My fifth time running in the Miami Marathon. I've done the marathon twice and the half 3 times (this year was the half). We were lucky with the weather as it was in the low 50s with rain. For a runner, that's actually great weather. For a tourist not so much. I've reviewed this race in the past so you can refer to my past reviews about the course, medals, pre and post race stuff, etc. But what was different this year was the expo. Let's talk about that!
This year the expo was held at Marlins Park, home of baseball's Miami Marlins. I'm not a fan of expos in sports stadiums so I wasn't looking forward to this one. I was reading tweets on Friday about the expo and none of them was positive. I got there early Saturday since I was heading out to Gulfstream Park to see a $12 million horse race (perfect weekend for a runner/horse racing fan, right?). I paid $10(!) to park in the garage next to the stadium. There was a line to get into the stadium due to us having to pass thru a metal detector to get into the stadium. Then, you had to walk up some ramps to get to 2nd level to pick up your bib, then go up one more level to get your shirt. Now, picture a stadium with vendors set up on the concourse. It got really crowded, difficult to walk around and unfortunately couldn't visit as many booths as I'd like. When I left, the line to get into the stadium was ridiculous. Who knows how long it took for those runners to get their race materials. See picture.
I'm hoping this was a one year thing. I'm pretty sure that with all the complaints from the runners the organizers will work to improve the experience next year. Maybe move it back to Miami Beach Convention Center?
That said, raceday was a lot of fun. Very easy to get to the start (I use a shuttle to and from the race), course is very scenic and mostly flat, and the finish line moved very smoothly. Yes there was beer, but also my favorite post race food in Miami..rice and beans from Pollo Tropical (¡me gusta!)
Hope to see you in 2018!