WILD FLORIDA
TRAIL RUN
50K | 25k | 10k
A Run Bum race largely benefitting the
Florida Trail Association
PACKET PICKUP
For insurance purposes runners MUST be present with ID. You cannot pickup a bib for someone else!!
No shirts will be mailed out after the race if you do not show up. Thank you for understanding!
ALL DISTANCES:
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Friday - not mandatory
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5:00 PM-7:30 PM
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Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park
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11016 Lillian Saunders Drive
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White Springs, FL 32096
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AT FINISH LINE AREA!
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RACE DAY PACKET PICKUP:
*NOTE we have packet pickup at the finish/shuttle pickup, NOT where the race starts!
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50k: 5 AM-5:40 AM
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25k: 6:15 AM -7 AM
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10K: 7:30 AM - 8:15 AM​
50K
SATURDAY
RACE DETAILS
START 6:45AM
SHUTTLE PICKUP & FINISH LINE LOCATION:
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Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park​
11016 Lillian Sanders Drive, White Springs, FL 32096
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**Shuttle leaves the park at 5:45 AM SHARP!!
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You are allowed to get dropped off at the start of the race, however, you are not allowed to park or have any crews or spectators at the start line. Drop off only!
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Start line location:
Linville Tract SRWMD Trailhead​​
Google Maps Link​​
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DROP BAGS (50K ONLY)
DROP BAGS ARE BEING COLLECTED SATURDAY MORNING ONLY AT THE SHUTTLE PICKUP/FINISH LINE LOCATION
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Runners are allowed one gallon sized ziploc bag, clearly labeled with name & bib number
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Dropbags will not be returned, do not place valuable items in them!​
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Bags will be placed at Swift Creek / Mile 18
WHAT TO EXPECT
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Almost the entire trail is lined with massive oaks and views of the Suwannee River. Out of all 1,108 miles of the Florida Trail, the 70 some odd miles along the Suwannee River have to be the most scenic. This race is set to be when the cypress trees along the river in North Central Florida have their needles turning colors. Fall in North Florida is simply majestic. From the fall colors to magnolias mixed with some of the largest oak trees you'll ever see, the Suwannee is filled with a lifetime of beauty! See below for complete route details!
QUICK FACTS
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point to point course
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no pacers
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crew access at all aid stations
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11-hour cutoff
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CUP-LESS event: runners must bring their own container to obtain fluids for duration of race
50k Aid Matrix
25k
SATURDAY
START 8:00 AM
SHUTTLE PICKUP AND FINISH LINE IS AT STEPHEN FOSTER FOLK CULTURE CENTER STATE PARK
11016 Lillian Sanders Drive, White Springs, FL 32096
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Starting Line is reached by shuttle (details below)
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**Shuttle leaves from the finish line area at 7:15AM SHARP
Course preview:
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The 25k is the last half of the 50k route and finishes in Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs, Florida. It is a beautiful traverse through some of Florida's finest single track of the Florida trail. You start the run for the first mile on a roadbed, then immediately hop onto the Florida trail along the Suwannee river. You continue along the banks of the Suwannee, going through beautifully veiled oak trees in spanish moss, then pine flat woods as you continue your way back to the state park. Oak hammocks, saw palmettos, and pine flat woods ! The last 6 miles is part of the 10k course and takes you through a different section along the river all the way to the finish line.
Directions to the start line:
From the state park: ​
***You can google or Apple Maps “Florida Trail Swift Creek Trailhead” but note that we start not he road leading into it and not at the actual trailhead!
15 minute drive if no parking traffic so plan on 30 minutes. And please be there 30 minutes prior to race start. ***
Exit the park and turn left onto 41 out the main entrance to the park.
Then take your first left onto 25a / camp ave just past the gestation on your left maybe .2 miles up.
Follow this road until you turn left at the first stop sign. Stay straight and the next stop sign with the back entrance to the park on your left.
Go approximately 3.1 miles and turn left onto SE 148th Ct.
Drive in 3 minutes until you hit a T intersection in the road. Drop off your runner here and leave. IF you wish to park please park to the right and wait until after the race starts and runners are off the roads to leave
QUICK FACTS
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Point to point course
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One aid station
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6 hour cutoff time
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CUP-LESS RACE: runners must bring their own container to receive fluids for duration of race
10k
SATURDAY
START 8:30 AM
RACE START & FINISH AT STEPHEN FOSTER FOLK CULTURE CENTER STATE PARK
11016 Lillian Sanders Drive, White Springs, FL 32096
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Course preview:
The 10k race 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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QUICK FACTS
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10k is a single loop
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2.5 hour cutoff
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CUP-LESS RACE: runners must bring their own container to receive fluids for duration of race
COURSE DETAILS
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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SHUTTLE FOR 50K/25K
50K
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The shuttle is not mandatory and you are allowed to get a ride to the start line, however it is a "kiss and drop" which means you can only get dropped off and no one is allowed to park there or watch the beginning of the race.
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Shuttle leaves from the FINISH line in Stephen Foster at 5:45 AM SHARP. We will begin loading the buses at 5:30 AM.
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THERE ARE NO RESTROOMS AT START LINE! Go before getting on the shuttle!
