Go-pher Trail Run raises funds for Weedon Island Preserve

Runner after runner shared the same refrain: This is unlike any trail course I’ve ever done.

The 13th Go-pher Weedon Trail Run, held Saturday (Oct. 25) at Weedon Island Preserve in Northeast St. Pete and hosted by the Friends of Weedon Island, triumphantly returned to a cross-country course of 8 kilometers (approximately fivr miles). Covering roads, trails, and dirt tracks throughout the 6150 acre park, the race hosted more than 200 runners of every experience level and age group – the youngest, aged 12, followed the same course as the oldest, a sprightly 81.

The race’s men’s winner was Joshua Finkel of Tampa, who completed the course in 30:10. The women’s winner was Elizabeth Darling of St. Petersburg with a time of 37:14. Both were repeat winners from 2024.

Held every year since 2012, the Run is the signature event for the Friends of Weedon Island, the volunteer organization that supports the Preserve and the permanent staff that manage it.

Friends groups, like the Friends of Weedon Island, exist to create programming and support the mission of parks and historic sites whose day-to-day management is the responsibility of a government organization. According to FOWI President Bill Fehring, that separation can give the Friends a lot more opportunities for community impact.

“The Friends group can do things the County may have not have budgeted,” said Fehring, highlighting artwork the Friends commissioned for the visitor center; outreach and marketing beyond the park to drive public awareness; and programming for children and adults including, of course, the Run. And a devoted group like Weedon Island’s can overcome even a double hurricane strike to support the Preserve – and offer a wounded community a much needed respite.

“Last year we had two hurricanes and could not use the back trails,” recalled Race Director and Friends Vice President Michelle Goldstein of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “In 17 days we turned it around.”

While the 2024 course largely relied upon paved roads and trails, storm remediation allowed the Run to return to its traditional cross-country course this year. Many of the runners in this year’s race were those who had to postpone their participation last year due to evacuations or storm damage.

Weedon Island itself is a unique location – inhabited sporadically for many hundreds of years, the park’s visitor center contains artifacts of human habitation dating back to 600 CE, including a deep sea canoe built by the Weeden Island people approximately 1100 years ago. Since Americans arrived in the mid-19th century, Weedon Island has at times hosted an airfield, a B-movie studio, dance halls, speakeasies, and, rumor has it, a drop-off point for liquor smuggled by associates of Al Capone.

For the modern residents, though, it’s the Preserve’s status as a repository of Florida’s natural beauty – and history – that shines. And that was true of the Gopher Runners, many of whom were discovering or rediscovering a love of running.

Matthew Worner and his running partner, Steven Bourland, used to run in college. But it had been years since they’d done a timed race when Worner suggested they sign up to the Run.

Worner noted that the course came with unique challenges, such as climbing the Tower during the last leg to ring a bell overlooking Riviera Bay. “It kills your momentum, but it’s cool – the trail runs are always more fun.”

“I used to grow up going to Weedon Island – we’d go kayaking through the mangrove tunnels,” added Bourland, who now lives in Lakeland. “It was like a throwback to be able to come back here.

“The course was amazing – it was the perfect blend of off-road but not too swampy or muddy.”

Bobby Wilson didn’t mind the Tower. “I had a chance to spend time with my Mom,” said Wilson after the family finished. “Standing up there ringing the bell was one of the best things I ever did.”

PDQ Operating Director Elma Ramon, racing for her fourth time, enjoyed it so much that she became a sponsor. “Michelle came into our PDQ about three years ago and asked my coworker, ‘Hey, do you want to run this awesome race?’ And he said ‘No – but Elma does,’” Ramon recalled with a laugh. “I ran it the first time and was just in love with the boardwalks, the view, and the Preserve itself.

“I think running connects people … anybody can do it. You don’t need any special equipment. All you need to do is put some shoes on and run.”

The Friends of Weedon Island will take the success of the Run into their upcoming annual general meeting on October 30. There they’ll set the agenda for the next year of the Friends – including how best to utilize the proceeds of the Gopher Run to support the Preserve. Fehring encouraged members old, new, and those who are interested are to come and support what’s considered one of Pinellas County’s hidden treasures.

“If people get involved and have an interest in doing something, we can make it happen,” he said. “Come out – if you have new ideas, let’s do them.”

Interested individuals can join the Friends of Weedon Island online or at the next annual general meeting, to be held at the Weedon Island Visitors Center Thursday at 6:30 p.m.