East and West Coast Bus Troubles Don't Stop Florida Runners

We’re less than 24 hours away from the 37th Annual Foot Locker South Regional Championships. Athletes, coaches, and spectators alike are making the trip to the historic McAlpine Park, in Charlotte, NC.

As traveling can have its moments, it can also have its hardships along the way.

Many who come to the Foot Locker races jump on for a ride on what is now known as the Foot Locker Bus. In fact, there are two of them – known as the East Coast and West Coast because of their pick-up routes – which stop at various pick up stops across the state.

Though this seems like a neat setup, it’s turned into a bit of a setback, as both East and West Coast buses have been delayed from their initial schedules.

The East Coast bus, which departed from Eastern Florida State College at 5:00 this morning, was involved in a minor accident while leaving a Wal-Mart shopping center parking lot a little after 1:10 this afternoon, after stopping for lunch.

As the bus was maneuvering through the lot, it unknowingly came into contact with a parked SUV, resulting in both vehicles being slightly damaged. No one was harmed; in fact, the owner of the SUV was inside shopping. Law enforcement was notified and both parties waited until the police arrived.

The West Coast bus had a rather early and interesting morning. Departing at 9:00 pm from Naples High School, the bus was fine, making the scheduled stops and hitting the road. It wasn’t until about 3:30 this morning that the bus began to exhibit problems, as it would run for roughly 10 minutes before cutting off.

It was said that the constant shutting down was due to an electrical problem.

“The bus came and picked up my teammates and I at 11:30 last night,” said Adam Bradtmueller, who was aboard the West Coast Bus. “We were stuck in Jacksonville for about five hours.”

Despite this strange turn of events, both buses are now moving. The East Coast bus had made it to McAlpine Park around 3:45 PM, and the West Coast bus, who was about six hours behind schedule, arrived at the course around 4:15 PM.