Who doesn't love wine and chocolates? Over 1,500 runners were in attendance with proceeds…read morebenefitting the ongoing beautification of San Marco. The course ran in and around the beautiful San Marco neighborhood and finished with an awesome wine and chocolate after party in the Square. Instead of a finisher medal, you get a wine glass which we used for two wine pours. I had the red wine and bubbly. They also had white wine, but the line was too long. And lots of chocolate covered strawberries and small packets of chocolate covered popcorn from Peterbrooke Chocolatier. Yummo! It was hot, but Mother Nature cooperated. It started raining well after the race. Thank goodness! The Yelp Jacksonville runners continue to grow so who else want to join us?

It was a hot and humid day but thank goodness it didn't rain during the run! Forecast a few days…read morebefore the race was 50% showers! We were told that there will be limited parking so we arrived less than 2 hours before the race. A significant number of runners were already there but It was a well organized event to raise funds for San Marco. The neighborhood was beautiful and the residents were wonderfully cheering on us while we ran! It was very encouraging and motivated us more. After the run, we were treated with bubbly, red and white wine, Peterbrook's chocolate covered popcorn, vanilla, strawberries and chocolate ice creams. My favorite would be the chocolate covered strawberries! Like John R., I had one too many lol. Thank you to the organizers! Great event for a good cause!

Gate River Run (GRR) is a fun filled, "Bucket List" type event. The event draws thousands upon…read morethousands of people from all over the US and even from other countries. While I've ran many 5K's ... GRR was three times of a 5K distance. I participated for the first time along with a group of first timers in 2018. And together, we conquered the event to the very end. It's definitely no cake walk (is "cake run" a word???). If you are planning on signing up for GRR, my only suggestions would be: ** Try to not do it alone. Sign up with other people that will motivate you along the way. Have at least one buddy that will help you get to the very end. It definitely has helped me. ** Stay hydrated through the course of the week leading to the event. ** AND...stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch....this helps ALOT. Other than that, get ready to run/walk/hop/crawl/ChaChaSlide or whatever it takes to make it to that Finish Line. The first 6.2 Miles (equivalent to 10K) is not so bad. And throughout the course of your run, you will encounter live bands playing, street cheerers, as well as multiple Water Break stations. Each Mile is well marked along with a timer so you will know your current progress. On the 8th Mile, you'll encounter "The Green Monster" aka The Hart Bridge. This is about the same time your legs are about to give in, calves screaming, lungs burning. And you still have to run up The Green Monster. It's not fun, but once you are on the bridge, it definitely feels like you're on top of Mount Kilimanjaro. From there, going down from that bridge gets easier, just let the downhill momentum of that bridge take your body all the way to the Finish Line. I'm still contemplating about signing up for Gate River Run 2020. For me personally, the problem I have is commitment... because The GRR, The Dirty Pecan (A Road & Gravel bike event held in Monticello, FL ) and The Fat Tire Festival (a famous MTB event held annually in Ocala, FL) are all held..ON..THE..SAME..DAY..OF..EVERY..YEAR. Grrrrrrr!!! #DecisionsDecisions

Jacksonville has so much more to offer than meets the eye. Each year we are hosts to a premiere…read moregolf event - The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party at the Florida-Georgia Game, and the National Championship 15k Race known as the Gate River Run! This is an absolutely spectacular event with world class runners competing each year. Our beautiful city is showcased as the course snakes it's way through the Cathedral District downtown, across the St Johns River via the Main Street Bridge, into San Marco with its beautiful river views, through the canopied streets of St Nicholas, over the Big Green Monster (better known as the Hart Bridge) and culminating in the Stadium District at The Bank! What a gorgeous course. But what makes this course even better is the citizens of Jacksonville that lined the streets - cheering us along, offering drinks & treats! Approximately every 3/4 of a mile, there were bands playing. This did so much to lift my spirits & help me push to finish! I'm glad there are 364 days to rest & prepare - but I'm very much looking forward to be a part of this great event again & again!

My wife and I run this race yearly. Each runner receives a cool looking technical shirt (teal and…read moreblack this year) and a custom designed fisher medal. This annual Jaguars 5K Stadium Challenge supports the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation and local youth sports programs. The run includes a unique course both inside and outside TIAA Bank Field. Participants will run around the stadium, up and down the ramps, and finish by crossing the football field. The video boards showed a live feed of runners running across the field! After the race, a drink stub attached to our race babe entitled each runner to a free beer available to participants 21+ only or water or soda. Fun race, but it's so hot in the PM. Run Waves to choose from during registration: 6:30 PM: 5K Walker Wave 6:45 PM: One Mile Fun Run 7:00 PM: 5K Stroller Wave - Just for Fun 7:15 PM: Corporate Team 5K 7:30 PM: Competitive Division 7:45 PM: Just for Fun 5K 8:00 PM: Under the Lights 5K - Just for Fun

Happy Birthday America! This was my 3rd time (2015, 2016, 2019)running this race and what a best…read moreway to celebrate our country's birthday early than to run with other runners/walkers! This race is always scheduled on July 4th and this year, around 1,750 runners participated which was organized by 1st Place Sports. This run featured moisture wicking shirts to all participants, large custom designed medals to all 5K finishers and 1st Place Sports fun run medals to all mile finishers. Several runners showed support for our country and military by carrying either a large or small flag (supplied) during the race. After the race, 1st Place Sports had loads of watermelon to eat, a seed spitting contest and drawings for prizes. Post-race food also included donut holes, coffee, smoothies, beer, crackers and chips. We took some chips home to munch on later. A little warm, but it was a fun run!

