JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — 13,500 runners took on the challenge of the Green Monster during Saturday morning’s 46th Gate River Run.
The streets of Jacksonville were full of runners for the 15k. For some, the race is a family tradition.
Rebbeca Rybicki used to run while pushing her daughters in a double stroller, now they’re beating their mom to the finish line.
“I got my fastest time for this race, so I was very happy," Carly Rybicki said.
“This race means so much to us, My husband and I started running it 2014, and at the time we were severely over weight. I, in the course of a year, lost 80 pounds and came back and ran it in 2015," Rebecca Rybicki said.
8 miles into the course and runners faced the green monster, or the Hart Bridge. The incline is 200 feet and described by most as the hardest part of the course.
“It was tough but I had her by my side the whole time, we made it fun...We were going to finish it together...and the crowd made it even better," Rachelle Orourke, who is running the GGR for the first time, said.
But after the bridge, it’s downhill to the finish line, where crowds waited and cheers rang out.
“There was so many people the whole way, everybody was very encouraging, just people cheering you on. At the 9 mile mark one guy was like, come on let’s finish this, let’s go. Everybody was into the moment," Greg Szczepanik, who hasn’t run the race in 15 years, said.
This is the longest run 15-year-old Caleb Prewitt has ever attempted. He's family believes he is the first person with Down-syndrome to ever complete the full 15k gate river run. He ran to bring attention to other runners with disabilities.
“I think you rocked it didn’t you. Yeah. We met some nice ladies who ran with us, they were cheering us along the way that was great. We had lots of support along the race so that was wonderful," Karen Prewitt, a lifelong runner. said.
The Junior River Run, the 5k and the Brooks Challenge Mile Run also took place. Combining all the events, organizers say a total of 16,656 runners registered.