Organizer

Publix

Location

401 SW 2nd 2nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Cost

$110

Size

4,174 Runners

About the Race

Our Half Marathon course features 13.1 miles of signature South Florida beauty, loaded with miles of unobstructed ocean views. The fast, flat course is ideal for those looking to PR. If you’re searching for the ideal winter destination running event, then look no further! Run Fort Lauderdale…. Where the Ocean is Your Finish Line!!

Website

Starting Line

401 SW 2nd 2nd Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Finish Line

1100 Seabreeze Blvd.,  Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Race Report

I can’t believe the race is over. It’s only been a few hours but already it feels like it happened so long ago. Well the run was fantastic!!!! I had such a great time, I totally killed it out there. I did better than my goal which resulted in a major PR for me.  I am just so over-the-moon happy with my results.  The course was gorgeous, you got to see the sunrise over the ocean. The only hill was the A1A bridge and that wasn’t so bad.  Part of the race goes into a park, and that’s where I joined up with a pace group for several miles. They really helped. Reminds me of a bike ride where you have to try and stay with the group or risk getting dropped. The only thing was that they didn’t stop for any water, so I did after a while and that’s when they got ahead of me.  I think I will try to run with a pace group next time.  I stopped for water at 3-4 water stations, and that was the only time that I walked, and it was only until I finished chugging.  So I basically ran the whole thing. Another first for me.  I am just so very pleased.  The temperature was perfect. There was wind, but it came at you from an angle so it didn’t help or hurt you too much.

I was surprised by how emotional I was during this race. When I knew I would get a PR, I was practically close to tears.  And when I felt so strong and thought about all the work I’ve done and how far I’ve come since my pre-fitness days, I got pretty emotional too.

It is very windy today so it’s cold out so I couldn’t lay out like I planned, but I might sit in the hot tub later today in hopes that it will help with the muscle soreness.  It’s funny that I run 13 miles but walking is an extreme challenge right now, and forget bending down or doing stairs.

Race Review

The run was very well-organized. Parking map was accurate and good, starting corals were all marked and it was a mass-start, gear drop-off and pick-up were fast and clearly visible, and the porta-potties were all lined up along the starting corals.  Finish chute was speedy and efficient.  Got my medal immediately, walked through a mini-expo of free food and drink samples, and then at the very end was the gear pick-up.  All the bags were outside the truck so the volunteers found my bag very quickly.  Then right across the street was the waiting line for the shuttles to take you back to the start. It was all done so well and efficiently.  I was so impressed.  Other races need to learn from this – cough Rock ‘n Roll.  The only thing was that there was no runner tracking. That would’ve been nice. There were timing mats at a few points during the course, so don’t know exactly why they did that. Crowd support was sporadic throughout the course, but the finishing chute was pretty awesome. The spectators really cheered you on and carried you through to the end.