The Claw 10-Miler, Alafia River State Park

They call this thing The Claw for a reason, and my second running of it did not disappoint. As you may recall from a Facebook post last year, this run requires “some” running. It also requires walking, hiking, crawling, climbing, ducking, slipping, and practically swimming to get it done. It’s a tough one, but it’s fun. I totally recommend doing it, so you can totally have your butt kicked. It’ll be GREAT! That being said, the 10-miler is not a race for someone who doesn’t run regularly or have a solid cardio/fitness base. It’s going to push you, for sure.

This little gem of an event uses very little of the trail system for the 10-miler, opting for quite a bit of off-trail adventure. I’m not sure who the sadistic nut is who lays out the course each year, but they sure have fun wandering around and randomly either sticking little orange flags in the ground or tying plastic orange ribbon to single stems of grass. For the most part, the course is well marked. But every now and then you find yourself having to really focus on connecting the orange dots - while simultaneously not tripping on a root and busting your face.

I arrived at the park about 7, a full hour before race start. This is the same park where I did my last trail half and several before that. I know the drill. Get there early, get good parking, pick up your bib, and hit up the real restrooms before the crowds. Unlike the last trail run I did here, the announcer/DJ guy told everyone where the start was located. This time, I was not lost, and I was not late. I tried to take more pictures than usual, but some are blurry from the sweat-coat on my phone. I wanted to make sure you all got to enjoy some of the course along with me.

The run went off on time and the small herd of crazed runners got moving. The first five miles brought the most adventuresome portions of the race. I tried to take pictures throughout, but my phone was covered in sweat so the face recognition didn’t work. That made it slower to get the phone out and snap a quick pic and still manage to stay upright. I had to keep entering my passcode. This is very inconvenient when you’re trying to not trip and fall and roll down the hill and break an arm.

In the first five miles we had two water crossings, lots of winding trail in and out of bushes, trees, and Florida scrub. There are numerous ups and downs (hills exist!!). I’ll just leave a few pictures here for you, nice and big so you can get the full effect.

The first water crossing had been just a shallow stream, no big deal. Just dunk your shoes and get it over with. The second one, however, required a bit more maneuvering.

American Flag Pants Guy is named John. I think. He ran in my near vicinity/pace last time I ran the race.

It was a little snug right there. This part of the course was new for 2019. Race organizers keepin’ it fresh out there!

One of the reasons hikers, runners, and mountain bikers alike enjoy this park is because of its hills. The Alafia River State Park used to be a phosphate mine. Mining changes the topography of the earth quite a bit, and after the mine was abandoned there were rolling hills with steep grades, small ponds, and small lakes left behind. The forest along the edge of the south section of the Alafia River was protected from mining operations. The area where mountain biking trails now exist has some really diverse terrain, left over from a time before remediation laws required mining areas to be put back to a more original state. The park's acreage was donated to the state by the mining companies. The original mine was called Lonesome Mine, named for the former settlement and U.S. Army outpost during the Third Seminole War.

Which brings me to the hills. We went up and down quite a few times. Occasionally we ran the ridge of a hill for awhile before making our way back down, often sliding on your rear end because you had to.

A slight grade here, heading up towards the ridge on the right. These wide open flat sections were and are access roads, formerly for the mine and currently for park staff.

The people down there are where I was a few minutes prior.

We ran a portion of the rim that surrounds this pit, now marshy, mucky, and just lovely.

On the bright side, the rain that was forecasted for race day was holding off for a few more hours. Although that grass looks long and flowy and beautiful (which it is), it’s also slippery when it’s flattened out, even when dry. The course generally took a pretty straight line up the hill so traction was challenging at times.

One of the things that makes this run fun (I know, that’s a stretch) is that the other participants are all pleasant and in good spirits even if they’re tired. They lend a helping hand to each other, strangers included. They are patient when the going is slow and willing to strike up a conversation to pass the time.

I started to take video here, but my slippery fingers must have turned it off and I only ended up with a still photo.

There are many sections of the course that require you to duck, the photo above was one of them. Tall people were certainly challenged throughout. There are places where a hole is simply cut out of the brush for you to pass through, with leaves and branches overhead.

Here was the only place I slipped and fell today. Yay me!! We had just come down a small slope when I commented to the people near me, “Hey, isn’t there a gate somewhere where we have to…” and there it was. And since I was talking, and not paying attention, I stepped at an odd angle on some muck just before the gate and slipped. I narrowly missed bashing my lady bits on an exposed tree root, splaying my legs awkwardly as I came down. A small chorus of voices piped up from different angles behind me, ”Are you okay?”. Yep, I’m good, actually, just some mud on the backside. I think I twisted a hip muscle a bit in an effort to avoid the threatening root, but for now I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary post-race. We’ll see if that comes back to bite me later. But, all the important stuff is in working order. Ha.

One of the things that makes this course so fun is the varied terrain. I know “fun” is really a loose term here, but, runners do get a bit of everything in this race. Roots, rocks, mud, forest, shade, no shade, grass, pine needles, pear cacti, hills, head-high weeds, streams, rivers, fences… the list goes on. There are plenty of things to see and to look at and keep your brain busy. It also means you seriously have to pay attention.

And then, there’s the river crossing. It’s a highlight of this race. Not many trail runs can offer a reasonably safe body of water to traverse. Well, as safe as dark brown water in a river in the gator-infested state of Florida can be. This river shows up right about mile 7.75 or so. Today, there was little to no current and it was a lovely shade of sweet iced tea.

At the deepest point I crossed, the water was chest level. After you finish crossing, you still have a healthy two miles to go in soggy shoes. At least you got a nice rinse in the river, cleaning off the layer of mud, muck and dust you’ve accumulated thus far.

Runners are quite spread out at this point. In places where the course narrows or there’s an obstacle, you catch up with the other people. From here, the course was mostly wide open on roads with just a few spots to weave in and out of brush.

Eventually, I found the finish. The course was a little long, and the last quarter mile or so is on some of the more rugged parts of the bike trails. Some spots are so stepped with roots, I’m not really sure how you’d ride a bike there anyway.

As with many trail runs and races, the finish holds little fanfare. There’s some music playing and runners mill around in the pavilion casually nibbling on puffed cheese balls, apples, and cold pasta, chasing it all down with watery lime Gatorade.

I don’t yet know what my official time is, but it really doesn’t matter. I don’t even know what I did on last year’s course. This is one of those races where the only reason to set your watch is so you know how much more of the challenge lay ahead of you.

Finish line pandemonium! Uh, no, not so much.

For all my efforts, I received a, um….. swanky pair of socks at the finish line. Yeah, swanky, That’s the word. Trail folk aren’t so fancy, they are practical. They don’t need no stinkin’ medal. You can’t DO anything with a medal. I suppose that maybe in the wintertime I could use these babies to keep my toes toasty on the trails. We’ll see.

Another fun - yes, it was FUN - running day on the trails. This one feels more like a HIIT workout, but…it’s a run nevertheless.. If you ever feel crazy, and I mean real crazy, give this adventure race a try.

Next up, the Sandbar Half next weekend down in Englewood. On pavement.