50K

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The Suwannee River is a black water river. Its headwaters start in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and flow all the way to the gulf. The water is black because of the tannins found in it of decaying leaves. It is hands down one of the most beautiful rivers in the world! Here, the Florida National Scenic Trail runs roughly 70 miles along the river, offering hikers, and now runners, the feeling of stepping back hundreds of years into the past!

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The first two miles are a combination of dirt road, dirt double track, and some singletrack trail. You will then cross over the Suwannee River on the abandoned old Us 129 bridge. This view of the river is incredible! On the other side, you make your way down to the Florida Trail and pass under the bridge before heading East (southbound) on the Florida Trail. Massive oaks tower around you growing in all directions as you run upstream along the Suwannee River. The trail contains many small hills, climbing ravines and then dropping back down. If you’re not a hill runner, take your time walking these and taking photos! It's beautiful!

 

You will climb Devils Mountain, the highest spot on the Suwannee River section of the Florida Trail. It is a whopping 126 ft above sea level. There are several natural white sand beaches along the river made by the limestone. To get to the second aid station, we will divert off the Florida Trail onto Disappearing Creek Trail. This .2 mile trail follows a small creek that goes underground multiple times before dumping into the Suwannee. The creek actually disappears into the ground! We will then take a dirt roadbed trail on a .5 mile out and back to Camp Branch Trailhead for an aid station.

 

Once you get aid you will turn around and head back downhill to the river where you deadend into the Florida Trail and go left  (return the way you were going). You will cross under Highway I-75. Keep going until you turn left onto an old dirt road for a diversion to the 3rd aid station at Swift Creek Conservation Area. It’s flat on the road until the aid station. Then another half mile back down to the Florida Trail. You will encounter more up and down but not as steep. As you make your way to Stephen Foster you will enter the park and turn left onto a side trail / grass roadbed. This will take you into the exposed Pine Flatwoods. You will stay on this trail until you do a short out and back to the last aid station before rejoining the Foster Hammock loop where you will find more rolling hills.

 

Eventually you will rejoin the Florida trail. You will be back to the Suwannee for your final three miles or so of running along the river. Once back to the trailhead it’s .5 miles of road to the finish. This course contains a lot of rolling hills along the banks of the Suwannee. A great approach for those unfamiliar with the terrain would be to hike up, then run down, and run the flats. 

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10k:

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The 10k starts and finishes at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. Note this is not the same as Stephen Foster State Park.

 

Runners will start on an old dirt roadbed and quickly come to blue blazed singletrack. This singletrack meanders up and down through giant live oaks and eventually into pine flat woods before turning right onto the Orange Blazed Florida Trail. The Florida Trail runs along the Suwannee River along the banks as runners take in the serene river views amid palms and live oaks. This course is deceptively challenging with many hills and undulating terrain..

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