{"id":181289,"date":"2026-03-06T21:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T21:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181289\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T21:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T21:42:08","slug":"san-marco-party-atmosphere-powers-gate-river-run-participants-through-food-music-and-fun-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181289\/","title":{"rendered":"San Marco party atmosphere powers Gate River Run participants through food, music and fun drinks"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 For many runners, the Gate River Run\u2019s<\/a> most dreaded stretch is the \u201cGreen Monster,\u201d a steep challenge on the course that tests speed and resolve on the Hart Bridge.<\/p>\n

RELATED: What to know if you\u2019re running \u2014 or watching \u2014 the Gate River Run<\/a><\/p>\n

But runners say their favorite stretches comes in one neighborhood: San Marco, where residents line the route with cheers, snacks and creative boosts.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got people throwing the little Dunkin\u2019 Donut balls at you in San Marco,\u201d said runner Joe Ruppert.<\/p>\n

The historic neighborhood has long been a highlight for many runners at the Gate River Run, offering loud crowds, music and elaborate \u201chydration stations\u201d that runners say give them a second wind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just can\u2019t beat San Marco,\u201d said another runner Paul Davis. \u201cIt\u2019s electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents spend days preparing block-party-style setups, complete with music, signs and themed stations meant to entertain and energize the field of runners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been one of my most favorite things about living on this street,\u201d said resident Gaby Haddad.<\/p>\n

One San Marco house has become an iconic stop with cheers, a DJ-like vibe and, for some years, tequila shots offered to passing runners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt puts a little pep in your step,\u201d said resident Pete Behringer, who helped set up the scene.<\/p>\n

Neighbors say this year\u2019s setup includes larger quantities of supplies than last year: 90 pounds of bananas, 20 tequila handles and 2,000 shot glasses. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like sometimes people are sagging, they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh man, you know we\u2019ve got a long way to go, and then, boom, here we are: Music, bananas, tequila,\u201d said Behringer. \u201cSo many people are thrilled with what we have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some residents like Haddid focus on hydration and powerups boxes that runners can hit above their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried mimosas one year and that was insane, so I switched to waters over here,\u201d said Haddid. <\/p>\n

Residents say they always anticipate energetic crowds and love feeling the energy of the Jacksonville community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like part of our identity, and I think it really matters,\u201d said Behringer.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 For many runners, the Gate River Run\u2019s most dreaded stretch is the \u201cGreen Monster,\u201d a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1039,82384,116,118,117,56665],"class_list":["post-181289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-duval-county","tag-gate-river-run","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-san-marco"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}