 5 November 2009. Sweeney was a few steps ahead of runner-up and defending champion Tim Unger, the top master finisher at 17:59. The morning's fleetest female was Kelly Stevens, who ran 21:06 to finish well ahead of runner-up Brook Pace at 22:50. The third woman across the finish line was the top woman master finisher, Julie Clark, in a time of 23:17.

By the second mile of the race, Sweeney and Unger had shaken off the rest of the field and were alone up front, Sweeney leading Unger. Over the next two miles Sweeney could not shake Unger, but Unger could not catch Sweeney. Never more than few strides apart, the leaders held their relative positions all the way to the end of the race. In the women's competition, Stevens took the lead early and held it, moving steadily away from the other women until she finished the race a quarter-mile ahead of the runner-up, Pace.

FSECC is the Florida State Employees Charitable Campaign, and the race benefits the state workers' United Way campaign. To encourage participation, there is an award for the state agency with the greatest number of entries--this year's honor went to the Florida Department of Health. A further incentive is the opportunity to get out of the office for an hour or two to run (or walk) a 5K around the Southwood area on a beautiful morning. For most of us, that would be reason enough.

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Another Boston Mini Win For Rosen

There have been thirty Boston Mini-Marathons since the south Georgia town first hosted the 13.1-mile event in 1980, but it may take a historian of the race to remember when someone other than Sheryl Rosen won the women's division. Tallahassee's Rosen won her fourth straight women's title in the Boston Mini on Saturday morning, 31 October 2009, finishing seventh overall in 1:27:10. Rosen's closest challenger in the women's competition was Olivia Swedberg who ran 1:34:23 to place nineteenth overall. Master (over 40) honors for the women went to Atlanta's Lisa Dillmar, fourth woman and 41st overall in 1:44:40.

The fastest runner of the day was Vince Molosky, overall winner in 1:19:49. Molosky took the lead early, pursued by master runners Tony Guillen and Carl Nordhielm. During the second half of the race Guillen was able to break Nordhielm. But unlike the 20K at Tall Timbers, Molosky stayed on course and Guillen was unable to catch him. Guillen ended up second in 1:20:25 while Nordhielm was third in 1:21:35.

The Boston Mini-Marathon is unique among small-town Georgia races. There are quite a few such races associated with a festival--for example, the Rose City Run is associated with Thomasville's Rose Festival. However, in Boston the Mini Marathon came first, and the Marathon Festival followed. For thirty years the race has traded shamelessly on having a similar name to a race in the northeast. Quite often, "mini" appears in much smaller lettering than "Boston" and "Marathon" on race materials. The course hasn't changed much if at all in the last three decades. Starting in downtown Boston, the runners head east (into the rising sun) on old US 84, the Dixie Road. The Dixie Road goes through farm country, passing fields, pastures, and farm houses, but hardly a tree for the first six miles. Starting around the six-mile mark, the road takes the runners through a wooded area to a turn-around point at six-and-a-half miles, a few miles outside of Dixie. Here, the runners do an about-face and retrace their steps back to Boston. The finish line is about a tenth of a mile beyond the starting line in order to make the course a full half marathon. The road doesn't wind much, and the slopes are gentle, although many runners will swear that on the way back the hills grow much taller than they were on the way out.

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4 November 2009 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 4 November 2009. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:


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.

