Runner after runner shared the same refrain: This is unlike any trail course I\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 the youngest, aged 12, followed the same course as the oldest, a sprightly 81.<\/p>\n
The race\u2019s men\u2019s winner was Joshua Finkel of Tampa, who completed the course in 30:10. The women\u2019s winner was Elizabeth Darling of St. Petersburg with a time of 37:14. Both were repeat winners from 2024.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Friends group can do things the County may have not have budgeted,\u201d 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\u2019s can overcome even a double hurricane strike to support the Preserve \u2013 and offer a wounded community a much needed respite.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year we had two hurricanes and could not use the back trails,\u201d recalled Race Director and Friends Vice President Michelle Goldstein of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. \u201cIn 17 days we turned it around.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s race were those who had to postpone their participation last year due to evacuations or storm damage.<\/p>\n
Weedon Island itself is a unique location \u2013 inhabited sporadically for many hundreds of years, the park\u2019s 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<\/a>, dance halls, speakeasies, and, rumor has it, a drop-off point for liquor smuggled by associates of Al Capone.<\/p>\n For the modern residents, though, it\u2019s the Preserve\u2019s status as a repository of Florida\u2019s natural beauty \u2013 and history \u2013 that shines. And that was true of the Gopher Runners, many of whom were discovering or rediscovering a love of running.<\/p>\n Matthew Worner and his running partner, Steven Bourland, used to run in college. But it had been years since they\u2019d done a timed race when Worner suggested they sign up to the Run.<\/p>\n 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. \u201cIt kills your momentum, but it\u2019s cool \u2013 the trail runs are always more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI used to grow up going to Weedon Island \u2013 we\u2019d go kayaking through the mangrove tunnels,\u201d added Bourland, who now lives in Lakeland. \u201cIt was like a throwback to be able to come back here.<\/p>\n \u201cThe course was amazing \u2013 it was the perfect blend of off-road but not too swampy or muddy.\u201d<\/p>\n Bobby Wilson didn\u2019t mind the Tower. \u201cI had a chance to spend time with my Mom,\u201d said Wilson after the family finished. \u201cStanding up there ringing the bell was one of the best things I ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n PDQ Operating Director Elma Ramon, racing for her fourth time, enjoyed it so much that she became a sponsor. \u201cMichelle came into our PDQ about three years ago and asked my coworker, \u2018Hey, do you want to run this awesome race?\u2019 And he said \u2018No \u2013 but Elma does,\u2019\u201d Ramon recalled with a laugh. \u201cI ran it the first time and was just in love with the boardwalks, the view, and the Preserve itself.<\/p>\n \u201cI think running connects people \u2026 anybody can do it. You don\u2019t need any special equipment. All you need to do is put some shoes on and run.\u201d<\/p>\n The Friends of Weedon Island will take the success of the Run into their upcoming annual general meeting on October 30. There they\u2019ll set the agenda for the next year of the Friends \u2013 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\u2019s considered one of Pinellas County\u2019s hidden treasures.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people get involved and have an interest in doing something, we can make it happen,\u201d he said. \u201cCome out \u2013 if you have new ideas, let\u2019s do them.\u201d<\/p>\n