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Pre race briefing will start 5 minutes after shuttle unloads. Race will start 5-10 minutes after that.
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Buy shuttle ticket before November 1st : Buy shuttle ticket here!
25K
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Shuttle leaves from the FINISH line in Stephen Foster at 7:15 AM SHARP. We will begin loading the buses at 7 AM.
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If you do not wish to take the shuttle, you can have someone drive you and drop you off.
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THERE ARE NO RESTROOMS AT START LINE! Go before getting on the shuttle!
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Buy shuttle ticket before November 1st : Buy shuttle ticket here!
DIRECTIONS
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FINISH LINE // SHUTTLE PICKUP // PACKET PICKUP // SHORT DISTANCE START
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Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park
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11016 Lillian Saunders Drive
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White Springs, FL 32096
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Enter Park, at the loop road turn right.
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Keep right and follow signs to campground​
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50K START LINE:
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Linville Tract SRWMD Trailhead
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We start at the Linville Tract of Suwannee River Water Management in Live Oak, Florida at the intersection 89th rd and 40th st. Please note there is no parking but you can drop your runner off and leave immediately aka a Kiss n drop. You will not be allowed to pull of the road or stay and watch the start unfortunately. This is per our permit.
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25K START LINE :
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From the state park: ​***On google maps only: “Florida Trail Swift Creek Trailhead” but note that we start on the road leading into it and not at the actual trailhead!15 minute drive if no parking traffic so plan on 30 minutes. And please be there 30 minutes prior to race start. ***
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Exit the park and turn left onto 41 out the main entrance to the park.Then take your first left onto 25a / camp ave just past the gestation on your left maybe .2 miles up. Follow this road until you turn left at the first stop sign. Stay straight and the next stop sign with the back entrance to the park on your left.Go approximately 3.1 miles and turn left onto SE 148th Ct.Drive in 3 minutes until you hit a T intersection in the road. Drop off your runner here and leave. IF you wish to park please park to the right and wait until after the race starts and runners are off the roads to leave
AS 1 - CAMP BRANCH
Mile 10.5 / 11.5
FULL AID
Crew access
Cut-off : 3 hours 45 minutes
Camp Branch Trailhead Directions:
13421-13469 Co Rd 25A
White Springs, FL 32096
30.379600, -82.870365
Along County Road 25A you will be looking for brown signs that say "Camp Branch" with an arrow onto a dirt grass road from whatever direction you are coming from. Parking is somewhat limited. *Note we have driven this road when dry in a sedan, so it is safe for majority of vehicles. Turn onto the road and proceed until it dead ends. Race day there will be a sign pointing where to turn in. It is roughly 1 mile to the aid station from the main road on 25A.
Camp Branch aid is at mile 10.5 and 11.5. We have moved the aid station to be at a critical turn. From here runners will do the .5 ish mile out then back. At the turnaround point is the Camp Branch Crew access parking area. Aka the trailhead. Crews my park here and aid runners from here or park here and walk the road bed to the aid station. (To get to the aid station from the parking area simply walk around the gate and follow the dirt road for .5 ish miles until you dead end into the aid station.)
AS 2 - SWIFT CREEK
Mile 18.5
FULL AID
Crew access
Cut-off 6 hours
DROP BAGS HERE
Google map... Florida Trail Swift Creek trailhead
30.34206, -82.81629
From Camp Branch you will return to 25A and turn RIGHT. Proceed 4.3 miles and turn RIGHT into Swift Creek Conservation Area, a dirt shell road. From here, drive straight back (do not turn down any roads). You will come to a T intersection. Go left (still dirt road) .35 miles and take the first right. This will dead end into wooden fencing with the Florida Trail on the other side of it. Lots of parking on the shell road - ALL VISITORS - please park on same side of the road.
AS 3 - STEPHEN FOSTER
Mile 23.5
Campground
Cut - off 8 hours
GO TO FINISH LINE AND ASK HOW TO WALK THE 0.2 MILES TO THE AID STATION!!
From Swift Creek, turn right onto 25A again, then drive 3 miles and turn RIGHT into Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park via Foster Barnes Drive. Proceed 2 miles and there will be signs to the aid station / start finish near the Campground.
FINISH
Mile 31
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
White Springs, FL
Cutoff - 11 hours
WHERE TO STAY
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Stephen Foster State park has camping options.
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White Springs Florida has several RV / camping spots available
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Lake city has a wide variety of hotels and eateries.
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We recommend the hotels and restaurants off exit 427 on 75. (This is off hwy 90)
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Lake City, Florida is 20 mins away, which has several places to stay. We recommend that if you get a hotel you go South of White Springs on I-75 at the US 90 exit in Lake City. There a Publix, Texas Road House and all the other things you would find and need to stay somewhere.
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Check out the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and ask them about accommodations. That's next to the 50k start!
THINGS TO DO
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Hike or run along the beautiful Florida Trail. Floridatrail.org
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Check out Stephen Foster & Big Shoals State Parks
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Go canoeing/ rafting on the Suwannee - Google for guides in White Springs
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Check out Olustee Battlefield - Olustee Battlefield is the only Civil War Battlefield in Florida
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Visit Ocean Pond in Osceola National Forest - A beautiful lake! (Pond is misleading, it is a massive lake!)