Gate River Run facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gate River Run |
|
|---|---|
Gate River Run logo
|
|
| Date | the second Saturday of March |
| Location | downtown Jacksonville, Florida |
| Event type | Road race |
| Distance | 15 kilometer |
| Established | 1978 |
| Course records | Men: 42:22 (1995) Todd Williams Women: 47:03 (2014) Shalane Flanagan |
| Official site | www.gate-riverrun.com/ |
The Gate River Run (GRR), which used to be known as the Jacksonville River Run, is a really popular yearly running event in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. It's a 15-kilometer (about 9.3 miles) race that takes place on the roads. Both top athletes and people who just run for fun love to join!
Since 1994, this race has been the official US National Championship for 15K runs. In 2007, it became the biggest 15K race in the whole country. Runner's World Magazine even called it one of the top US road races for 20 years! Local news often says it's one of Jacksonville's most important yearly events.
Contents
History of the Race
The Gate River Run started in 1978. It was created by the Jacksonville Track Club, which is now called JTC Running. Back then, it was known as the Jacksonville River Run.
The first sponsor was the Florida Publishing Company. They published local newspapers like the Florida Times-Union. The idea for the race came from another famous race, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. That race was 10,000 meters long.
To make the Jacksonville race special, they decided it would be 15,000 meters. This made it different from other 10K races that were becoming popular. The race course goes over two big bridges that cross the St. Johns River. This is how the race got its name!
Famous Winners and Records
A running legend named Bill Rodgers won the very first River Run. He had won the New York City and Boston Marathons four times each! The organizers invited him to the race. His amazing win helped the event become famous across the country. For the women, Kim Merritt won the first race. She was a top runner at a time when women were just starting to be recognized in longer races.
In 1994, Gate Petroleum became the main sponsor, and the race was renamed the Gate River Run.
- Todd Williams holds the American 15K record for men. He ran it in 42 minutes and 22 seconds in 1995. He won the GRR five times!
- Shalane Flanagan set a new women's record in 2014, finishing in 47 minutes flat.
- Before that, Deena Drossin (who won the GRR six times!) held the women's record. She ran it in 47 minutes and 15 seconds in 2003.
In 2004, they added something called an "equalizer." The fastest women runners got a five-minute head start over the fastest men. This was because there was a 4-minute and 53-second difference between the men's and women's national 15K records. The first runner to cross the finish line, whether a man or a woman, gets a special $5,000 bonus! Even with the head start, women had only won this bonus once by 2007. In 2012, the head start was increased to 6 minutes and 35 seconds. That year, Janet Cherobon won the $5,000 bonus, and she won it again in 2013.
Race Details
The Gate River Run offers a lot of prize money. In 2013, the total prize money was more than $85,000! This makes it one of the biggest non-marathon events in the United States for prize money. There are separate awards for men and women, for teams, and for "masters" runners (who are over 40 years old).
| Individual Awards | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| $12,000 | $5,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $900 | $800 | $700 | $600 | $500 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Bonus Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | Equalizer | First male or female finisher |
| $10,000 | World Record | Race winner |
| $5,000 | American Record | Race winner |
| $3,000 | Course Record | Race winner |
| $200 | Florida Cup | Fastest male & female resident of Florida |
| $100 | First Coast Cup | Fastest male & female resident Duval, Clay, Nassau or St. Johns |
Along the race course, you'll find live bands playing music. The finish line is right next to TIAA Bank Field. The top 10 percent of runners get special running caps, and all 15K finishers receive medals.
Before the race, there's a 3-day expo for runners. Many companies are there to show off running and health products. There are also talks about running topics like:
- How to stay hydrated and eat right
- Foot and ankle injuries
- Shin splints and how to pick the right shoes
- Basic injury care
In 2013, the famous runner Bill Rodgers was a special guest at the expo. He talked about running and signed autographs.
After the race, Publix supermarkets host a fun celebration at the fairgrounds.
In 2013, over 17,000 people signed up for the race, and more than 15,000 runners finished it. The winner that year was Ben True from Hanover, New Hampshire, with a time of 43 minutes and 38 seconds. The fastest woman was Janet Cherobon-Bawcom from Rome, Georgia, finishing in 49 minutes and 44 seconds. There are also shorter races, like the Florida Times-Union 5K Run & Walk for Charity and the one-mile Junior River Run for kids.
Doug Alred has been the race director for 31 out of the 36 years the race has been held. He said that 2013 was the 11th year in a row that more people signed up than ever before!
Streakers
"Streakers" are people who have completed every single River Run since it started. After the 2021 race, there were 26 Streakers!
During the 2013 race, one of the Streakers had a medical emergency. Luckily, firefighters who were also running the race helped him right away. An emergency team quickly arrived and helped him recover.
