Gate River Run

Gate River Run
Gate River Run logo
Date	the second Saturday of March
Location	downtown Jacksonville, Florida
Event type	Road race
Distance	15 kilometer
Established	1978
Course records	Men: 42:22 (1995) Todd Williams Women: 47:03 (2014) Shalane Flanagan
Official site	www.gate-riverrun.com/

The Gate River Run (GRR), formerly known as the Jacksonville River Run, is an annual 15 kilometer road running event in Jacksonville, Florida that attracts both competitive and recreational runners. It has been the US National Championship 15K since 1994 and in 2007 became the largest 15K race in the country. It "was voted [as] one of the top US Road Races for last 20 years by Runner's World Magazine." Local news media describe it as "one of Jacksonville's premiere annual events."

The race was first held in 1978 when it was known as the Jacksonville River Run. The initial sponsor of the race was the Florida Publishing Co., which published the Florida Times-Union and Jacksonville Journal. An inspiration for the race was the Peachtree Road Race, a 10,000 meter road race sponsored for several years by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. An initial planning meeting was held at the Jacksonville YMCA, with representatives of the Y, the newspaper and members of the Jacksonville Track Club. The 15,000-meter distance was proposed, to distinguish the race from the Atlanta race and the plethora of 10K road races then spreading across the country as a result of the running boom. The course crosses two major bridges spanning the St. Johns River, giving the race its name.

Running legend Bill Rodgers, who is a four-time winner of both the New York City and Boston Marathons, won the first River Run. He was invited by the organizers, pending an appearance fee of $1,000, which was an under-the-table payment because of the amateur status of so many world-class athletes at that time. There was no other appearance or prize money offered. Rodgers' powerful victory helped catapult the event into the national running consciousness. On the women's side, Kim Merritt, a national-class runner in a period when women were first beginning to be taken seriously at longer distances, took home the distaff honors.

Gate Petroleum became the underwriting sponsor in 1994.Todd Williams holds the American 15K record with a time of 42:22 at the 1995 GRR, which he won five times.Shalane Flanagan, won in 2014 and set the new women's record with 47:00. Before that, Deena Drossin, who has won the GRR six times, held the women's record with 47:15 at the GRR in 2003.