by REBEKAH PIERCE
Picture this: Cattle grazing lazily, their tails swishing back and forth languidly as their profiles stand starkly against the horizon. Wild turkeys dot the landscape, picking up seeds and bugs as they wind across the pasture and back into the forest. Wood storks, ducks, stands of palms, and freshwater marshes abound.
It sounds like the description of a postcard a friend might send you while visiting Florida, but believe it or not, it’s also the backdrop of one of Central Florida’s most distinguished 5K foot races: the Highlands County Cattlewomen’s Run the Ranch 5K.
Scheduled for Saturday, February 22, this event is one that novice and seasoned runners alike won’t want to miss.
The event, now in its 10th year, is held at Rafter T Ranch, a 5,100-acre family-owned cattle ranch that’s protected in its entirety by conservation easements. Purchased in 1962 by the Wohl family, the ranch is now owned by Jimmy Wohl and more than a dozen other shareholders, all but two of whom live right in Highlands County (many on the ranch itself). The entire property is under conservation and can never be developed, Wohl says.
A prized destination for wildlife viewing and birdwatching, it’s probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think of charity 5Ks. However, when the Highlands County CattleWomen’s Association came up with the idea of hosting a race to fund its scholarship program more than a decade ago, they recognized that it was the perfect spot.
“We’re grateful they allow us to put this on,” says Jan Shoop, one of the organizers of the event and a runner herself. “We’re so appreciative of Rafter T Ranch and the Wohl family for letting us do this.”
The course for the race changes slightly from year to year, as do the number of participants. It reached its peak of about 200 runners just before the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn’t quite yet returned to its former glory, but Shoop is optimistic it will reach those levels once again.
For runners and walkers who are passionate about giving back to their community, Run the Ranch presents the perfect opportunity to do so. The proceeds of the race, which is sponsored by dozens of local organizations (including Alan J Automotive and Cowpokes Watering Hole), benefit scholarships for graduating seniors in Highlands County.
The CattleWomen’s Association gives out $500 awards to graduating seniors. Just last year, they provided more than $6,000 in scholarships. Though preference is given to students planning to pursue careers in agriculture, all students are invited to apply. “There’s also an opportunity for the award to be renewed for additional funds,” Shoop notes, with no reapplication necessary year to year.
This is an event that would be meaningful regardless of where it’s held, but hosting it at Rafter T Ranch adds a special layer of significance.
Jimmy Wohl says his family has been nominated for several environmental awards throughout the years, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award for the southern U.S., among others.
“That put us in the limelight to be recognized for some of our management practices, like rotational grazing and our water management regime,” he explains. “The more recognition we got, the more I felt we should become a steward of the community.”
Hosting the Run the Ranch 5K has proved to be an outstanding opportunity for them to do just that.
Interested in participating? Whether you want to walk, jog, or sprint, you can sign up to participate in the Run the Ranch 5K by visiting https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Sebring/HighlandsCountyCattlewomensRuntheRanch. Pace doesn’t matter for this event. Truly, it’s all about the experience.
“It’s Old Florida,” Shoop concludes. “It’s just beautiful.”
