Gopher Weedon Trail Run

About the Event

The Friends of Weedon Island are excited to announce the 14th Annual Gopher Weedon 8K Trail Run on October 24, 2026.

NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION! You will be able to register online until 6:30 PM Friday or in-person at St Pete Feet First between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. during the advance packet pick.

Tired of pounding the pavement on the same ole 5K race course? Go-pher something different and enjoy 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) of natural trails through one of Tampa Bay’s hidden gems!

The Gopher Weedon trail run will take runners and walkers along a journey through native Florida habitats, including gorgeous views of Tampa Bay. This unique, professionally-timed race will take place at the Weedon Island Preserve - a 3,700-acre preserve nestled along Tampa Bay in northeast St. Petersburg. The race course winds through mangroves, salt marsh and Florida scrub habitat along well-maintained dirt and boardwalk trails. Runners may catch a glimpse of wildlife, including the slow-moving gopher tortoise (a threatened species for which the race was named), as well as relic Indian mounds and dune ridges left by the preserve’s earliest inhabitants.

After the race, enjoy refreshments before strolling through the Cultural and Natural History Center, where you can learn more about the prehistoric people and the natural environment.

All proceeds from the race will benefit the Friends of Weedon Island, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization that supports environmental preservation and education at the Weedon Island Preserve.

All registered runners/walkers will receive:

Technical Race T-shirt
Professional race timing and race results
Overall top male & female awards and age group awards
Refreshments and aid stations
Educational and cultural activities at the cultural center.
No Race Day Registration due to parking limitations

Event details and schedule

Advance Packet Pick Up: Friday before the race, 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Feet First St. Pete, 4949 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33703. Certificate Drawing on Saturday to include all who pick-up their packet on the Friday Advance Pick-up

Race Morning Packet Pickup: 6:45 a.m. -7:45 a.m. in the Auditorium of the Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center.

Pets are not permitted in the Preserve. Please do not bring them Race Day.

Strollers welcomed in the Preserve; but, due to trail surfaces, NOT on the Race Course.

Parking will be in the Cultural and Natural History Center Parking Lot. Space is limited. PLEASE CARPOOL with your friends. Volunteers will direct you to overflow parking (as needed)

Bug Spray suggested

Race begins at promptly at 8:00 a.m.

Races Offered

8K Trail Run

Oct 24, 2026

straighten

Distance — 8K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:00

sell

$45.00

Weather History

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for October in Saint Petersburg.

thermostat Temperature

21.2° / 28.5°

wb_sunny Feels like

20.7° / 28.5°

light_mode Avg sunshine hours

9h 55m

water_drop Avg rainfall

4.5 mm

ac_unit Avg snowfall

—

air Avg wind speed

16.5 km/h (Gentle breeze)

opacity Sweat loss rate

High

terrain Course conditions

Hard and dry surface

sunny Max UV Index

Moderate (4.8)

humidity_mid Humidity

71.4%

wb_twilight Sunrise

07:31

nightlight Sunset

19:00

About Saint Petersburg

Learn more about the host city, Saint Petersburg.

Saint Petersburg sits at the base of the Tampa Bay peninsula in Pinellas County, Florida, and enjoys a more subdued social atmosphere than its larger cousin, Tampa. The city has tried to characterize the downtown as an arts and entertainments destination and you will find no shortage of arts and crafts stores, galleries, and museums along with cafes and boutique food shops all within a couple blocks of the Tampa Bay waterfront. With water on three sides of the city, St. Pete is a superb location for fishing, sailing, and wandering beaches.

Hotels & Places to Stay

Race Results

Official finishing times from previous editions of Gopher Weedon Trail Run.

