The Key Biscayne half marathon and 10k is hosted by MultiRace, the 'Race Happy' group that puts on several races and triathlons throughout South Florida. This years race benefited the Camillus House which helps the homeless.
LOCATION
Key Biscayne is only minutes away from downtown Miami and South Beach, but this peaceful little island is worlds away from the hustle and bustle. The island is home to several active biking pathways, Bill Baggs State Park and Lighthouse which is one of the top US beaches, as well as popular Crandon Beach park.
There is a toll to access the causeway to Key Biscayne, but every moment spent there is worth it.
COMMUNICATION
Probably due to all the different events MultiRace hosts, there wasn't a lot of information being shared the weeks leading up to the race. Facebook questions did not seem to be addressed promptly, and the website even had the prior years information still listed.
COURSE
There was a new start/finish at the old abandoned Marine Stadium parking lot. The first two miles takes you up and over the steep Rikenbacker Causeway twice. You then head to Crandon Beach Park where you have views of lush foliage, wildlife, and white sand beaches. You then pass by the Stadium around mile 10 and do an out and back on a dirt path in the woods around the bay.
HYDRATION STATIONS/SPECTATORS
Stations were well stocked with plenty of volunteers. There were not spectators besides the volunteers. Key Biscayne has a ton of bicyclists and have awesome bike lanes for them. Still confused as why, but the race course blocked the regular bike lane, and instead put up cones on the opposite side of the street for the bikers to ride in. Unfortunately this was not communicated well to the runners, so a ton of runners would run on that side of the cones and the bicyclists would head straight into them and yell to get out of the way..... not a pretty experience.
RESULTS
The race starts an hour before sunrise which is absolutely perfect for Southern Florida. Even still, temps were in the 80s and humid. It took a lot of energy with the bridge being the first part of the race. I took it nice and slow in the back of the pack. Once we headed towards Crandon Park, the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle right as the sun was rising. It was absolutely perfect for me! Unfortunately it didn't last long, and the sun came out in full force, but that also meant a rainbow made its appearance! Thankfully the course was in as much shade as possible on this island and there was only a few spots where we were in pure sun. Around M10, we passed right by the finish line to head into the woods to do an off road out and back around the bay.
I knew the heat was going to take its toll on me, so I just took the race nice and easy with a 1x1. My Goal=Just Finish. I carried my Camelpak and took water and Gatorade at every station. With the race being so early, it was hard to eat breakfast, so I relied on gels packs every 30minutes that were provided at the stations. This turned out to be a mistake as I am not used to that much gel in 13miles, plus the mixture of flavors, one being peanut butter, made me nauseous around M9.
FINISH
The simplistic finish line had bagels, watermelon, bananas, muffins, chips and muscle milk. No alcohol, no entertainment.
After my fast friends received their awards, we headed across the street to jump into the bay with the Miami skyline and the bridge we just tackled into he background! Lunch was had a tiki bar at Whiskey Joes next door.
SHIRT/MEDAL
The shirt and medal match, but are also very generic without dates. Overall awards also looked exactly the same. All of them had a lighthouse, but we never saw the lighthouse on the course.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
If you love running in heat, then Key Biscayne is one to check out. You can not beat the views and the course has a variety of scenery. Make a long weekend out of it and you can celebrate the night away in Miami, or kick back and relax on the sandy white shore.
TRAVEL
I stayed at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, a 90 year old luxury property, located just 10minutes from Miami. This property has so much history, being an old WW11 hospital, and also where Al Capones bodyguard was shot and stories have it his ghost haunts the property. The Olympic sized pool used to host famous diving shows and the platforms remain today. Make sure you check out their list of daily activities and sign up for one of the chefs cooking classes!
For the best sunset view, head into Bill Baggs State Park to the southernmost point. You will find several fisherman and a walking path. The sun will technically set behind Miami skyline, but the distance makes it seem over water.
Biscayne National Park is a close drive away, where you can find some awesome snorkeling. The park operates a boat ride to the different islands on the weekend, or you can take a guide to explore.
HM#67
13.1-2:41
I am on a 10 year mission to run a half marathon a month as well as run one in each of the 50 states, all to help spread the word of breast cancer prevention, early detection, and living a healthy lifestyle. Please consider making a DONATION today to show your support. 100% net proceeds go towards the Mayo Clinic and Donna Foundation.