Gate River Run notebook: 'Sky's the limit' for UNF's Nathan Jubran after 47-minute 15K

Nathan Jubran was just trying to keep up a five-minute mile pace.

Jubran crossed the line in 47:03, good for a top-40 finish overall — and the annual First Coast Cup for the top Gate River Run finisher from the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

Not bad for a training run.

"It means a lot. For me to be able to do this on a training run, I don't even know what the possibilities are," Jubran said. "The sky's the limit."

A multiple ASUN champion and record-breaker at the University of North Florida, who also won a Florida High School Athletic Association championship at Bishop Kenny High School in the 3,200 meters, Jubran won the conference title in the 10K last fall.

Former Mandarin High School runner Eduardo Garcia placed 27th in 45:53 for his second consecutive finish in the top 30, although he was not eligible for the First Coast award because his current residence is Greenville, S.C.

Veteran Jacksonville racer Crystal Davis finished first among area women in 56:09, placing 20th in the women's race. The victory continues an excellent racing season for Davis, who also won the Ameris Bank Half Marathon in December.

Gate River Run turns 45: A look back through the 15K race's milestone years in Jacksonville

Leone achieves new mark

Even at age 92, August Leone has no plans to slow down.

The Jacksonville resident made running history again on Saturday, becoming the oldest Gate River Run finisher to date.

Leone completed the course in 2:20:24, shaving 14 minutes off his fastest time from last year.

It's not clear where Leone's performance ranks all-time at the distance. World Masters Athletics does not maintain a list of age group records for the 15K distance.

Firefighter keeps up tradition

Helmet: on. Full firefighting gear: completely ready. Actual fires: none to be found.

Increasing heat and all — not to mention the little detail of a 15-kilometer run — Capt. Eric Prosswimmer of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department continued his tradition of completing the Gate River Run in full gear.

For Prosswimmer, it's a two-decade tradition going strong.

"I started it [after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001] because of all the firefighters and what it took for them to go and climb 80, 90 flights of stairs in gear and everything like that," Prosswimmer said. "So it was a tribute to them, but it was also a way for me to stay in shape for my job."

The 55-year-old from Jacksonville said he hopes to keep running the race in full gear for another five years.

And his time? One hour, 50 minutes and 48 seconds, well ahead of more than a thousand runners not encumbered by bulky apparel.

"I've experienced hot, I've experienced cold, I've experienced windy," Prosswimmer said. "This year wasn't all that bad."

Finisher uptick, though below 2020

Maybe, after the experience of 2021, it was inevitable.

Saturday's Gate River Run recorded 10,327 finishers, the first time the race has added more runners than the preceding year for a decade. The finisher count had declined in each of the last nine years since peaking at 16,357.

A rise this time was no surprise. The 2021 race, held under an attendance cap because of COVID-19, resulted in 7,337 finishers.

Still, the finisher count was below the 2020 race, which included 12,343 finishers just before the pandemic brought large-scale disruptions in Florida.

Race endures cup hiccups

The global supply chain woes that have jolted plans worldwide hit the Gate River Run on Saturday.

The casualty: cups.

A cup shortage prompted race organizers to trim the number of water stations to six across the 15-kilometer course.

In addition, a pre-race announcement urged runners to refill their cups at the water stations rather than grabbing new ones.

Around the Gate River Run

Mayor Lenny Curry returned to the Gate River Run field, wearing bib No. 121 and completing the course along with daughter Brooke. ... The post-race celebration at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds returned after a one-year absence, with live music from the Jacksonville-based Pink Paisleys. ... Thomas Howell won the men's 5K in 20 minutes even, while 14-yeae-old Marin Bograd captured the women's 5K in 21:07. ... More heat meant more problems. Dr. David Ebler of UF Health's TraumaOne reported the race's medical team transported two participants to hospitals on Saturday morning. Frequent issues for runners at the medical tent included heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gate River Run notebook: Jacksonville's Nathan Jubran places top-40