Jacksonville loves this race! Crowd support is amazing, with people cheering from their driveways and offering all sorts of snacks and drinks. Picked up my packet the night before the … MORE
Jacksonville loves this race! Crowd support is amazing, with people cheering from their driveways and offering all sorts of snacks and drinks.
Picked up my packet the night before the race at the well organized expo to save time in the morning, which I was thankful for, as parking the morning of the race was a nightmare. Parking is free, but the traffic to get in (even an hour prior to the start) was crazy, and made worse by road closures and detours.
Once you’re in, corrals are well organized. Course can get clogged with runners in some corrals, but I qualified for one of the front ones and had plenty of space throughout the race. Crowd support helps, as there is not much to look at along the course. Bridges add some difficulty.
Post-race party could be fun, if it was better organized. The line for a free beer was a mile long, and food was sparse, so we passed on it. Grabbed a bottle of chocolate milk and went to breakfast elsewhere.
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Great Crowd Support!
Jacksonville loves this race! Crowd support is amazing, with people cheering from their driveways and offering all sorts of snacks and drinks. Picked up my packet the night before the … MORE
Jacksonville loves this race! Crowd support is amazing, with people cheering from their driveways and offering all sorts of snacks and drinks.
Picked up my packet the night before the race at the well organized expo to save time in the morning, which I was thankful for, as parking the morning of the race was a nightmare. Parking is free, but the traffic to get in (even an hour prior to the start) was crazy, and made worse by road closures and detours.
Once you’re in, corrals are well organized. Course can get clogged with runners in some corrals, but I qualified for one of the front ones and had plenty of space throughout the race. Crowd support helps, as there is not much to look at along the course. Bridges add some difficulty.
Post-race party could be fun, if it was better organized. The line for a free beer was a mile long, and food was sparse, so we passed on it. Grabbed a bottle of chocolate milk and went to breakfast elsewhere.
I had a blast
I loved everything about this race! The swag was nice. The volunteers were so excited for us. The best part was the crowd participation. I felt like an Olympic athlete … MORE
I loved everything about this race! The swag was nice. The volunteers were so excited for us. The best part was the crowd participation. I felt like an Olympic athlete who was in first place, lol. On the route I had fireball, tequila, Jell-O shots, pickle juice and much more and music was playing everywhere!!
Great destination/vacation race
Largest 15k in the U.S.! The course was full the entire time! At all times I could look ahead of me and see a sea of runners. Kept thinking it … MORE
Largest 15k in the U.S.! The course was full the entire time! At all times I could look ahead of me and see a sea of runners. Kept thinking it would thin out, but it never did. It wasn’t elbow to elbow after a few miles, but it was more full for 100% of the course than I’ve experienced before.
Drove from Houston to JAX to participate in the Gate River Run 15k. Arrived 8 days prior to vacation. Had a great time exploring NE FL and SE GA and spent NO time just sitting on the beaches. So surprised how much fun we had in this area. Always thought sitting on the beach was all this area had to offer. GREAT destination/vacation race area!
Expo was HUGE for a 15k. We’ve been to marathon expos smaller than this.
Expo assigns you a time for packet pick up and you are required to pick up during that 2 hr window. You do get to specify your preferred pick up time when you registered. My husband and I registered at the same time and both selected the same packet pick up times. Our assigned times ended up being different than each other. ??? They allowed me to pick up his packet during my time, but all their mass emails appeared as if they were very strict about only being able to pick up during your assigned time.
Expo hours only ran Th/Fr until 6 pm. If you work that was going to be tough! They did offer an option to pay extra to pick up race day, but that’s unfair to locals. Should have 1 expo day that runs until at least 7 or 8 p.m.
At the Expo they couldn’t find the XS shirts??? Said I could exchange on race day if they found them. ?? 2 hrs later I returned and they had found the XS.
Wish they had sold prior years merchandise at the Expo for a discounted price.
Course was GREAT!!! 13 unofficial booze stops in 9.3 miles! That’s the highest average of booze stops per mile of any race I’ve ever run and I’ve probably run 200+ races! That’s a booze stop every 3/4 mile! 🙂 While I don’t stop for these anymore, it still adds a lot of fun to the course and clearly indicates there’s great community support for this event! Also LOTS of families passing out donuts, popsicles, and other goodies. Good community support so thank you JAX!