Coop was amazing. Above and beyond customer service. Highly recommend for your shoe needs.read more

The Arc Jacksonville held its 5th annual Running of the Bulls 5K at Intuition Ale Works. This…read moreevent borrows its theme from the famous 'The Running of the Bulls' held each July in Pamplona, Spain. We were chased through the downtown Jacksonville 5K course by the Jacksonville Roller Derby acting as 'Bulls.' Dodge them or get tagged with red paint! It's like getting gored by a bull and bloodied up. Man, dodging them bulls makes the run more exhausting! Beginning and ending at Intuition Ale Works, we were treated to an after party featuring race awards, live music, complimentary food and beer. Hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, BACON!, and biscuits n' gravy. I can't get enough of Maple Street Biscuit Company's yummy cinnamon biscuits. I had to stop at three. My beer of choice - Underdark with coffee. The race was fun especially with my YES! team. Thanks John R. for organizing and creating a team to save us $5 in registration fees. Let's do it again next year!

This is my second year to join Running of the Bulls and the experience was always phenomenal! Great…read moreturnout of people. Volunteers were very helpful and the route was not difficult, although I got tired of dodging the "bulls" Lol! Kudos to them for keeping this event fun and lively! As always we ended up with a beer or mimosa on hand plus a variety of food and a breakfast plate. So much food! Thanks to all of the sponsors! See you again in 2021!

I've attended, participated the Thanksgiving Distance Classic for many years now and it is by far,…read moremy favorite 5K event. Rain or shine, I am here.. I just love the feeling of burning as much calories as I can in the early morning knowing I have a hot food date with a Lady Bird named Turkey later that morning. Calories out, then Calories In...lots of calories. The runs are divided into 2 groups; a 5K group and a 10K (Half Marathon) group. The course runs you through some nice, shaded residential areas. And once you pass that Starting Line, you will find yourself running around the residential areas. Water Stations are available within certain miles. And once you passed that Finish Line, you are greeted and given a race medal that just reminds you over and over what you have accomplished. It truly is a well-organized event, which is put together by 1st Place Sports. Along with this, you also get a nice technical shirt to wear for the event, as well as food and drinks post-race. It really has become a tradition for me.

What a beautiful weather to run! So glad it was not too cold! As always, everything went smoothly…read morefrom start to finish! This is my third year to join and intend to do it annually! Great way to start the holiday, run then eat the holiday feast later lol! I noticed that the community seems to be getting bigger and bigger! I saw more participants this year which is great! Water, bananas and bagels were available for everyone! Saw also a lot of familiar faces :) It was an early run but you get to finished early too, just in time to cook and prepare for the Thanksgiving! We all had a fun morning! Thank you to the organizers! Good job!

Jax Urban Cyclocross is race event that's sponsored and put together by local bike shops. The race…read moreis held at Willow Branch Park where it is taped off into one big biking obstacle course. The event runs through every Thursday each week, on the month of October annually. It caters to all ages and skill level riders. This is one event I love to attend and look forward to every year; the event's proceeds goes towards to benefit certain organizations and local youth teams. And.... it's a fun event. The objective; loop the race course as many times as you can in 45 minutes. You are given a race bib during registration, and there are volunteers that monitors and records each time you pass the completion line. And on the very last week of this race is called "The Halloween Edition", where you have the option to dress up and race in your costume. Now I haven't seen a witch fly on a broom, but I have officially seen witches on bikes now. It's purely a sight to see my pretties.

This Year's annual 5k in San Marco has been postponed til October. So if you're going a little stir…read morecrazy in quarantine, here's an opportunity to stretch your legs & get some fresh air! Stay inside on your treadmill or run around your living room if you'd rather, but Florida's Governor has allowed for exercise outdoors, but remember to utilize Social Distancing guidelines if you do! Start your run (walk, jog, or however you decide) on Saturday April 4th at 5:30. At the end of your 5k, enjoy a nice glass of wine & your favorite chocolates! Make sure to share your pics (before, during and after) on the Yelp Business Page for the Not in San Marco Chocolate and Wine Virtual 5k! I'm hoping each of you is healthy & happy and look forward to seeing you soon! BTW - no participation ribbons or medals :) Pre-Run Warm Up & Post-Run Party on Zoom - message me for info!

Great event! Had lots of fun seeing and catching up with my fav yelper! Too bad I can't check in,…read moresince I'm too far. Anyways love you guys. Thank you for all you do to keep us together

This year's Labor Day 5k got postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. Vanessa, John L and I ran the…read morecourse on Labor Day any way - Cuz the weather was rather nice and it's a really good course. Due to the storm, they combined the race with the Springfield 5k. It started at Sesquicentennial Park and wound thru the canopied roads of the neighborhood. Lots of residents were out to cheer us along. Another benefit of the combination was the vendors in the park. Following the race we got to sample goods & goodies from local businesses. Springs Brewery & Hyperion Brewing were there to provide samples - always a Plus! My only issue was the course seemed a bit longer than 5k. I use the Nike Run Club app & it showed the finish line at approx 3.5 miles. Not a big deal - but I was really proud of my 5k result - not so proud of the race result :(