Written by Wendy Haddad
The Ancient Oaks 100-Mile Endurance Run took place at the Enchanted Forest Nature Sanctuary in Titusville on Dec. 12 and 13. With 55 entries -- double that of last year -- more than half of the runners were age 50 and older, and they were anything but ancient.
Participants walk or run along the sandy trails and brush beneath Floridian forests.
The course consisted of a 3.5-mile loop, and takes nearly 29 repetitions until the finish line is in sight. Runners had 32 hours to finish the race, which began at 7 a.m. on a Saturday.
Stu Gleman, 65, of Kissimmee, founded the race in 1999 with only six runners. Gleman who completed 62 miles in this year’s event, also financed the race, providing T-shirts, a well-stocked aid station and chip timing.
Gleman said he started this race, “to give back to the sport and as a tribute to the runners.”
Matt Mahoney, 54, of Melbourne, has run this race every year since its inception, ranking 10th among the men, with a time of 27:42:18. He recently finished the Space Coast Marathon in 3:21.
“I like that the race is local,” Mahoney said. “I can drive to the race, run and drive home. I don't have to carry a pack, since it is a loop course. The trails are nice. The weather is usually nice. Also, I can see where the other runners are on the lap sheet, so I can race it competitively.”
To stay in shape, Mahoney runs about 20 miles a week, walks 10, bikes 50 to 70, and lifts weights twice a week. He also likes to include a local race in his weekly running schedule, as well as a run of 10 or more miles and an interval workout, usually barefoot or on grass.
“About once every month or two, I run a marathon or longer,” he said.
James Schroeder, 62, of Indialantic, ran the Ancient Oaks 100 for the first time this year. He was the seventh male to finish, in a time of 26:25:40.
“When my kids got out of school, I had a huge amount of time on my hand, so I tried a 50K, then a 50-miler, then a 100-miler,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder, mainly a trail runner, running anywhere from 60 to 100 miles a week.
“It’s easier on the body and it’s nicer, although I do run a lot of marathons,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder also paces marathons, so he can squeeze in a recovery run or a nice long training run.“It adds a bit of variety,” he said.
Cheryl Lager, 44, won the woman’s division in 22:58:06 and David Jones, 31, set a men’s course record in 16:41:34.
For more information, visit http://www.fleastcoastrunners.com/Races-Ancient_Oaks.html.