Map

5 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Florida State Employees Charitable Contribution for United Way 5K. 9:00am ET. Shusters Eatz Cafe, 4055 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Tim Unger, 850-921-0035.
7 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Cops For Kids 5K. 8:30am ET. Tallahassee, Florida. Cops For Kids web site. Entry form and flyer. Mike Rogers, 850-566-4131 or 850-566-2560.
  • 5K Run For Global Health. 9:00am ET. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Michelle Clark, globemedfsu@gmail.com
  • Fundracer 5K Cross-Country Run. 1:00pm ET. Apalachee Regional Park Trail, 7550 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, Florida 32311. Chris Sumner, LFCSumner3@aol.com
  • Alligator Lake 5K / 10K. 9:00am ET. Alligator Lake Park, 1498 SW Country Club Road, Lake City, FL 32025. Online registration at active.com. Dusty Smith, halfmiletiming_dusty@hotmail.com
  • 18th Annual Army Aviation Association of America Chili 5K. 9:00am CT. Howze Field, Novosel Street, Fort Rucker, Alabama. USATF certified course #AL04012JD. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Justin Howell, justin.w.howell@conus.army.mil
  • 4th Annual Turkey Trot 10K. 8:00am ET. Valdosta State University Student Recreation Center, 1300 Sustella Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia. VSU Campus Recreation, 229-333-5898, or Paul Gugliucci, pvgugliucci@valdosta.edu
  • Run For Heroes 5K. 8:00am ET. Hudson Park, Crawfordville, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Eric Anderson, anderson.eric1@yahoo.com or 850‐926‐2010
8 NOVEMBER 2009
  • FSU Dance Marathon’s “Dash Down Stadium” 5K. 8:30am ET. “Unconquered” statue on Langford Green, Champions Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Travis Rasmussen, tcr07c@fsu.edu or 904-657-9135.
  • Second annual Florida Kids Triathlon. 9:00am CT. Frank Brown Park, 16200 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach, Florida 32413. Organizer's web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. info@kidstri2.com
14 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Big Bend Victim Assistance Coalition 5K. 8:00am ET. Southwood State Office Complex, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Entry form and flyer. Gwen Williams, williamsg@leoncountyfl.gov or (850) 414-9826.
  • Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA Veteran's Day Classic 10K. 9:00am ET. Bainbridge College, 2500 E Shotwell St, Bainbridge, GA 39819. USATF certifed course #GA98012WC. Entry form and flyer.
  • 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.
  • Lace Up for the Youth of Henry County 5K and 1-Mile. 8:00am CT. Henry County Courthouse, 101 Court Sq Ste H, Abbeville, AL 36310. Pastor Spears, jspears@mvpsportsonline.org or 334-685-9381.
  • Tri the Rez Triathlon and Triathlon Relay (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 5K run). 8:00am ET. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Entry form and flyer. Austin Boyle, alb06r@fsu.edu or 850-383-9196.
  • 18th Annual Run For Rover 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. 8:00am ET 5K / 9:30am ET 1-mile. Thomas University, Pinetree Boulevard and Millpond Road, Thomasville, Georgia 31792. USATF certified course #GA91032WIN. Online registration at RunSignUp.com. Entry form and flyer. Carol Jones, pets@rose.net or 229-228-0613.
  • Raider Run 5K & one mile. 9:00am CT 5K / 10:00am one mile. Houston Academy, 901 Buena Vista Drive, Dothan, Alabama 36303. Event web page. Entry form and flyer.
  • Don Hersman, Sr., 5K Run For ALS. 8:00am CT. Middlebrooks Park, Bonifay, Florida. Don or Dawn Hersman 850-547-5211
21 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Junior League of Tallahassee 5K. 8:00 am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Alison Voorhees, jlt5Krun@gmail.com
  • Marzuq Shrine Bradley's Country Fun Day Run 5K. 8:00am ET. Bradley's Pond, 9002 Bradley Road Tallahassee, FL 32309. Keiff Lindsey, romanroch@hotmail.com
  • 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. Online registration at active.com. Marty Kirkland 850-265-8439 or Joe Edgecombe 850-763-5005, joeruns@yahoo.com
  • Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia Turkey Trot 5K. 8:00am ET. Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia Golf Driving Range, 814 Radford Blvd, Albany, Georgia. Event organizers website. Online registration at active.com.
  • Run With The Son 5K. 9:00am CT. Altha Area Recreational Park, 15727 NW Bodiford Road, Altha, FL 32421. Online registration at active.com.
  • United Way Community 5K and Fun Run. 9:00am ET. Southside Elementary School, 491 3rd St SE, Cairo, Georgia 39828-2796. Entry form and flyer. Andrea Bentley, a.bentley@grady.k12.ga.us or 229-403-9075.
  • Turkey Trot 10k/5k & 1 Mile Fun Run. 9:00am CT. Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Center, Building 4605 Andrews Avenue, Fort Rucker, Alabama. Caroline Driscoll, caroline.driscoll@us.army.mil or 334-255-0308
  • Alabama-Auburn 5K Rival Run. 9:00am CT. Hartford National Guard Armory, Hwy. 52 and Hwy. 167, Hartford, Alabama. Event blog. Cary Hatcher, hatch@alaweb.com, 334-588-2343, or 334-944-7115.
22 NOVEMBER 2009
  • Engineers Without Borders 5K. 9:00am ET. FAMU / FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-6046. Event web page (includes course map). Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Heidi Coggins, hmc07@fsu.edu
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. Online registration at active.com. David Yon, david@radeylaw.com or 850-425-6671 or 850-668-2236
  • Valdosta Thanksgiving Day 5K. 8:00am ET 5K / 8:55am ET 1,500m. Patterson Street in front of Get Active, 3200-C North Ashley St, Valdosta, GA 31602. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
  • Move Your Feet to the Beat 5K. 8:00am CT. WaterSound Village Commons, U.S. Hwy 98, WaterSound, Florida. Online registration at active.com. Joan Luchese, jmluchese@bellsouth.net or 850-231-9941
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. Entry form and flyer. Judy Alexander, 850-383-1361 or jalexander98@comcast.net
  • Reindeer Trot 5K and one-mile fun run. 8:00am ET 5K / 8:45am ET one mile. Bainbridge Country Club, 312 Country Club Road, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819. Entry form and flyer. Contact reindeertrot@gmail.com
  • Run For The Redfish Half-Marathon, 5K, and Kids' Fun Run. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Margaritaville, 16230 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach 32413. Event web site. Registration form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
  • 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)
  • Jingle Bell Jog 10K / 5K / One-Mile. 8:00am ET (10 km) / 9:00am et (5 km). Tift Park, Corner of 5th and Monroe, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified courses GA05018WC (10 km) and GA05017WC (5 km). Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Kiwanis Hometown Holiday Celebration Fun Run. 2:00 pm ET. 8th Street Middle School's Brodie Field, 8th Street & Forrest Street, Tifton, Georgia. Online registration at active.com.
  • Winterfest 5K. 4:30pm ET. Valdosta, Georgia. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
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. USATF certified course FL08072EBM. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Gary Griffin, runlong@nettally.com
1 JANUARY 2010
  • Valdosta New Year's Day 5K. 8:00am ET. Patterson Street in front of Get Active, 3200-C North Ashley St, Valdosta, GA 31602. Contact Get Active, 229-219-0010.
9 JANUARY 2010
  • Bowlegs 5K Run for Scholarship. 9:00am ET. FAMU / FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-6046. USATF certified course #FL95008DL. Larry Giunipero, lgiunip@cob.fsu.edu or 850-878-5569, or Bill Hillison, bhillis@garnet.acns.fsu.edu or 850-893-4557.
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)
23 JANUARY 2010
  • 5th Annual Special Olympics Leon County 5K. 9:00 am ET. Florida State University's Mike Long Track, Chieftain Way and Spirit Way, Tallahassee, Florida. USATF certified course #FL06015DL. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
  • Moving in Memory of Marline 10K, 5K, and 1 Mile Fun Run. Marina Civic Center, 8 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32401. Online registration at active.com.
6 FEBRUARY 2010
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
13 FEBRUARY 2010
  • 2nd annual Trade Love Run 5K & 10K. 8:00am ET. Willis Park, Bainbridge, Georgia. Larissa Carpenter, BainbridgeTradeLoveRun@gmail.com
  • St. Andrew's Mardi Gras 5K. 8:00am CT. Oaks Along The Bay Park, 10th Street and Beck Avenue, Panama City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
  • Step Fitness Blue Grey 5K. 7:30am ET. Lake DeSoto, Lake City, Florida. Online registration at active.com.
20 FEBRUARY 2010
  • Flash 12 km / 6 km. 8:13am ET. J Lewis Hall, Sr. Park, 7575 Old Woodville Road, Woodville, FL 32310. USATF certified 12K course #FL05007DL. Entry form and flyer. Mark Priddy, MarkPriddy@msn.com or 850-668-4907.
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.
3 APRIL 2010
  • Red Hills Triathlon (1/3-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). 7:30am ET. Maclay Gardens State Park, 3540 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.
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.
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Monday, November 2, 2009

