Gate River Run Notebook: Mandarin's Eduardo Garcia places top-10 in Jacksonville return

Eduardo Garcia's return to Jacksonville ended in Mustang magic.

The Mandarin High School graduate, now a resident of Greenville, S.C., marked his First Coast return with a 10th-place finish during Saturday's Gate River Run.

While he couldn't threaten the time of winner Teshome Asfaha Mekonen, Garcia's 45:15 still meant a milestone in his Jacksonville return. Cheered on by his parents, Frank and Eileen, and his sister, Shenika, he mounted the traditional stage for the top 10 at the Fairgrounds.

"Coming back home is always really fun, and this time, it was actually a little extra special," said Garcia, who raced at the University of Florida after his Mandarin career.

For Garcia, this year's race marked the 20-year anniversary of one of his first experiences with the running tradition, when he watched his father run the 2004 event.

"I was here with my brother and we were watching Dad do it," he said. "We came to the Expo and then he ran it, and I was kind of looking back like, wow, that was 20 years ago… I kind of wanted to dedicate this race to him."

Garcia, who also qualifies to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands in international competition because his father was born there, still retains hopes of competing in this summer's Olympics in Paris. His next stop is the New York City Half Marathon in two weeks.

"I'm pretty excited about that," he said.

From Atlanta to Jacksonville, Amell keeps streak strong

No matter the state, Richard Amell can't stay away from the Gate River Run.

That's why, for 47 consecutive years, he's kept up his streak going back to the inaugural race in 1978.

"Once you've got a streak going like this," he said, "you want to keep it going. We're all really slow now, but we get it done."

One of the 18 remaining streakers to race every edition of Jacksonville's 15-kilometer running tradition, Amell also made the long trip to get here. While most streakers live in the Jacksonville area, Amell made the drive down from Atlanta, donning one of the new bright orange shirts distributed to the race's longest-serving runners.

It's far from the longest trip for the 76-year-old Amell, who had to fly to Florida from Denver in several prior years. He said he logged around 400 miles in the last few months to prepare for the race.

After multiple back surgeries, he said, his race week isn't about posting a competitive time -- just meeting with fellow runners and keeping a tradition alive.

"I don't run," he said, "but I walk fast."

Hulzebos, Haid claim local honors

Jonathan Hulzebos is first on the First Coast.

The 28-year-old crossed in 49:17 to place 30th among men and first among Jacksonville-area residents in Saturday's race, the second consecutive year in which he's led the locals.

"Awesome support and people out cheering, which is always fun, being a Jacksonville local," he said. "Seeing the town come out and put on a big race like this, it's really cool."

Garcia, because of his current status as a South Carolina resident, was not eligible for the local award.

Top honors among local women went to Hayleigh Haid, who continued her outstanding winter with a time of 55:36, good for 12th in the women's field.

The former Jacksonville University steeplechaser also won the Ameris Bank Jacksonville Marathon at the Bolles School in December.

"All the support of the city is out here, so many people, so it's really nice," she said.

Heat, humidity take toll

With temperatures several degrees above normal and approaching the 70s by the mid-morning hours, heat and humidity caused some problems throughout the morning.

Andrew Schmidt, deputy medical director for Trauma One, said medical incidents remained largely on par with the norm for the 15K.

Common medical issues included hyperthermia, including patients with body temperatures as high as 106 degrees. As of 11 a.m., Schmidt said medical teams had transported four runners to hospitals, and race director Doug Alred said there had been several more transported patients later in the day.

"You want to run with someone, or if you're by yourself, let someone know you're by yourself," Schmidt said. "Once people get that hot, they aren't able to think straight and make the right decisions."

Around the race

Mayor Donna Deegan ran the race with bib No. 3027 and gave a pre-race instruction to runners: "Enjoy the day, run with love and have a great time." … Former Nease runner Karen Xiang, now a London resident, returned home for the Gate River Run and placed 28th among women. … University of North Florida runner and New Smyrna Beach native Aidan O'Gorman placed 15th overall in 46:23. … Samuel Munera placed first in the 5K in 19:57, while Amelia Flood placed first in the women's race in 22:05. … The RUN PNC 1 team placed first in the new team division. … St. Johns County resident Emery Williams, 13, performed the national anthem before the race. ... Saturday's race recorded 121 more finishers than the 2023 race, continuing a rebounding trend from the coronavirus pandemic.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gate River Run 2024: Jacksonville's Eduardo Garcia places top 10