Place	Name	Gender	Age	City	Time
🥇	Joshua Finkle	M	35	Tampa, FL	28:58.98
🥈	Andrew Tobben	M	34	Saint Petersburg, FL	30:03.05
🥉	Joe Thomas	M	40	Tampa, FL	34:51.42
4	Christine Kiernan-Ortiz	F	41	Saint Petersburg, FL	35:05.88
5	Derek Provencher	M	27	Thonotosassa, FL	35:16.7
6	Terry Carlson	M	45	Seminole, FL	35:57.73
7	Christopher Kiernan	M	38	Tampa, FL	36:15.02
8	Christian Mills	M	43	Saint Petersburg, FL	36:38.02
9	alan awad	M	33	Palm Harbor, FL	36:54.19
10	Matthew Brooks	M	29	Bradenton, FL	37:17.48
11	Tony Dilley	M	47	Saint Petersburg, FL	37:22.95
12	Jesse Belknap	M	38	Saint Petersburg, FL	38:18.02
13	Valerie Ruth	F	35	Myakka City, FL	38:19.71
14	CHUCK MACTAVISH	M	51	Bradenton, FL	38:54.78
15	Craig Bonfield	M	38	Saint Petersburg, FL	39:18.2
16	Michelle Adams	F	44	Lakeland, FL	39:38.39
17	Ruston Broussard	M	42	Saint Petersburg, FL	39:52.78
18	Ben Potenziano	M	58	Saint Petersburg, FL	39:55.27
19	William Parton	M	44	Palmetto, FL	39:57.58
20	Matthew Thoburn	M	27	Saint Petersburg, FL	40:04.69
21	Benjamin Giddings	M	46	Seminole, FL	40:05.29
22	Richard Green	M	36	Ray, ND	40:07.39
23	Holly Parton	F	42	Palmetto, FL	40:09.5
24	Robert Barker	M	67	Saint Petersburg, FL	40:10.8
25	Carl Vervisch	M	40	Tampa, FL	40:33.98
26	Kristen Mory	F	49	Saint Petersburg	40:39.79
27	Trevor Tillwick	M	33	Saint Petersburg, FL	40:51.86
28	Holden Sherman	M	37	Saint Petersburg, FL	40:54.61
29	Koen Verdoodt	M	58	Tampa, FL	41:01.49
30	Michael Sharrow	M	41	Saint Petersburg, FL	41:04.66
31	mark Carlton	M	61	Lakewood Ranch, FL	41:19.18
32	Billy Adams	M	46	Lakeland, FL	41:24.28
33	Deb Castelli Turner	F	66	No. Redington Beach, FL	41:27.23
34	Jess Bodager	F	26	Thonotosassa, FL	41:44.16
35	Joel Blakeman	M	61	Safety Harbor, FL	42:17.35
36	Anonymous Anonymous	F	43	—	42:19.68
37	Natasha Cooper	F	24	Saint Petersburg, FL	42:23.56
38	Michelle Lauzon	F	60	Bradenton, FL	43:08.46
39	Kevin Willer	M	57	Winter Springs, FL	43:08.97
40	Dax Johnson	M	35	Saint Petersburg, FL	43:28.29
41	Lauren DeGroot	F	46	Tampa, FL	43:48.63
42	Jenifer Willis	F	28	Orlando, FL	43:49.07
43	Christine Fetter	F	37	Tampa, FL	44:27.6
44	Joseph Weller	M	23	Saint Petersburg, FL	44:28.11
45	Chris Lazar	M	51	Saint Petersburg, FL	44:57.08
46	Kate Rahman	F	43	Saint Petersburg, FL	44:57.97
47	Karen Scarpinato	F	68	Seminole, FL	45:03.27
48	Alex Fuller	M	32	Plant City, FL	45:15.42
49	Michael Rotaru	M	26	Fort Myers, FL	45:29.91
50	Donna Faviere	F	60	Lakeland, FL	45:34.21

Place	Name	Gender	Age	City	Time
🥇	Claire Chapman	F	42	—	31:37.3
🥈	Levi Jones	M	24	—	33:02.4
🥉	Nathan Gould	M	30	—	33:55.4
4	Terry Carlson	M	44	Seminole, FL	34:29.5
5	Marc Braga	M	39	—	35:06
6	Devin O'Connor	M	38	Lutz, FL	35:19.4
7	Janae Pranschke	F	46	Oldsmar, FL	36:21.1
8	Sergio Rojstaczer	M	61	—	36:44.2
9	Christine Kiernan-Ortiz	F	40	St. Petersburg, FL	37:50.1
10	Christopher Brickner	M	48	Saint Petersburg, FL	38:01.9
11	Chris Tucker	M	54	—	38:10.1
12	Holly Frank	F	45	—	38:21.3
13	Diganta Datta	M	32	Tampa, FL	38:24.9
14	Kirk Stratton	M	37	—	38:33.1
15	Koen Verdoodt	M	57	—	38:50.9
16	Anna Graves	F	23	—	39:03.1
17	Robert Barker	M	66	ST PETERSBURG, FL	39:22.7
18	Lester Jackson	M	61	St Petersburg, FL	39:30.6
19	Monica Wilson	F	42	ST PETERSBURG, FL	39:59.8
20	Ray Welsh	M	60	ST PETERSBURG, FL	40:00.4
21	Christopher Kiernan	M	37	—	40:03.5
22	Tina Dumar	F	56	—	40:50.8
23	Adam Horkavy	M	54	Saint Petersburg, FL	40:59
24	Lara Pella	F	42	—	41:00.9
25	Dan Smith	M	68	—	41:10.1
26	Robert Rose	M	48	—	41:12.2
27	Chet Paskiewicz	M	64	—	41:18.4
28	Michael Fabianski	M	38	—	41:49.9
29	Angie Machniak	F	52	ST PETERSBURG, FL	41:57
30	Lisa Foster	F	61	—	42:28.6
31	Trevor Tillwick	M	32	St. Petersburg, FL	42:44.8
32	Celeste Perrino	F	42	—	42:51.4
33	Emmett Boggs	M	60	—	43:12.3
34	Bruce Bussey	M	50	Clearwater, FL	43:40.4
35	Lauren DeGroot	F	45	TAMPA, FL	44:06.3
36	Kennon Below	M	67	—	44:08.8
37	Alexandra Peterson	F	22	—	44:09.9
38	Vladimir Dakev	M	29	—	44:14
39	Brannon Mason	M	50	—	44:26
40	Karen Scarpinato	F	67	Seminole, FL	44:36.4
41	Michael Nolan	M	36	—	44:53.9
42	Chris Lazar	M	50	Saint Petersburg, FL	44:57.4
43	Michael Sharrow	M	40	—	44:58.4
44	Edward Schroeder	M	30	—	45:29.1
45	Rick Receveur	M	54	Tampa, FL	45:49.1
46	Amanda Dotten	F	41	—	45:55.7
47	Amber Boulding	F	38	—	46:15.4
48	Mary Ann Leslie	F	52	—	46:15.9
49	Aaron Hardwick	M	45	—	46:36.6
50	Lisa Leslie	F	56	Tampa, FL	46:53.9