Camp Jordan Park walking track, East Ridge, Tennessee

Suppose that you're on a driving trip through Tennessee and north Georgia along Interstate 75. It's a long drive, and you really want to get out of the car and stretch your legs, maybe even go for a run or a walk. Well, you could do a lot worse than to leave the highway outside of Chattanooga on Exit 1 and head for Camp Jordan Park and its two-mile walking track.


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The park is only about a mile off of I-75 near where West Chickamauga Creek flows into South Chickamauga Creek in East Ridge, Tennessee. It's a low, flat area without many trees to interfere with the ball fields throughout the 257-acre park. The wooded areas are confined to the rim of the park, which is where you can find the walking track. The walking track makes a circuit around the park of almost exactly two miles. The trail surface is gravel, firm enough to hold up in wet weather but not the kind of hard pavement that beats up your legs. If you really can't abide the gravel, there is plenty of good green grass on either side of the trail. Signs mark the half-mile, the mile, the mile-and-a-half, and the two-mile points around the loop. These are measured from where Camp Jordan Parkway crosses the east side of the trail, but it's a loop--you can start anywhere and run either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The two places where Camp Jordan Parkway crosses the trail, by the way, are the only two places where traffic crosses the trail at all. Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain may not be far away, but the topography of the park is anything but mountainous. The few slopes on the loop are quite gentle.

The trail never seemed crowded when I visited, but was well used by a good number of walkers, runners, and cyclists. Because of the time of year (August) and the end-of-summer coolth in the air, I kept expecting to encounter a team of cross country runners from an East Ridge High School, but none ever came thundering by. Maybe they train elsewhere, or maybe I was just there at the wrong time of day. A two-mile loop is a bit short if you're looking to get in some serious mileage, but near the half-mile sign there is a bridge that takes you over West Chickamauga Creek to the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Trail--another multi-use trail that you can add a few miles on. At the time of my visit a portion of the trail had fallen into South Chickamauga Creek, but the gap was being repaired (and trail users were picking their way around it, anyway).

To get to Camp Jordan Park, turn east onto Ringgold Road (US 41/76) after leaving Interstate 75 on Exit 1. Make the first left onto St Thomas St, immediately making another left onto the Camp Jordan Parkway. Camp Jordan Parkway will take you straight into (and eventually through) Camp Jordan Park. The Parkway crosses the trail in two places, both of which have parking nearby.

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