The Florida Youth Running Association (FLYRA) has announced that they have agreed to terms with the venue for the first ever Florida Middle School XC Championship. Organization founder, Joe Mizereck, and meet director, Laura Fredrickson, gave word on Thursday that the championship meet would be held at a never-before-used cross country course: the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
Many in Central Florida, and certainly anyone involved in recreational flying, will be familiar with the facility. The course sits in an area next to the airport, just west of Lakeland, and features a campground, museum, hangers, and several structures. During the venue's busy March festival, which is jokingly called "Sprint Break for Pilots", they treat over 150,000 guests flying in from around the world to a convention/expo, concerts, community events, etc.
As a student at Florida Southern College in Lakeland I had the opportunity to attend and volunteer at this event multiple years and it was always fun. Years later when looking for a venue for the flrunners.com Invitational, I toured it as a potential cross country venue with area officials. Though I was unable to find what I felt was an acceptable 5K course, I always thought it would make a wonderful cross country venue--especially for a shorter race. So now with the middle school championship, a 3000-meter event, it is exciting to finally see that happen!
Fredrickson toured the course with Sun 'n Fun management and Polk County tourism officials and instantly saw the charm of the venue. Shade trees blanket much of the 850-acre facility, which is completely closed to outside traffic. Parking in two adjacent large lots is more than ample for events many-many times larger (as you might expect hosting so many visitors in March!). There are restroom facilities, water, pavilions, small buildings, and an outdoor covered stage.The 3000-meter course, though still under development, will most likely end up being a single-loop course with some twists and turns around the shaded campground and adjacent to the expo area and airport hangers. It will feature varied terrain from pavement to grass to dirt, but should run fast since it featues very little in the way of elevation changes.
Getting There
The course is conviniently located just outside of Lakeland, along the I-4 Cooridor between Tampa and Orlando. It can be reach either via County Line Rd (Polk-Hillsborough County Line) or the Polk Parkway, both of which connect with I-4. It is located at 4175 Medulla Road, Lakeland, FL 33811.
Where to Stay
The official meet headquarters will be the Hilton Garden Inn Lakeland, which is located just on the other side of the small airport from the course. It features a pool, good-sized rooms, free wireless high-speed internet, and on-site dining. Three additional quality hotels are located five miles from the course at the Harden Blvd. exit off of the Polk Parkway in Lakeland: Courtyard by Marriot, Hampton Inn, and Residence Inn. That intersection also features NICE modern a shopping facility--one of those new fancy-schmancy "new downtown" areas with lots of dining, department stores, clothing, bookstores, and specialty retailers.
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More Info and How to Enter
As announced last week, there are two divisions: Championship and Developmental. So everyone is welcome to enter. Details are available in this article: https://fl.milesplit.com/articles/48467
The entry fee is just $10/athlete with a $50 cap per gender. Payment info is now posted and can be submitted by PayPal or through a check in the mail. Online registration and additional info is located here: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/75948