My wife is a women with a plan. Coming up in May we are going to be taking a journey to California to participate in the Born to Run series of races. Chrysa will be doing the 30 mile division and I will be running a measly 10 miles. Now, I may be viewing this as a fun escape to Cali, but Chrysa has a longer term plan in mind. She is looking to increase her distances to eventually get into ultra marathoning. Ever the planer, and always on the lookout for new and fun races, Chrysa signed us up for a mid-distance tune up race, The Gate River Run.
The Gate River Run is a huge affair in the city of Jacksonville. Everyone said it was a fun time, but we should beware of, THE BRIDGE. Chrysa and I are both strong hill runners. After all, we did live in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the coastal mountains of California. Nevertheless, we took our training seriously. To prepare we did repeats of the bridge here in Palatka, we chugged up and down the stairs at Raviine Gardens, and put in countless miles on the treadmills at Orange Theory. We even went for extra credit, and did a 10 mile training run, on the greenway here in town. By the time the race came we were ready to rock.
First up on the race itinerary was the expo and packet pickup. Chrysa and I drove to Jacksonville, got the lay of the land, and proceeded to exercise our credit cards. I have to say – it was a nice expo. I was well organized and there were deals to be had. In addition to our race swag bag, Chrysa and I both purchased race belts with a pouch. These, no chaffing beauties, really came in handy during the race. I also picked up a snazzy new pair of shorts.
Saturday was the big event (and I do mean big). We got to the event a little early so we could bag drop with our friends at Orange Theory and check out the area. The after party area was huge. All of the local run clubs were represented and you could tell it was going to be a big celebration.
After scoping things out we headed over to our staging area. It was here that we could fully embrace to scope of this race. It was an amazing sight to see 25,000 runners all gathered in one place. This race reminded me a lot of the Bloomsday Run in Spokane. Based on past experience I already knew what to expect. Lots of people, a narrow course, community involvement, and a big hill at the end. This was right in my wheelhouse.
All of my expectations where right on the money, so I was in my element. The course was very nice. You start downtown and run right past the Maxwell House Coffee plant. That was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. I loved smelling the beans roasting first thing in the morning. The rest of the course weaves you through very nice neighborhoods, and along the river. All along the way were people cheering and bands playing. It was inspiring to see the amount of support for the runners.
The final leg of the race was the Hart Bridge. This was THE bridge that everyone was talking about. I gotta tell you…didn’t faze me (or Chrysa, I found out later). I cruised up that thing, crested the top, and hit the gas for a downhill finish.
The finish was a mad house. Everyone crossed the line right in front of the Jaguars stadium. The finish area was narrow and crowded. However, it was great to be amongst so many like-minded people. After collecting myself, and walking off the kinks, I went to find a vantage point to watch Chrysa cross the finish line. I calculated how much time I had to find a spot based on her half marathon time. I found a nice spot in the shade and planned to take crowd pics until I spotted her. Boy, were my calculations wrong. Before I knew it Chrysa was in front of me and I was struggling to get my phone ready to take a picture. Chrysa was a full ten minutes ahead of schedule! I guess all that training really paid off.
After winding down from our wildly successful performances we headed into the after party zone. While in the zone we witnessed something that never happens at a corporate sponsored race – UNLIMITED FREE BEER. Normally there is a drink ticket attached to your race bib. Not so at The Gate River Run. We got in the line, moved to the front, grabbed two beers a piece, and parked our asses in the grass and enjoyed the day. If we didn’t have a drive ahead of us, I get the impression we could have gone back to refresh our beers indefinitely. Sadly, we did have to get back to Palatka. But not without stopping for BBQ.
To say Chrysa and I were hungry is an understatement. We rolled into 4 Rivers Smokehouse ready to clean the place out. Thankfully we didn’t have to do that. We got by pretty well with a couple of BBQ sandwiches. I have to say…the sandwiches we good. In fact, they got us in the mood for even more BBQ later that evening when we ordered in at Uncorked & Unwind.
To sum up – we ran 9.3 miles, drank beer, and had BBQ twice in one day. All while enjoying a fantastic atmosphere. If this is what tuning up is…count me in. Born To Run here we come!
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