It was a chilly 54 degree morning in sunny Sarasota, Florida where over 2,600 runners met up for the Wilde Automotive Ringling Bridge Run. The 12th Annual Wilde Automotive Ringling Bridge Run started at the Van Wezel parking lot and goes down US 41 to Gulfstream, over the Ringling Bridge and then back; in total, four miles. This race is more than just a run; The Ringling Bridge Run proceeds benefit the Sarasota YMCA which focuses on giving back to the community.
This race is a very popular race with having professional athlete and high school standout Lukas Verzbicas who broke four minutes in the mile as a high schooler, win it in 2013! I was fortunate enough to get the win last year.
A full stacked field of elite runners of all ages took the starting line. Local high school runners Zack Summerall, Cesar Pozas, Brady Hill, Warran Grajalez, Angelina Grebe, Sage Lyons, Mackaelie Grajalez, Alison Wright, Cami Cohen, Matt Berman, and many more from the Sarasota area came out and represented well. Other post-high school runners such as Michael Lamb, Kerry Sullivan (last years runner up), and Courtland Bernard (Sarasota High School alumni and current FGCU runner) took the starting line to make it a stacked field.
"Boom!" The gun goes off at exactly 8AM and the runners head down US 41 towards the bridge. There was a compact group of five or six runners going through the 1st of four miles in around 5:00. The second mile started at the base of the bridge with an instant incline towards the climax. With blazing wind speeds it was key that the lead runners worked together to conserve energy. Throughout our climb, Courtland Bernard made a push to create a small gap, leaving Michael Lamb, Zack Summerall, myself, and Kerry Sullivan in a fight to take second by the halfway point.
As our descent down the bridge neared, I made a move to push past Zack Summerall to gain on Michael Lamb and was surprised to have opened up my stride and not only glide to him but past him to create a lead from 2nd to 3rd place. Not too far from the base of the bridge arrived the 2-mile mark with the leader Courtland Bernard to go through just above 10 flat, myself in 10:12, Michael Lamb and Zack Summerall in about 10:17 with the rest close by.
The push back up the bridge was by far the most brutal of any race conditions Florida has to offer; with wind beating you down telling you to stop while your moving like a snail but it is just something you have to push through. After the brutal climb to the peak of the bridge, the mile and a half to the finish was a sprint. Courtland Bernard pushed himself to his limits to maintain his gap while myself and the other lead guys pushed to get the title. With a mile to go the race was on; hundreds of people on the sidewalks cheering you on with road blocks in the busiest part of Sarasota it almost felt like an Olympic Half Marathon through streets of the city nearing the finish! With a half a mile to go Courtland Bernard had a large enough gap to set himself with the win while there was a battle between 2nd and 3rd with myself having a small lead over Zack Summerall. 
Little do most people know, Zack is a 4:13 miler and a 1:55 800m runner that he has phenomenal closing speed. Starting with a 5-second gap it slowly dropped to 4, then to 3, then to 2, then to 1 then I had crossed the finish line in 21:13 to take second with third place coming in at 21:14.The overall title went to Courtland Bernard for having an outstanding race in 21:00 with a 5:15 average mile; falling just short of the course record of 20:50. The overall female was 42 year old Heather Butcher crossing in 24:04 with a 6:01 average mile! Second for the females came Sarasota High School's Angelina Grebe who posted a blazing time of 24:41!
All high school runners took this race as an opportunity to get a great workout in as we approach what is said to be the best track season Florida has ever had!