Start of the 2011 Ned Tyson Memorial Pirates on the Run. Photos by Bill Dickson.

5K results    10K results    Bill Dickson's photo album    Photo Album 2    Race video    Ned Tyson tribute video It was a day of celebration and remembrance at the eighth annual Pirates on the Run on Saturday. Celebration, as a field of more than 500 registered runners and walkers enjoyed a rain-free 5K/10K while festive pirates cheered them on. Remembrance, as race organizers saluted the event’s originator, local businessman Ned Tyson, who died last November. So it seemed entirely fitting that most of the overall race winners were veterans of the event who have watched it grow through the years. Two of them, 5K men’s winner Bill Beaumont of Yulee and 10K women’s winner Joni Gruwell of Jacksonville, took overall victories in the race for the third time. Beaumont, 54, was the first runner back to race headquarters at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, in a time of 19:14. He also logged wins in the 2010 and 2008 5K races. Bill Beaumont Diana Twiggs Mitchell Driver Joni Gruwell Part of both the 5K and 10K routes ran through the Egans Creek Greenway. Despite rains in the latter part of the week, the unpaved nature trail was “solid,” Beaumont said. With its views of the water, natural vegetation and wildlife, “it’s like watching National Geographic Explorer, but for real,” he said. “It’s a fabulous running venue.” Overall women’s 5K winner was Diana Twiggs, 39, of Fernandina Beach in 20:56. She also won the Turtle Trot 5K last September. It was the third consecutive 10K overall win for Gruwell, 30, who finished in 40:29. She agreed with Beaumont’s assessment of the Greenway route. “We’d had a lot of rain, particularly the two days prior. I thought for sure it would be a muddy mess out there, but it wasn’t bad at all. It’s always challenging to get off-road. Not too many races are cross- country, so it’s a nice change. I’m definitely not going to get a PR there, but we always do it in preparation for the Gate River Run.” Her husband, 29-year-old Chris Gruwell, finished second overall in the men’s 10K, in 38:04. Emily Faltemier Adult costume contest winner Ellen Esser of Fernandina Beach, and compatriots. Our thanks to everyone who took part in the contest! And special thanks to all of our volunteers and sponsors, and to all of you who walk or ran! We hope to see you again for our 10th anniversary Turtle Trot 5K/10K on Labor Day weekend! Children's costume contest winner Ariana Brux, 4, of Yulee In an effort worthy of the pirates of yore, 10K men’s winner Mitchell Driver, 22, of St. George, GA, ransacked the course in a sizzling time of 34:28. Just two months earlier he grabbed the course record at the Reindeer Run 10K through Fort Clinch State Park. The overall winners Saturday received pirates’ booty in the form of running shoes from the island’s new running store, Current Running. Another notable performance was turned in by the second-place finisher in the women’s 5K. She’s 13 years old. “I was just trying to beat my time from my last 5K,” said Emily Faltemier of Fernandina Beach, who accomplished that goal in 21:31. She placed second in a field of 93 female finishers. Among numerous other running accomplishments, Emily competed in the Florida Middle School State Championship last November, representing Fernandina Beach Middle School. The Pirates on the Run was Ned Tyson’s brainchild, seeking to attract runners and walkers throughout the area during a slow season for local tourism, by featuring the festive Fernandina Pirates Club crew and a course showcasing the city’s unique history and beauty. The original course included the historic downtown area, running to Main Beach and back from City Hall. As the race grew too large for its City Hall venue and downtown streets, organizers moved the headquarters to Burns Hall of St. Peter’s Church and designed a new route to incorporate another picturesque local feature, the Greenway. Most of this year’s on-road course was along Atlantic Avenue and included a view of the historic Amelia Island lighthouse, both of which harkened back to the original Pirates route. At the post-race awards ceremony, Tyson’s co-founders of the race, Joe Gerrity and Steve Nicklas, remembered their friend. Gerrity said that if Tyson could have been at Saturday’s race, he would have been proud – but not of himself for putting it together. “He’d be proud of the Amelia Island Runners for growing the race … making it a premier event in North Florida. He’d be proud of the volunteers that are here today. He’d be proud of his hometown for being such a gracious host. “But most of all he’d be proud of each and every one of you, whether you ran, whether you walked, whether you came in first or whether you came in last, he’d be proud that you all made the effort to get out here and make your own life a little bit better.” Nicklas called it “a tragic irony that someone who lived and promoted a healthy lifestyle would die from a rare disease like ALS. But remember this, whenever you take part in future races, you are advancing Ned’s purpose…. Ned is at the finish line with us, he won the race, and he is the true champion of this great cause.” His wife, Jackie, presented plaques to the award winners at the post-race ceremony. Rosa Haslip, volunteer race director for the Amelia Island Runners club, expressed thanks to the volunteers and sponsors who made the event possible. “I felt honored to have the opportunity to be the director of a race in memory of Ned and to have worked with such a wonderful group of people,” she said. “I also want to thank everyone who participated, running or walking. I hope you enjoyed the race and that we see you again next year.” Beaumont said that while the race course has changed through the years, the event still accomplishes its original purpose of showcasing the local area. “It’s a challenging course – you have the grass, and a couple of hills,” he said. “St. Peter’s Church is a beautiful complex, you can hang out and have a cup of coffee afterward, and the pancake breakfast is huge. “I’ve never run across a place that has more beautiful and interesting places to run than on this island,” he added. “If you ever get bored running on Amelia Island, it’s your own fault.” Proceeds will benefit the club’s annual scholarships for high school seniors, and St. Peter’s Church activities. Men of the church prepared pancake breakfasts for runners and walkers after the race. The day’s events also included children’s fun runs, and a pirate costume contest. In the 5K (3.1-mile) race, other top finishers were: men’s second overall, Robert Creech III, 41, of Brunswick, GA, 19:20; third overall, Andrew Kuhn, 27, of Jacksonville, 19:25; women’s third overall, Sorcha French, 35, of Fernandina Beach, 22:12; Masters (age 40 and over), Tom Tucker, 45, of Fernandina Beach, 20:14, and Deborah Dunham, 43, of Fernandina Beach, 22:40; grandmasters (50 and over), Jay Herring, 53, 20:55, and Alicia Parker, 50, of Fernandina Beach, 23:43. Other top finishers in the 10K (6.2-mile) run were: men’s third overall, Nick Hamlin, 32, of Yulee, 38:22; women’s second overall, Megan Kuehner, 34, of Jacksonville, 45:13, and third overall, Stephanie Nichols, 37, of Fernandina Beach, 46:56; Masters, Doug Holmes, 43, of New Orleans, LA, 38:37, and Dawn Cutajar, 45, of Fernandina Beach, 50:49; grandmasters, Brian Celso, 52, of Jacksonville, 46:28, and Millie Tanner, 50, 51:35.

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