History of the Meet
I started this race as kind of a crazy idea. I was a sophomore in
college, with a web site. I had never even helped my high school
coach to organize a race, but for some reason I got it in my head that
I could do it. We secured Polk Community College in Winter Haven
(finally) as the venue and invited some of the coaches who frequented
the web site to join us. Our first year we went head to head
against the established Disney Classic and managed to put together
arguably the most elite meet of the year. We started out with 4
races (Varsity A and Varsity B divisions, no JV) and about 450 runners.
That first year we were a little bit unorganized, but no one
cared! We just had a good time and loved the sport! Many
can still remember me and my fraternity brothers leaning on the back of
a car (meet headquarters) with a poster boad and a calculator figuring
out the team scores! Most also remember the classic battle
between Mike Swope and Matt Cianciulli at that race and the sub-15
times for 3 miles.
From there the meet has grown leaps and bounds, but still has kept its
grassroots feel. We've gone from 450 to 900 to 1600 to 2900 to
4250 runners over the last five years... and this year we look to top
5000! We have been joined by teams from Georgia, Alabama,
Kentucky, New York, and New Mexico. We bring together the most
elite race of the season for Floridians and one of the largest cross
country races in the nation.
Above all, we hope that people really get pumped up about the race...
whether they are an elite athlete or new to the sport. We like to
celebrate the sport through the race. And my personal mission
statement for the meet is "more than just a race." I strive to
make it something special and out of the ordinary that teams will look
forward to every year and remember fondly once they graduate.
Come join us this year!
Jason Byrne, flrunners.com