Hall of Fame
The Gate River Run Hall of Fame was created in 2002. You can find it permanently located in the Riverplace Tower in downtown Jacksonville. It displays items from the race's beginning in 1978 until now. There's also a short video that tells you all about the race. You can see plaques for all 14 people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Past winners
Key: Course record
| Year | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | Women's winner | Time (m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 |  Bill Rodgers (USA) |
44:46 | Kim Merritt (USA) |
55:46 |
| 1979 |  Jerry Odlin (GBR) |
46:04 | Joan Benoit (USA) |
51:47 |
| 1980 | Bob Hodge (USA) |
44:54 | Jennifer White (USA) |
53:11 |
| 1981 | Dan Dillon (USA) |
43:34 | Patti Catalano (USA) |
49:33 |
| 1982 |  Mike Musyoki (KEN) |
43:33 | Wendy Sly (GBR) |
49:52 |
| 1983 | Nick Rose (GBR) |
43:42 |  Charlotte Teske (GER) |
50:17 |
| 1984 |  Gidamis Shahanga (TAN) |
42:54 |  Midde Hamrin (SWE) |
50:12 |
| 1985 | Simeon Kigen (KEN) |
43:26 | Betty Springs (USA) |
49:25 |
| 1986 |  Arturo Barrios (MEX) |
43:18 |  Grete Waitz (NOR) |
48:53 |
| 1987 | Arturo Barrios (MEX) |
43:00 | Grete Waitz (NOR) |
49:05 |
| 1988 | Steve Spence (USA) |
43:20 | Lynn Jennings (USA) |
50:02 |
| 1989 | John Halvorsen (NOR) |
43:12 | Cathy O'Brien (USA) |
49:45 |
| 1990 | Ed Eyestone (USA) |
43:58 | Francie Larue Smith (USA) |
49:39 |
| 1991 | Steve Spence (USA) |
43:41 | Francie Larue Smith (USA) |
48:43 |
| 1992 |  Valdenor dos Santos (BRA) |
43:42 |  Olga Markova (RUS) |
49:20 |
| 1993 | Benson Masya (KEN) |
43:59 | Gwyn Coogan (USA) |
51:26 |
| 1994 | Todd Williams (USA) |
43:42 | Anne Marie Letko (USA) |
49:27 |
| 1995 | Todd Williams (USA) |
42:22 NR | Cathy O'Brien (USA) |
48:56 |
| 1996 | Todd Williams (USA) |
43:49 | Lynn Jennings (USA) |
49:45 |
| 1997 | Joe LeMay (USA) |
43:35 | Lynn Jennings (USA) |
50:13 |
| 1998 | Todd Williams (USA) |
44:06 | Jennifer Rhines (USA) |
51:00 |
| 1999 | Todd Williams (USA) |
43:59 | Lynn Jennings (USA) |
50:05 |
| 2000 | Dan Browne (USA) |
44:26 | Deena Drossin (USA) |
49:40 |
| 2001 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
43:16 | Deena Drossin (USA) |
49:09 |
| 2002 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
42:49 | Deena Drossin (USA) |
48:12 |
| 2003 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
43:31 | Deena Drossin (USA) |
47:15 |
| 2004 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
43:18 | Colleen De Reuck (USA) |
49:02 |
| 2005 | Ryan Shay (USA) |
43:50 | Jennifer Rhines (USA) |
49:21 |
| 2006 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
43:41 | Blake Russell (USA) |
49:14 |
| 2007 | Meb Keflezighi (USA) |
43:39 | Deena Kastor (USA) |
47:20 |
| 2008 | Andrew Carlson (USA) |
44:10 | Deena Kastor (USA) |
49:34 |
| 2009 | Anthony Famiglietti (USA) |
43:36 | Amy Yoder-Begley (USA) |
49:51 |
| 2010 | Mo Trafeh (USA) |
42:58 | Katie McGregor (USA) |
49:51 |
| 2011 | Mo Trafeh (USA) |
42:58 | Jennifer Rhines (USA) |
49:31 |
| 2012 | Christo Landry (USA) |
44:37 | Janet Cherobon (USA) |
49:41 |
| 2013 | Ben True (USA) |
43:38 | Janet Cherobon (USA) |
49:44 |
| 2014 | Ben True (USA) |
43:04 | Shalane Flanagan (USA) |
47:00 NR |
| 2015 | Ben True (USA) |
44:03 | Amy Cragg (USA) |
50:18 |
| 2016 | Stanley Kebenei (USA) |
44:37 | Tara Welling (USA) |
50:34 |
| 2017 | Leonard Korir (USA) |
43:22 | Jordan Hasay (USA) |
49:28 |
| 2018 | Leonard Korir (USA) |
43:06 | Molly Huddle (USA) |
47:50 |
| 2019 | Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA) |
43:41 | Erika Kemp (USA) |
50:54 |
| 2020 | Frank Lara (USA) |
44:42 | Marielle Hall (USA) |
48:52 |
| 2021 | Clayton Young (USA) |
43:52 | Emily Sisson (USA) |
48.09 |
| 2022 | Nico Montanez (USA) |
43:09 | Emily Sisson (USA) |
47:28 |
| 2023 | Hillary Bor (USA) |
43:11 | Emily Sisson (USA) |
48:26 |
