2010 Pirates on the Run

Runners with national and international credentials were among the top finishers in the seventh annual Pirates on the Run Saturday.

More than 500 runners and walkers completed the 5K/10K races. About a mile of the 5K and four miles of the 10K were cross country routes along the scenic nature trails of the Egans Creek Greenway. Awards were presented to the top three finishers in 15 age groups.

“In cross country running you must always expect a slower time than road running,” said Elfrieda Wyner, 67, of St. Augustine. She is cited in the current issue of Running Times magazine as one of America’s “masters of the year” for 2009 in her 65-69 age group.

Despite heavy rains the day before, “course conditions for a cross country race were perfect, with only a few wet areas,” she said. Wyner’s time of 47:43 won her the title of top female grandmaster (age 50 and over) in the 10K. A frequent competitor in North Florida races, she is also a member of the Amelia Island Runners club, which organizes the Pirates run.

A visiting runner from Sweden, 32-year-old Fredrik Swahn, led the men’s 10K field with a time of 33:32. Swahn specializes in duathlons – running and cycling – and is the current Swedish champion. He plans to compete in the U.S. long distance championships in Alabama next month. “Actually, I do better on hard surfaces than in cross country, but I love it for training,” Swahn said.

Swahn and four friends from Sweden have been visiting Jacksonville for almost three months. They found the Pirates race online, “and my friend Mikey” – Mikael Sahlberg, 24, who finished second in the 10K – “really likes pancakes, so we decided to go.” The event featured a pancake breakfast after the race, and members of the Fernandina Pirates Club cheered runners along the route.

“We all love the town and the friendly atmosphere, and the pirates, of course,” Swahn said. “I'm known for running the wrong way when I'm on my own in the front, but the course was crystal clear here, so no problems.”

Joni Gruwell, 29, of Jacksonville won the women’s 10K overall for the second year in a row, with a time of 42:14.

In the 5K race, the top female finisher was 15-year-old Nancy Harms of Neptune Beach, in 21:33. She’s a ninth grader at Providence School of Jacksonville, where she runs cross country. Her mother, Susan Harms, 50, won the 5K female grandmaster’s title in 24:52, and her father Craig, 59, took third place in his age group in 27:49. They also are members of Amelia Island Runners. Running “just runs in the family,”

Nancy Harms said. “I like it because it’s a challenge.” And winning a race “makes you feel like all the hard work really paid off.” She said the course was something of a challenge in itself, “with the wind pushing you on the way out and against you on the way back. It was a little muddy, but it was very manageable.”

5K men’s overall winner Matt Nelson, 29, of Jacksonville finished in 19:18. It was his first 5K after ankle surgery about a year ago. He said several runners were ahead of him as they reached the halfway point of the out-and-back 5K race – but the others were doing the 10K distance, so they kept moving ahead as he turned around. “I went from being well behind the leaders to suddenly leading the 5K. It was kind of fun.”

In the masters age category (age 40 and older), overall winners in the 5K were James Masters, 57, of Longwood, FL in 19:35, and Deborah Dunham, 42, of Fernandina Beach in 22:33. In the 10K, masters winners were John Wisker, 43, of Palatka in 38:36 and Barbara Gowdy, 40, of Jacksonville in 46:49.

In the grandmasters category (50 and older), overall winners in the 10K were Paul Hoover, 59, of Crawfordville, FL in 42:25, and Elfrieda Wyner. In the 5K, overall grandmasters winners were Dave Hoock, 53, of Ponte Vedra Beach in 21:45, and Susan Harms.

The event raised money for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church mission trips and for the running club’s scholarship program for outstanding Nassau County high school runners.

“What I really like about this race, and the other two races that our running club sponsors, is that runners and walkers get to see the natural beauty of Fernandina,” said Race Director Rosa Haslip.

“Because of the logistics, it's a challenge for our club to put on this race. I'm grateful for all the many wonderful volunteers and sponsors who make it happen,” she said. “We couldn't do it without them.”

She also thanked the City of Fernandina Beach, Police Auxiliary Corps, Fernandina Pirates Club, FBHS National Honor Society and St. Peter’s Church.