Swamp Forest Trail Run

Join Gulf Winds Track Club for the 10th Anniversary Swamp Forest Trail Run on Saturday, January 7, 2024, at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park in Tallahassee, FL. This annual event offers runners the opportunity to tackle a one-loop Quarter Marathon (6.8 mi), two-loop Half Marathon (13.6 mi), or three-loop 20-Mile Challenge (20.4 mi) through the beautiful rolling terrain of the park's trails.

Registration opens on Sunday, October 1, and the event is limited to 150 runners, so be sure to sign up early to secure your spot. The last day to register and receive a race shirt is December 10.

The course takes runners through three main loops: Swamp Forest, Coon Bottom, and Oak Hammock, as well as several connecting trails. The Swamp Forest Loop offers views of a seepage basin swamp, ferns, ephemeral ponds, and a Beech-Magnolia forest. The Coon Bottom Loop runs alongside a sand-bottom seepage stream and passes through Beech-Magnolia and Spruce Pine forests. The Oak Hammock Loop runs near Lake Jackson and provides opportunities to spot deer along the open fields. The Creek Forest Trail features a seepage stream, meander loops, and patches of Giant Cane and Arundinaria gigantea. The Big Tree Cutoff passes a swamp with Pinckneya, Needle Palms, and towering Tulip-Poplars.

The event has a cut-off time of 1:00 PM, giving runners 5 hours to complete the 20-Mile Challenge. If you do not finish your second loop in 3.5 hours, you will be awarded the half marathon finish time.

Packet pick-up will be held on Friday, January 5, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM at Cadence Running/Trail & Ski and on Saturday morning at the race from 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM.

Don't miss out on this exciting trail run and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Swamp Forest Trail Run with Gulf Winds Track Club. Visit the event website for more information and to register.