Key West has often been called the Gibraltar of the west, as it sits at the southern most point of the continent overlooking the Florida Straits.Originally the tiny island that only measures 7.4 sq. miles was the home to immigrants known as Conchs who came to the island from the Bahamas. It was not until the mid 1830’s that the number of residents began to increase. The historic USS Main departed the island and exploded shortly afterwards starting the Spanish American War. During the American Civil War while Florida seceded and joined the Confederate States of America the island of Key West was maintained under the control of the Union Army. The economy of the island in the early days was primarily based on fishing, and salt production, but in 1860 the number of ship wrecks made the island Florida’s wealthiest city as the salvage business took center stage. As the times changed so did the island economy, and as the salvage business diminished the inhabitants who had come from Cuba turned to the business of making cigars. A virtually isolated city was connected to the mainland in 1912 when Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad took on the daunting task of connecting Florida City to Key West. That venture lasted until 1935 when the Labor Day Hurricane wiped out most of the railroad, but the federal government stepped in, and replaced the rail bridge with what became an extension of US Hwy 1 in 1938.
The island paradise is the home of Fort Taylor, Key West Naval Air Station, and NOAA Hurricane forecasting center, but two of it’s most famous residents include Tennessee Williams “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Ernest Hemingway, who as a resident wrote the renowned “For Whom The Bell Tolls” while living in his bungalow on Whitehead Street. Williams who was known to have several rented homes throughout the country claimed Key West as his only legal residency, and Hemingway who later bought an upscale home on the same street put an in the ground pool on the grounds with one penny in the middle claiming it was his last red cent, and the penny remains there to this day. President Harry S. Truman used the tiny island as the winter Whitehouse during his administration because of the peace and tranquility it provided. While often described as paradise the island is no stranger to conflict as President Kennedy used the stronghold as a key point during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960’s, but in 1982 the island itself seceded from the United States and declared independence as the “Conch Nation” as a protest of border guards blockading the island to search individuals headed to the mainland. While the conflict was later resolved the independence day is still celebrated on April 23rd of every year.
This weekend the island will be a highlight for several central and southern Florida harriers as the Key West Golf Course will play host for the 14th time to the Key West Xcursion Invitational. This rather small invitational is not for those that are unprepared for the challenge on a course that boasts the “Gauntlet”, a challenging sequence of seven mounds rising from four to ten feet in height, and ten to forty meters in length. While par would be a great score if you were playing a round of golf, a PR on this course would require mutant physical strength or an individual that has in the words of the meet director been “slacking thus far”. With course records of 16:00 by Bryan Sharkey of Gulliver Prep in 2002, and 19:34 by Joanna McCoy of Coral Shores in 2009 this course is a true challenge. Only five boys have broken the 17:00 barrier, and two ladies have gone under 20:00. In 2010 Bryce Seymour of Hagerty came close at 20:11 and when I spoke with her about the course she described it as “A Challenge”. The 2012 edition includes Spruce Creek and Matanzas, who both will travel over 400 miles to test their metal against Satellite, Key West, St. Brendan, Coral Shores, and Cypress Bay.
Top Girls coming into this meet include Hannah Loder of Matanzas who comes in with a SB 19:26.7, but she will be challenged by Christina Hamilton of Satellite SB 19:59.8 and Alycia Loriz of Spruce Creek who has a season best of 20:22. The girls team battle should come down to Spruce Creek and Matanzas with a battle of the four and five runners in a match that is extremely close.
On the Boys side Cameron Allen of Matanzas brings his season best of 16:31.2 into the competition as the only male to have broken seventeen minutes this season. Matanzas boys look very strong against the competition and could make a run at a perfect score, with Spruce Creek being decimated by injuries to key runners this year.
We will be on the grounds with race videos and over a thousand photos this week documenting this week’s action from the Key West Golf and Country Club.
More Coverage