by Monica Chamness
Staff writer
It’s a still, silent morning. Nothing is heard but the chirping of birds and the occasional car. It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning and to the rest of Jacksonville, the world is just awakening. In the distance, a sound breaks the silence. It is the sound of a thousand footsteps racing towards some unknown end. Soft shoes against pavement, labored breathing in the chilly March air, it is the calling card of the fervent runner, racing towards his goal.
Every spring, the same phenomenon happens. To some it may seem like just another bout of exercise, to others it is tradition.
This year marks the 25th River Run. In celebration of the history of Jacksonville and participants in the River Run, the Jacksonville Track Club invited a handful of regional artists to create a sculpture to commemorate the event.
At the end of Newnan Street where it intersects with Coast Line Drive is the home for the life-size tribute to the 15K race. The site was not arbitrarily chosen; the first River Run began nearby in April 1978.
Coming full circle, the route of the River Run will pass the monument every year forward.
Cuban-born Delby Ulloa, a Florida Community College at Jacksonville professor of sculpture and design, was chosen as one of the three finalists to conceptualize the bronze figure.
“I’m lucky they picked me,” said Ulloa of winning the commission. “They liked my model best.”
Ulloa was competing against a friend in the field, sculptor Enzo Torcoletti, who referred Ulloa to the Track Club.
Ulloa started with a small 18-inch model. Although the template needed tweaking, the Track Club was interested enough in Ulloa’s submission to give him the contract.
It took over two months to carve out the second version. Initially the design had broad shoulders and the back leg was at a very steep bend (over 45 degrees). Ulloa realized this rendering did not fit his subject.
“He was too much of a sprinter, not a long distance runner,” he said.
From there, a larger model was sculpted and that shape would ultimately result in a public display of endurance, the River Runner statue.
With a budget of $35,000, Ulloa had to be cautious about his expenditures. Anything over that amount would come out of his pocket.
To shape the athlete to the correct specifications, Ulloa fashioned a metal armature covered with styrofoam that was rasped (shaved down) to approximate a human figure. Soft clay was added over the surface to allow molding to a runner’s anatomy.
Chris Foley, an employee of First Place Sports, was recommended to Ulloa as a live model because of his athleticism and build.
Five rolls of film and numerous hours of posing later, Ulloa created the towering clay statue which would soon be anchored on the Northbank.
Once the final model was sculpted, it was sent to a foundry to make a wax mold. The original was destroyed and the replicate was bronzed through an extensive network of tubing, sealing the character in place.
“It is meant to hold up for a hundred years, that is why it is so expensive,” said Ulloa.
An art professor for 32 years, Ulloa is no novice to a major project.
He was commissioned in the early 1990s by the Frederick Delius Foundation to produce a relief in Solano Grove. For Ulloa, it’s not the money that compels him but rather a legacy to his talent.
“Every sculptor would like to have his work in a public place,” he said. “I’ll be dead and gone and it will still be there. Through it, you become part of the city.”
To the observant eye, Ulloa’s sculpture is not reminiscent of youthful, hulky icons that saturate the American persona of physical fitness. His work of art depicts a more mature gentleman with a receding hairline, a man more characteristic of Track Club members.
“That was my idea,” he said. “Most members of the Track Club are in their 30s to 50s. They wanted a runner and I interpreted.”
The statue will be dedicated Friday at 1 p.m. The event is open to the
public.