A break in the scorching summer of 2010 came just in time for hundreds of runners in the Turtle Trot 5K/10K road race Saturday morning.

“I think you guys had some amazing weather for the beginning of September,” said Lauren Diaz of Jacksonville, winner of the women’s 10K race with a time of 46:05. The 5K women’s winner, Dr. Diana Twiggs of Fernandina Beach, appreciated “one of the better weather days we’ve had recently, without as much humidity.”

Twiggs, 39, a physician in Fernandina Beach, is a veteran runner who has done 32 marathons. As was the case for a number of the other 5K runners, her finishing time (23:49) was considerably slower than her usual 5K race pace. Somewhat slower times are typical in summer heat, but this time, it wasn’t the weather.

Because of a series of unexpected problems, no one was positioned at the 5K halfway point to turn the runners around – and the turnaround sign fell down. As a result, a large number of runners ran too far. Others, who remembered the turnaround point from past races or were wearing GPS units, turned at or near the right place.

“I looked at my watch and knew I had missed the turnaround,” Twiggs said. “I turned around and started yelling to people, ‘Turn around.’” She estimates that she wound up running about 3.5 miles instead of 3.1.

Bradley Bunch

Diana Twiggs

Mike Kilbourne

Lauren Diaz

In announcements after the race and on its website, the Amelia Island Runners club apologized to all of the runners affected and said organizers are reviewing their race planning procedures. “We have already identified additional measures that we can -- and will -- take to make sure that this doesn't happen again,” the website statement said.

“It’s a volunteer organization and everyone did the best they could. Things happen,” Twiggs said. While it was good to win her third race, she acknowledged that her official time was disappointing because she had aimed to run a 5K distance in under 21 minutes. “People are going to look at (the winning time of 23:49) and say, ‘I should have done this race.’”

Men’s 5K winner Bradley Bunch of Fernandina Beach called the conditions “almost perfect. There was sunshine, and it was warm, not hot. There was even a breeze as we were going up Atlantic Avenue at the start of the race.”

“Doing well in races like these helps keep me motivated to continue training,” said Bunch, 18, who finished in 18:52. He ran cross country and track at FBHS before graduating this spring, and now attends Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Men’s winner in the 10K was Mike Kilbourne, 32, of Richmond Hill, GA, who serves in the Army at Ft. Stewart and competes in Jacksonville-area races. He finished the 6.2-mile distance in 36:11, and found the course enjoyable, especially the “very scenic, very serene” second leg through Fort Clinch State Park.

“I know there were some issues with the 5K, but I thought the 10K course was very well marked, especially into the state park where at times you’re the only person” in sight, Diaz said. “I had a great experience. Everyone was very nice, and it benefited a great cause. It was an awesome day for me.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch and turtle patrols inside Fort Clinch State Park. The sea-turtle artwork on the race award plaques and T-shirts was created by local artist Sandra Baker-Hinton, who displayed the original watercolor at the awards ceremony after the race. “She does fantastic work with the art,” 5K winner Twiggs said. “The plaques are an amazing keepsake.”

Here are results from the 5K race and 10K race.And if you finished the 5K/10K we probably have your photo in Bill Dickson's Photo Album 1 -- and pictures from the kids' runs, the start of the races and more in Photo Album 2. Scroll through the thumbnails to view them. To get a free, higher-resolution .jpeg, just email us with the photo numbers and album number.

A total of 211 runners and walkers were timed in the 5K, and 165 in the 10K. Also held as part of the day’s events were a 1.5-mile noncompetitive walk and two fun runs for children. The 5K/10K races began early, at 7:30 a.m., to help beat the heat.

In the 5K masters division of runners age 40 and over, the overall winners were Bill Beaumont, 53, of Yulee in 19:34, and Alicia Parker, 49, of Fernandina Beach in 24:53. In the grandmasters division, age 50 and over, the overall winners were Greg Parker, 53, of Fernandina Beach in 24:28 and Cathy Campbell, 54, of Baxley, GA, in 33:13.

In the 10K, masters winners were Don Packard, 44, of Jacksonville in 40:29, and Susan Briers, 55, of St. Augustine in 49:49. Grandmasters winners were George Thompson, 50, of Jacksonville in 43:13, and Barbara Bruns, 51, of Jacksonville in 1:01:00. (Under Turtle Trot race rules, duplicate awards aren’t presented for runners who would qualify as winners in both the masters and grandmasters categories.)

The club’s next event will be the Reindeer Run 5K/10K, walk and kids’ runs, Saturday, Dec. 4 – which promises to be a cooler day. As a result, the 5K/10K will start an hour later, at 8:30 a.m., at the same location, the Atlantic Recreation Center. Almost all of the 5K and 10K routes will be through Fort Clinch State Park. You can download an application form here, and look back at last year's event.