Miccosukee Greenway XC Course Tour

NOTE! NOTE! NOTE! Post 2008 season large cross country meets formerly held here are likely moving away from Miccosukee Greenway. Reportedly ( here and here ) meets will be held at Apalachee Regional Park beginning fall 2009. A look at this popular course, 50 meters at a time. Where's this venue? Within the blue rectangle: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=517844 The venue is a small portion of "Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway," managed by Leon County Division of Parks and Recreation, Mr. Pat Plocek, Director: http://www.leoncountyfl.gov/PARKS/greenways.asp Maps of the park: http://tlcgis6.co.leon.fl.us/website/Parks_SDE/Maps/MiccosukeeGW_Overview.pdf (Entire park) http://tlcgis6.co.leon.fl.us/website/Parks_SDE/Maps/MiccosukeeGW_EdenfieldThornton.pdf (Section west of I-10) http://tlcgis6.co.leon.fl.us/website/Parks_SDE/Maps/MiccosukeeGW_I-10Crump.pdf (Section east of I-10) All trails on the Greenway (including some abandoned ones) are viewable here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2822399 That GPS track from my 24May07 ride began and ended a few miles from the Greenway. The Greenway's west trailhead is off Fleischmann Road. The east trailhead is ~7M away, off Crump Road. The section south of Miccosukee Road includes singletrack different than the rest of the Greenway. 7Nov07 GPS track of just the 5Km course (anticlockwise) is downloadable, here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4382312 Load these .kml files into Google Earth for best viewing/mapping. ABOUT THIS COURSE TOUR: Most of these photos are taken with my camera's digital equivalent of a "normal" focal length lens, for a natural perspective. I've tried to identify the shots taken with a wide angle equivalent. In those photos, things appear farther away than they really are. I'm showing two photo tour versions of the 5K. One shows the course running the "East Loop" (between 1470m and 3600m) ANTI-CLOCKWISE. See gallery pages 4-8 for that segment of the course. The other shows the East Loop CLOCKWISE. See gallery pages 9-13. The course tour after the East Loop continues on gallery page 13. NOTE: 1 Dec 07 FACA Senior All-Star Meet will run clockwise, or "highside first." Miccosukee Madness and FSU Invite normally run clockwise, or "highside first.." 1A/3A Regional FHSAA meet, 4 Nov 06, and the 18 Nov 06 FACA Senior All-Star Meet ran anti-clockwise, or "lowside first." 10 Nov 2007 3A/1A/2A FHSAA Meet (plus the Open 5Km to follow) ran anti-clockwise, or "lowside first." My preference? Anti-clockwise East Loop, or "lowside first." I think it has better flow, and any soft sand on the highside is easier to run going downhill than up. Maps posted below. Print the appropriate one and follow along. You might also try these FSU XC "highside first" 5Km/8Km maps: http://www.fansonly.com/photos/schools/fsu/sports/c-xc/auto_pdf/BothCourses.pdf 5Km HS course records: Boys' record - choose between: Eric Larson's 2007 3A Region 1 Meet 15:18.72 http://fl.milesplit.us/meets/30050/results/59345 Ryder Leary's 2002 FACA Sr. All-Star Meet 15:18.80 http://fl.milesplit.us/meets/3179/results/6086 (Ryder's may have been measured NCAA/tangent, which would make his 5Km ~70m longer.) Girls' record: Jenny Barringer's 2004 FACA Sr. All-Star Meet 17:32.70 http://fl.milesplit.us/meets/9104/results/19972 8K course is basically the same as the 5K, but runs two ~4K loops, then turns downhill to finish ~200m down near the 1Km point. NOTE: I used the NFHS "center of course tread" measurement for these shots. Everyone else (e.g., "community" races, Collegiate) should use the tangent method. That extends the course. Neither is incorrect. Measurement techniques obviously affect attempts to keep meaningful "course records." Of course so does, "Do I have a dog in this hunt?" I do believe NFHS needs to drop the center of course method. It can be used effectively with a wide course tread and lots of turns to achieve a "legal" short course. But it is still in the 2006 NFHS "Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Book," TFRB06, Rule 9.1, p.66: "Measurement shall be along the middle of the course." As of 2006, FHSAA has not modified that specification/technique. Back to our Miccosukee Greenway venue. Tangent-measured variants (e.g. FSU Invite) typically throw in a cul-de-sac loop at the top of the hill. This little loop adds about 70m each time it's substituted for a simple left turn down the hill. Mowing width variations also affect the course length and splits. Please keep these points in mind if some of these photos seem to be different from where you think they should be. THIS SITE is private property, and doesn't necessarily represent any other individual or organization. You are welcome to download/use my photos for your private enjoyment, including printing them. Any other usage/linking must come from me in writing (email ok), with credit given. Questions, pre-scoldings, comments, ID, complaints? Thanks, John Kalin Email me TallahasseeTrails on YouTube. "If I fall you're going down with me" - Trail running advice from my Dixie Chicks