The second race of 2026 is done and dusted! That’s right! Even though I’m not running the Gate River Run this year, I did cross the finish line of its “little sister”, the Ortega River Run. It was a great time, as always, and I can’t wait to share all about it!
About The Race
For the past 48 years, runners have taken on this historic course with two bridges along tree-lined streets. It’s often considered a lead up to the famous Gate River Run, with a bridge at the start, and one at the finish. The race is staged at St. Mark’s Episcopal School, hosted by First Place Sports as a Grand Prix sanctioned event, and is a great event for the whole family! Proceeds benefit the financial aid program at the school. A one mile fun run starts at 8:00AM and the 5 Mile main event begins at 8:30AM.
The Night Before
I was quite busy leading up to the race. I was walking dogs, and getting ready for a week long housesit. I had just enough time to put out my flat runner and pack a bag. Parking is notoriously bad in the area, so I planned to be there obscenely early. To make things easier, I picked up my packet ahead of time, although they did not have the correct shirt size. I just took a larger one and planned to use it for lounging (it’s cotton, so it will be comfy). They would have let me exchange it on race day, but I didn’t care that much.
Race Morning
As promised, I was up and out that door immediately. I had to walk a client, who was surprisingly cooperative at 5AM, and then I was off to Jacksonville. I arrived at Episcopal at about 6:10 and got a parking spot about a block from the start line. In my defense, it was one of the last spots in the area, and I was not the first.
I brought my book and chilled out in the car waiting for the sun to rise. There is a cute waterfront park right near the start line, and I took advantage of the views. I also took advantage of the bathrooms. For some reason, I had to go several times, and I was very lucky to never encounter a line.
I also wandered around the grounds a bit. In addition to packet pickup, there were plenty of vendors set up, as well as little photo opps and samples. It’s a really great, family-centric event, with plenty to do while people are running.
The Start Line
The kids mile run went off at 8:00AM, to the sounds of a school band. there is so much enthusiasm at this event. The rest of the runners started lining up shortly after. I was already discouraged because it was so hot and sunny. Temperatures were cooler the day before and were predicted to plummet that afternoon. Why couldn’t they have just stayed low? But what can you do? The race announcer made his usual joke that this was a 5 mile and not a 5K race, and then we were off.
Miles 1-2.5
This race is in the Ortega River area of Jacksonville, a spot I know very little about. I just follow the leader, and try to keep up. Immediately, it was clear that the heat and humidity was no one’s friend, and I wasn’t thrilled about it. While I don’t often drink during races, a very nice family was handing out gatorade, and I was very grateful for that. It’s also worth noting that the course is pretty narrow and stays pretty crowded for the duration of the race, especially over the bridges.
Miles 2.5-5
The joy of not knowing where you’re going is that you don’t know how far you’ve come or how much is left to go. I was able to just admire the views of the gorgeous neighborhoods and the water as we passed the second bridge and continued along the rest of the way. The back end of the course has a few more hills than I would like, but I stuck with my intervals and chipped away at them.
The Finish Line
And then it was over! Best part? I got a medal! Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but at the last minute, the race announced there were only 1000 medals for about 1200 runners in the 5 mile division. I thought that was pretty awful, and it put a lot of pressure on the runners. Considering this is a family friendly race, with people of all ages and abilities, this is something the race should improve on in the future.
I snagged water and a granola bar, and then headed back to the park to take some victory photos.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good: This is really a Jacksonville fan favorite. It draws a wonderful and varied crowd and the course is beautiful and challenging. It’s a great lead up to the Gate with its two iconic bridges, and I like the mix up of the 5 mile distance. The shirt and medal were both gorgeous. There were tons of photographers on course (photos weren’t free, but I ended up with over 40 shots of myself). Crowd support is fantastic, with student cheerleaders and musicians, and there were sufficient water stops.
The Bad: Parking. It’s awful, but everyone knows it in advance and can plan accordingly.
The Ugly: The weather was brutal and I really do wish the race started earlier. Also, the medal thing. I understand medals are expensive and have to be ordered in advance, but there were over 1000 runners last year, so the order should have been placed accordingly. My belief is that, especially for races that draw a wide range of participants, everyone who crosses the finish line deserves to feel honored.
Final Thoughts
It’s a great race for a good cause, and it brings out so many incredible people. I am all about the historic, feel-good events with local support, and the Ortega River Run absolutely fulfills that definition. It’s not a must-do for me, but it’s a great February race option and I’m glad I got out there!
What do you think about knowingly not ordering enough medals? How early would you show up for a parking spot?
Join the Runner’s Roundup!
Link up each week to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas. Join your hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs, each week for the Runners’ Roundup linkup! Your link must be running related. Unrelated links will be removed. You must link back to your hosts — it’s common courtesy and a lot more fun! Spread the link-up love by visiting at least two other #running bloggers! Leave a comment and find new blogs to read! Use hashtags #running and #RunnersRoundup to stay in touch and promote your content!
Nice job on getting there early and having NO toilet lines! That’s really nice to have – on my last two races, I ended up somewhere in the bushes.
Running in heat and humidity is brutal though. Huge respect for sticking to your intervals and chipping away at it, Jenn!
Shame about the medals, though! If it’s a money issue, they could make people pay extra for the medals. That way, at least those that paid for one get one!
Great job! I think everyone should get a medal or no one should get one. Giving them to most runners but not everyone seems unfair!