Longtime track, cross-country timer Larry Wooten remembered for lasting legacy

They may not all know his name, but there are thousands of kids who ran cross-country and/or track and field in Miami over the past half-century who have Larry Wooten to thank.

Wooten, who had battled throat, lymph nodes and skin cancer for the past four years, passed away at his Miami home in the early-morning hours of August 16.

He was 85.

Despite his death, Wooten’s legacy as a coach, official timer and a supporter of all things cross-country and track will live on as there is a race that bears his name.

In fact, the seventh annual Larry Wooten Invitational will be held Sept. 26 at Miami’s Larry and Penny Thompson Park.

“I don’t think the running community at large realizes Larry’s impact,” said coach Frankie Ruiz, who has led Belen to 15 state cross-country titles.

“In terms of consistent contributions, there are few names that belong alongside his in the history of Miami-Dade County running.”

Starting about 35 years ago, Wooten was one of the creators of a company called: Track Timing and Data Management. Wooten essentially worked as the official timer for countless middle-school and high-school races, including major events such as the Youth Fair and the Junior Orange Bowl.

But Ryan Raposo, who is the athletic director at Florida National University, said Wooten did way more than keep time.

Wooten literally paved the way for all those young athletes, and here’s why:

Most of the cross-country races Wooten worked were held at Larry and Penny Thompson Park from September to November. Prior to each race, Wooten would spend loads of hours making sure the course was in great condition.

“It started in the summer,” said Raposo, who was Ferguson’s new cross-country/track coach in 2004 when he first met Wooten. “Larry would work on the trail, clearing tree branches that would otherwise obstruct runners. If there was a trip hazard, he would mark it with a cone. He would spend a couple of hours per outing, three or four times a week.”

As race day got closer, Wooten would paint the course, set up flags so the runners don’t get lost and put up caution tape as needed.

“Larry didn’t work for the park,” Raposo said. “It was a labor of love.”

Wooten did not have children. Probably the closest facsimile to that was Mariana Carter, 36.

Carter was a freshman cross-country athlete at Varela 22 years ago when shin splints/fractures forced her to the sidelines.

Disappointed but yet passionate about cross-country, Carter told her coach, Victor Kensler, that she wanted to be around the sport. Kensler introduced her to Wooten, and she began working for him as a volunteer.

That led to Carter forging her own career, following Wooten’s path.

“When I first started working for him, I observed him for two years,” Carter said. “I finally said, ‘I can do what you do.’

“Larry encouraged me and gave me confidence. He would often brag, ‘I have the best timer (Carter) in the state. … I was able to become so good because of him.”

Carter said Wooten was selfless.

“If a school didn’t have the money for the bus to an event, Larry would pay for it,” Carter said. “Or if a school didn’t have the funds to enter the race, he would waive the fee.”

Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, Wooten was an avid sports fan. He loved his Kansas Jayhawks, and he once got Mickey Mantle’s autograph.

Outside of cross-country/track, his biggest passion was golf. He once played the famed course at Augusta, and he golfed quite a bit while in the U.S. Air Force from 1961-1965, especially while stationed in Okinawa, Japan. It was there that he served as a caddie for high-ranking officers.

“He once had knee surgery,” his cousin, Cathy Hanson, said, “and he was on a golf course three hours later.”

After graduating from Pittsburg State in 1968, Wooten landed a job as a physical education teacher at Miami Springs Middle School. He led Miami Springs Middle to numerous cross-country and track championships in the 1980s. He did the same thing at Hammock Middle in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Wooten also worked some fascinating part-time jobs, including serving as part of the “chain gang” at Miami Dolphins games. In addition, Wooten worked at some of Miami’s greyhound-dog tracks.

“Larry could spout facts from sports events from decades ago,” Hanson said. “He was a walking sports encyclopedia.”

Wooten’s biggest legacy, though, was his standing as an ambassador for local cross-country and track and field. And he was one of the leaders who helped bring fully-automatic timing into South Florida.

In addition, he built many great relationships with young athletes he had coached.

While he was in home hospice earlier this year, many of those kids – now in their 30s or older – visited him.

And Carter, along with her husband and one of Wooten’s former athletes, was there at his bedside at the very end.

Carter said Wooten was like a father to her.

“I was raised in a single-parent household, and my father wasn’t around,” she said. “Larry helped fund my education. Whenever I needed someone for advice, support or a confidant, I could lean on him.

“He is the grandpa to my two kids (Isabella, 10, and Isaiah, 8). I don’t know what path my life would’ve taken without Larry. He made a huge impact.

“Larry is family to me, and he will always be family.”