This was my 7th time running this marathon. Each year it grows in popularity and the staff for this for this weekend continues to get better each year. The on course support from the community is unlike anywhere else that I have run, with the entire city lining the streets turning it into a big party. This year was the 10th anniversary of the race and they created the "Booby Challenge". You ran the 10K and 5K on Saturday, then Sunday you had your choice to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles. The Challenge had it's own individual medal that your received when finishing on Sunday along with the medals from the individual races. I participated in the challenge and ran the full marathon on Sunday. It is a great weekend of running and fun.

Courses:
10K - Flat with cool sights of the water, football stadium and the city. There was a chocolate shop that was open and giving samples as we ran....epic.
5K - They changed the course this year and it was completely flat. You ran through the city of Jacksonville and along the waterfront. Durning mile 3 it gets a little narrow as you run the sidewalks along the water, but it opens up quick and the shoot to the finish is great. So many people screaming and yelling for you that no matter where you finish, it feels like you are the winner.
Half/Full - In 2016 they moved several of the miles off of the beach. While there are beautiful views that are missed, the chilly headwinds and soft footing are not. The course is flat and well attended. You are going to get support from beginning to end. The tough part of the course comes at the toughest part of the race, mile 23. The 3.2 miles consist of running on Butler Blvd over the intercostal waterway. The bridge, while not steep, is a gradual incline that will work your legs. But as throughout the course, there are people encouraging the entire time. The finish is excellent, a huge shoot that you run down with people, announcers, big screens, makes you feel famous.

Expo:
Medium sized Expo that is well attended by the runners and vendors. Lots of different photo ops with the legendary runners. (Jeff Galloway, Joan (Benoit) Samuelson,) along with Donna herself. Package pick up is well organized and very simple to get through.

Parking:
Since moving the start from the Mayo Clinic to TPC Sawgrass they get better every year at traffic and parking. This year was easy and traffic flowed with no issues. Parking is ample and easy. The one drawback because it is no longer a loop, you have to bus it back to your car from the finish line. They run plenty of busses, but at times there is a wait and climbing into the little seats of a bus, as your legs are cramping can be annoying!!! It is organized and well run.

Swag:
This years shirts and medals were the best in all the years I have attended. It is evident there is much thought put into the the design of the medals and the shirts this year were also designed well. High marks given here.

I love this race, the reason for running is more than the finish line as they raise money to find a cure for Breast Cancer. It is a well supported race and continues to improve.