Scenic course all the way through. Of course running the 2 bridges was awesome! A short stretch along the coast line and the water, several neighborhoods with beautiful homes, a gorgeous street with the moss draped trees, etc…. Lots and lots of turns in this course which I much prefer. No long straight aways which I detest. You were constantly turning a corner and wondering what lies ahead instead of looking miles ahead wondering when will this ever end?!
Typical race medal and finisher shirt. They also give a glass mug. We’ve got plenty of these. Wish races would not give these little items and instead give a nicer finisher shirt, sweatshirt or jacket. Put all the swag #$ in to 1 great item please!
FREE parking at the Jaguars stadium for the race. That was a nice surprise.
Stay in the historic Springfield district and you will be approx 1.5 miles from the race start and within walking district to Main Street for some off the beaten path breweries, restaurants etc in this up and coming district.
Corrals ran smoothly.
HUGE crowd support at the finish line. Even had bleachers for the crowds. Never seen this kind of crowd support for such a short distance. Again, thank you JAX for supporting this event!
Thanks to JAX for hosting these 2 Houstonians for your event and our vacation!
Still Sore on Tuesday
Over 10,000 runners competed in this year's Gate River Run! Got to see some elite runners headed out before my wave, so that was a cool experience. This is a … MORE
Over 10,000 runners competed in this year’s Gate River Run! Got to see some elite runners headed out before my wave, so that was a cool experience. This is a crowded race, so difficult to really run fast. But, it’s pretty much a nonstop party in all the neighborhoods you run thru until you get to the Bridge. The Bridge is why I’m still sore on Tuesday.
Great fun with a good challenge!
The bridges were the highlight of the race course (challenging & beautiful) but most of the course was attractive. Running through nice neighborhoods was tons of fun, the residents were … MORE
The bridges were the highlight of the race course (challenging & beautiful) but most of the course was attractive. Running through nice neighborhoods was tons of fun, the residents were out cheering on the runners and offering so many treats from snacks to refreshments to cocktails and great music! The atmosphere was full of excitement and it was sgreat fun to end at the stadium!
A Championship & A Party
The Gate River Run 15K is an outstanding event, drawing something like 20,000 people to Jacksonville, FL for 9.3 miles of awesome -- whether you're running for a championship or … MORE
The Gate River Run 15K is an outstanding event, drawing something like 20,000 people to Jacksonville, FL for 9.3 miles of awesome — whether you’re running for a championship or a party.
“A championship?” you might ask.
Indeed. The Gate River Run has been the USATF’s 15K national championship and is a great opportunity to share a race course with elite runners. That being said, most of us are here for the party.
The race starts and ends around the football stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are two big climbs in the races — the Main Street Bridge (2nd mile) and the Hart Bridge (the Green Monster; 8th mile); otherwise, the course is mostly tame and beautiful, making its way through several neighborhoods.
Speaking of those neighborhoods, the people of Jacksonville really come out along the course. There’s an electricity in the air on race day, and folks are out offering high fives, fist bumps, drinks, doughnuts, and snacks. Add in bands and djs along the course, and it really is a big party. There’s another one waiting for runners at the finish; after collecting the finisher’s medal and water, runners can enjoy beer, chocolate milk, and more.
Whatever you’re looking for, add the Gate River Run 15K to your racing calendar.
* Yes, it’s March, and it might be cool getting over to the starting corrals (where there are lots of portable toilets), but odds are good that Jacksonville Sun will turn up the heat. Some parts of the course provide some shade, and residents may turn on sprinklers if it’s really hot. However, be prepared for heat and sun.
* All runners receive a finisher’s medal (and a pint glass at the expo). The top 10% of men and women earn hats.
15k Mob Crawl
Race started after 8:30 and it was super hot outside. The mob of runners never thinned out. Lots of folks walking in groups so was tricky and in some place … MORE
Race started after 8:30 and it was super hot outside. The mob of runners never thinned out. Lots of folks walking in groups so was tricky and in some place impossible to pass. Cost me 2 minutes pace in the first mile alone. Plenty of water stations. View was nice over bridges and through upscale neighborhoods. Race finished in the parking lot and required a mileish walk from finish line to post “party” and meet-up. No shade. Too hot. Line to get in to party. Couldn’t tell you about the food because I never found it. Walked away with a bottle of water and my finsiher’s medal. Another mile of shadeless walking to parking and then hour plus weight in traffic to get out of Jacksonville. City detour signage for road closures was basically nonexistent. I would not do this race again.