Gate River Run 2023
Participation numbers climbed for the second consecutive year in the Gate River Run, a welcome trend after a period of slow decrease from the event's 2012 peak of 16,357.
In all, 16,656 runners — the most since 2017, race director Doug Alred said — entered one of Saturday's events, including the Synovus 5K, the Brooks Rehabilitation Challenge Mile and the Junior River Run. As of 1 p.m. Saturday, race statistics showed 11,060 finishers in the 15K, an increase from the 10,318 in the 2022 race.
The finisher count remained below the 12,343 from 2020.
"It's probably as big a day of celebration as there is in Jacksonville," he said. "When you see the sense of accomplishment, whether from people who are in great physical shape or from people who have gone through a lot of things in their lives, it's very moving when you see people cross that finish line."
Text by Clayton Freeman