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6th Gopher Weedon Trail Run 8K

October 29, 2016
Weedon Island Preserve
1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
View of Weedon Island Preserve in St Petersburg, FL from the observation tower.
I stopped to take a photo. Here's the view from the 2nd floor of the observation tower. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)

6th Weedon Island Trail Run 8K

This trail race is staged by the Friends of Weedon Island. All proceeds from the race go towards environmental restoration, and education at the preserve.

The race is an 8K (4.971 miles) run entirely inside Weedon Island Preserve, in St. Petersburg, Florida, next to Tampa Bay.

Participants run through mangroves, salt marsh and Florida scrub habitat. The trails are a variety of dirt, paved cement, soft sand, crushed shell and boardwalks.

What You Need to Know

Packet Pickup: Pickup was available the day before the race in downtown St. Petersburg at Fit2Run. Packet pickup was available on race morning beginning an hour before the race. No expo.

Race Course: The course is paved, dirt and sand trails, and boardwalks. The race starts near the Cultural and History Center parking lot, then follows the trails around the park.

Pacers: No.

Aid Stations: Water stops at mile 1 and 3.

Parking: Easy and free parking was in the Cultural and History Center parking lot. The race is limited to 200 entrants, so parking doesn't seem to be a problem. Volunteers used a separate parking area.

Park Entry Fee: None.

Restrooms: The Cultural and History Center has nice bathrooms available to runners before and after the race.

Cost: 8K $30. This race has limited entries because it's run on the nature trails. The race sells out, so register early to get your chance to run this beautiful course.

SWAG (Stuff we all get): This year's race shirt was white with black printing. All runners received a short sleeve tech race shirt and bib. Ladies shirt is v-neck. Mens is round neckline. Race packets included a free beer voucher to Cycle Brewing and discount coupons for the Weedon Island Preserve Gift Shop and Ricky P's restaurant. The race bib had a coupon for 10% off a regular priced item at Fit2Run.

Surprise: Be prepared to run up a 3-story observation deck and ring the bell in the last mile of the race. The tower looks very steep on the approach, but is worth the effort.

Post Race Festivities: The post race food main event was Shrimp and Grits from Noble Crust, a local restaurant. There was plenty of food for everyone, including bananas, oranges, cookies, veggies, and dip. There was lots of cold water and sports drink.

The party takes place next to the finish line. Everyone lounged in the grass to eat and then watch the awards. Runners and spectators were encouraged to visit the Cultural and History Center after the race.

Photos: Yes. The volunteer photographers did a great job of snapping pics of runners along the course and at the finish line.

Free photos were posted to the Friends of Weedon Island Facebook page in mid-November. No notification, so watch the Facebook page for updates and info.

Awards: No medals, but lots of great prizes. First place winners in each age group received a Weedon Island buff, plus gift certificates to Fit2Run, Noble Crust and the Weedon Island Gift Shop. 2nd and 3rd place winners received a Weedon Island buff.

Timing Chip: No. There was a digital display at the finish line. Runners wrote their name, age, bib number and finish time on a paper record. Winners were tallied manually.

Race Results: The results were posted on CoolRunning.com by early afternoon.

Weather Report: It was 73º at the 9 am start. Humidity didn't bother me, but the forecast was for 80% humidity.
-> Partly cloudy and sunny.
-> Slight breeze.
-> Temp was 77º at the finish.

Extra Info: Watch your step. A lot of the course is dirt and sand. There were tree roots and other natural obstacles. There seemed to be a lot of pine cones this year. Trail shoes were helpful.

Here's a map of all the Weedon Island Preserve trails.
Logo for Gopher Weedon Trail Run for benefit of Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg
Race shirt and bib for Weedon Island Trail Run
Packet pick up was available on race morning. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
Starting line of the 2016 Weedon Island Trail Race.
200 runners at the starting line of the 2016 race. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
Race course for the Weedon Island Trail Race.
Runners out on the course during the race. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
Runners exit the Mangrove Tunnel at Weedon Island Preserve
Runners emerged from the Mangroves just before the first water stop. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
Runners record their times at the Weedon Trail Run
Runners recorded their race times after crossing the finish line. Race officials tallied the times manually. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
Noble Crust restaurant provided the post race meal at Weedon Island Trail Run.
Local restaurant, Noble Crust, provided a delicious hot entree after the race. Yum! (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)
2016 participants eat and drink after the Weedon Island Trail Run.
Runners chat and eat after the race. (Photo credit: Friends of Weedon Island)



Race Rating: A+

My Weedon Race 

2016 was my second entry in this race, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as my first year. You just can't beat the surroundings!

I love running single file through the Mangrove caves, through the Pine trees and on the boardwalks.

I'm practicing steady pacing this season, so my mantra for the race was to breathe and take in the surroundings as I ran. It seemed to work well for me. I managed a consistent pace throughout the race.

The weather, participants and volunteers all make this a fantastic race. If you want to run the Weedon Gopher 8K Trail Race, register early. It sells out at 200 participants. 



This Old Runner finishes the 2016 Weedon Island Preserve 8K Trail Race.
Not the fastest, but maybe one of the happiest finishers? I'm pleased with my consistent 12 minute pace this early in the season.
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  • Blog
  • Race Discounts
    • What's BibRave?
  • Brand Discounts
  • Races
    • 2021 Races >
      • REVIEW: 2021 Tampa Hot Chocolate 15K 5K
      • Hot Chocolate 15K Watercolor Journal
    • 2019 Races >
      • 2019 First Watch Sarasota Half
      • 2019 Legoland Brick Dash 5K
      • 2019 World Refugee Day 5K
      • 2019 Pittsburgh Half Marathon
      • 2019 Rugged Maniac Dade City
      • 2019 Copperhead 5K at the Valspar Championship
      • 2019 Best Damn Race
      • 2019 St Pete Beach Classic Duo
    • 2018 Races >
      • 2018 First Watch Sarasota Half
    • 2017 Races >
      • 2017 Madeira Beach Sunset Series
      • 2017 Best Damn Race Leftover 5k
      • 2017 May Day 10K
      • 2017 5K on the Runway
      • 2017 Valspar Par 4 Miler
      • 2017 Sarasota Music Half
      • 2017 SPB Beach Classic
      • 2017 Kettle Krush 5K
    • 2016 Races >
      • 2016 Caladesi Island 10 Miler
      • 2016 Ronnie's Run 10 Miler
      • 2016 Weedon Island Preserve 8K
      • 2016 Fort DeSoto 15K
      • 2016 One Step Closer 10k
      • 2016 Hippie Dash 5k
      • 2016 May Day 10K
      • 2016 FL Beach Half
      • 2016 SPB Beach Classic
    • 2015 Races >
      • 2015 May Day 10k
      • 2015 Weedon Island Preserve 8K
      • 2015 Fort DeSoto 15K
      • 2015 Honeymoon Island Half
  • Places
    • --> Seen On A Run
    • Azalea Park
    • Crescent Lake Park
    • Weedon Island Preserve
    • Demens Landing
    • Riviera Bay Park
    • Walter Fuller Park
  • My Story
    • Contact
    • Reviews and Sponsored Posts