One recent Saturday morning, I found myself driving toward the intersection of Woodville Highway and Capital Circle Southeast to meet four friends for an 8 to 10 mile run over the Munson Hills trails.
As summer approaches, I have all but given up expecting a run to take me to that happy place a little extra dopamine can take me.
But Tallahassee and the surrounding areas are filled with diverse, great places to run.
And sometimes a visit to a place you have not been to in a while can evoke those beautiful feelings we refer to as a “runners high.” While summer has arrived, there are still times when you can catch a little bit of coolness and our run through Munson Hills that day was beautiful.
Munson Hills stands apart from most of the running opportunities in our area. It sits in the Apalachicola National Forest (which contains 632,890 acres) south of Tallahassee.
Instead of big Live Oak, River Oak and Magnolia trees there are towering Longleaf Pine trees and many acres of wiregrass, without the dense undergrowth of trails to the north.
The Munson Hills were once sand dunes resting along the shoreline that existed in the area long ago. The sandhills made the perfect place for the tall Longleaf pine trees. The Longleaf pines stand guard over an entire ecosystem that depends on a lot of sunshine and frequent fires. It has taken a lot of effort to restore this area to its Longleaf ecosystem.
The Munson Hills trail system extends for about 21 miles through rolling forested terrain — all single-track trail. The north Munson loop trails, extending for 7.6 miles, are hard-packed dirt and clay. The south Twilight loops are sandier and softer, but still good footing for running.
The trails went through a major trail improvement project approximately 10 years ago. And while the major focus was on cyclists, runners benefited as well.
You can see for what seems like miles under the tall pines and there is a hypnotic rhythm to following the winding and twisting trails. That is until you realize you are lost in the forest.
Pot Luck Bash
This past Saturday a small but determined group of runners took on the summertime heat to run the Great Potluck Bash 4 Mile race.
The race starts at 6 p.m. It is unique in that runners are asked to predict their finish time without access to a watch or other timing devices. To further complicate things, the runners do not know the course ahead of time and there are no mile markers along the course.
Despite all these difficulties, Joe Vega finished in a time of 39:30.85 after predicting 39:30. Sarala Hermes was next, predicting 53:02 and finishing in 52:51.05. The last to be recognized for their accuracy was Jerry McDaniel who predicted a finish time of 36:00. He finished in 36:12.47.
Chris O’Kelley was the first runner to cross the line and he did so in 26:15, maybe a race record. Dwayne Evans finished second. On the women’s side, Nancy Stedman was the first to conquer the heat and terrain. She finished in 36:31. Next across the finish line, in a time of 39:11 was Martha Guyas.
This race was created in 1998 with the purpose of supporting and publicizing high school runners, jumpers and throwers in the Big Bend.
Recognizing youth athletes
Coaches are asked to nominate athletes for the Paul Hoover Leadership Award, the boys and girls top track and field athletes and the top cross-country runners.
Paul Hoover Leadership Award – Riley Karpinski – Pole Vault and sprint – Maclay School
Coaches comments: One of the top pole vaulters (3.5 meters, 11.4 feet) in the Tallahassee area for the last three years. Also, a top sprinter. Her work ethic and enthusiasm made her a great leader.
Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year – Lillee Tang’s time of 18:48 was tops time in Big Bend. She also placed 10 at 3A State. Lillee is a junior at Leon High School.
Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year Award – Patrick Koon’s 5K time of 15:05 was the top time in the Big Bend. He was the 3A State Cross Country Champion and finished 37th at XC Nationals. Won State title as sophomore in 3200. 3200 PR 8:58:30. Patrick is a sophomore at Leon High School.
Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year – Nadia Williams – Lincoln High School
Coaches Comments: 200 meters: top-ranked in Big Bend (24.24, 8th at State); 400 meters: top-ranked in Big Bend (55.71, 3rd at State); Anchored top-ranked 4×400 relay team in Big Bend (4:01) 3-time district Champion in class 3A winning the 400-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×400 meter relay. Nadia was district runner up in the 100-meter dash during her junior year. A 3A Region 1 Champion in the 400-meters accompanied with 3 top three regional finishes in the 100, 200 and 4×400 meter relay. At the 3A State Track and Field Championships she placed 3rd in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.71. She also finished the state meet medaling in the 100- and 200-meter dash.
Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year – Darian Mills, senior, Port St. Joe High School
Coaches Comments: 110 hurdles: top-ranked in Big Bend (14:05, 1A State Champion), 300 hurdles: #2 in Big Bend (37.75, 1A State Champion), Only double state track champion from the Big Bend.
David Yon is addicted to running. In his spare time, he is an attorney with the Radey Law Firm.
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