Wild development: The ‘Where the Wild Ones Run’ kids trail race series instills children with a love of nature

The series, which has different distances in age groups ranging from 3 to 13, ended its third season on with the Wild Boar Run at Graham Swamp Trail in Palm Coast.

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Carrie Meng had the idea of organizing a kids trail race series in Flagler County for five or more years before finally making it happen three years ago with the start of “Where the Wild Ones Run.”

The series ended its third season on Saturday, May 31, with the Wild Boar Run at Graham Swamp Trail in Palm Coast. The other trail races in the series are the Deer Run at Princess Place Preserve, which was held March 22, and the Hare Run at Mala Compra Trails, which was held on April 19.

There are races of different distances at each trail for three age groups ranging from 3 to 13 years old. At the Wild Boar Run, the 3-5 age group ran a half mile at Graham Swamp Trail, the 6-9 age group ran 1.5 miles and the 10-13 age group ran three miles.

Meng organizes other running and biking event through Elevate Events, but the kids' trail series, she said, is her passion project.


I was hoping to instill the love of nature, being out in the woods, and the love of trail running. It's been more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.
— CARRIE MENG

“I was hoping to instill the love of nature, being out in the woods, and the love of trail running,” she said. “It's been more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.”

Meng said she was apprehensive about starting the series because there was nothing else like it in Florida.

“Plenty of races have a kids run, but there's nothing for kids only, offering multiple distances for different age groups,” she said.

Meng has been running and putting on running events for many years. She had never tried trail running until moving to Flagler County 20-plus years ago when she ran the Graham Swamp Trail. She quickly fell in love with the trail.

“It was so different than road racing. It gets you away from cars and noise. You’re with nature, and it’s very therapeutic,” she said.

She began planning the kids series five years ago. She picked three trails and gave each race a name that incorporates the animals that can be seen along those trails — deer at Princess Place, hares at Mala Compra and wild boar at Graham Swamp.

“The names are playful, but they also have a tie to that specific area,” she said.

Meng had Kim Fitzgerald of Curly Tail Design create logos for each trail run. Still, it would be two years before she finally began the series.

“It was fear of the unknown. It’s scary to take the leap to do something brand new,” she said. “No one had done anything like that in this area. Were kids interested in running trails? Probably none of them had (tried it) unless they ran cross country, and so few do.”


This is for our up-and-coming trail runners. They’re the ones who are going to take care of the land, the trails, our preserved areas (when they grow up).
— CARRIE MENG

Her fears were unfounded. Her first kids run on April 1, 2023 — the Wild Boar Run at Graham Swamp — drew 66 runners, exceeding her expectations. She added the other two events in May and August of that year and each one attracted more entries. It also brought together a community of volunteers who are trail runners themselves, she said.

There were 18 volunteers at Saturday’s Wild Boar Run including assistant race director Heather Tran. Most of them have volunteered at all nine races since the first Wild Boar Run. They man the water stations and turns on the course. Sweepers stay behind the last runners. Bicycle riders lead the runners. Other volunteers run with the kids.

“It’s humbling. They’re invested in the events themselves. I couldn’t do it by myself. It take a village,” Meng said.

“Flagler County Runners really stepped up and embraced this as their own as well,” she added. “They feel like this is for our up-and-coming trail runners. They’re the ones who are going to take care of the land, the trails, our preserved areas (when they grow up).”

The trail runs have drawn as many 90 kids, Meng said, with the last few races drawing 85 entrants. She ordered 85 finisher medals six weeks ago and the 85th runner was registered the day before the May 31 event. Most runners enter all three events in the series. If a runner turns 14 before the second or third race of the year, they are allowed to enter the other races.

“We want to keep it manageable, but we don’t want to turn kids away,” Meng said.

The Graham Swamp Trail is unique. It’s one of the few running and biking trails in the state with elevation changes over a short distance. It has a lot of roots and rocks and is different from anything in Flagler County, Meng said.

The uneven terrain didn’t pose too much of a challenge even for the youngest runners in the 3-5 age group.

“The little kids, they just run joyfully,” Meng said. “I encourage competition, but seeing sportsmanship, seeing them try something new and being out there with the kids is a lot of fun. There are different challenges (with the youngest kids). It’s like herding cats, making sure everyone stays on course. But it’s very rewarding, seeing them challenging themselves, smiling when they come across the finish line. It’s a lot of fun.”

For complete results of the Wild Boar Run, go to https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=392197. For more information on the Where the Wild Ones Run and other running and biking events presented by Carrie Meng's Elevate Events, go to https://www.elevateeventcompany.com/.

 

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