Channel 4 named media partner of the year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the home of the 15K National Championship, Jacksonville has a pretty solid spot as a running community in the USA.

Elite runners refer to the Gate River Run simply as "the Gate" and combined with Doug and Jane Alred's leadership it's become one of the premier running destinations for the elite and everyday runner. Thursday night at the Town Center, JTC Running held their 32nd Annual Awards Banquet, recognizing the best runners, coaches and others involved in the sport from the Newcomer of the Year to the Masters and Seniors who excelled all year long.

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A heartfelt remembrance was delivered by Paul Smith for Danny Weaver who posthumously was named the Local Running Legend of the year. Weaver brought so many people to the sport without fanfare and represented in the best way what the running community is all about: the sport itself. Deflecting any kind of notoriety, Weaver was always encouraging, always helping and teaching new runners. His wife Anne accepted the award, thanking the assembled runners for "remembering Danny for the kind of runner, and person he was."

JTC Running's officers including President Larry Roberts and Secretary Doug Tillett presented awards ranging from the Most Improved runner to the best young and high school male and female runners and coaches. Tillett served as the Master of Ceremonies and Frank Frazier, who suffered a heart attack and is back running, was named the JTC Running Runner of the Year. He reminded everybody that "a heart attack doesn't automatically mean you died."

WJXT-TV Channel 4 was named as the Media Partner of the year. I was there to accept the award on behalf of the station. Gate River Run Co-Race Director Doug Alred presented the award noting "not many races have three hours of live coverage and that's what the Gate gets from Channel 4." I admitted that Doug was right, and verified that covering the Gate is a full, station-wide commitment. The rest of the year, running coverage falls to the sports department and I mentioned Kevin Talley and Matt Kingston, our two outstanding producer/photographers in the Channel 4 Sports Department, are the reason this happens. Without them we don't have the content or the great pictures of the different events all year.

"Running is easy to cover," I said. "Because you all love it."