We all know Key West knows how to party! But what I didn’t know was they know how to plan an amazing half! 🧡

Before signing up for the @key_west_half_marathon I didn’t even know it was one of the ten best half marathons across the nation! After running it, I see why!

What stood out for me…

🏝️ Packet pickup was organized and the volunteers really seemed happy to be there.

🏝️ They cap the race, which made for a small community race. They were close to sellout (around only 30 spots left last I checked). I believe the cap was 1800 but I could be wrong 😆

🏝️ Morning drop off was so easy… no traffic and minimal road closures.

🏝️ Local restaurants near the starting line opened early for runners to use the bathroom so you didn’t have to use a porta potty 🚽 🎉 (they were available if needed) On course, there were a couple but also parks open for BRs.

🏝️ My favorite part… most of the course was along the beautiful, turquoise water 🌊 and some parts there was water on both sides 😍

🏝️ It’s a fast, flat course where you could easily PR if you didn’t stop and take so many pics like I did 📷
There was even a sign that said You’re now above sea level (because you’re on a bridge).

🏝️ Crowd support was so fun! Lots of people out cheering for runners, and a lot of on course entertainment. My fav was an old man playing the calypso drums.

🏝️ The bling is bigger than most medals and it is a porthole that actually opens up too.

🏝️ The after party.. it’s KW do I really have to say more? There was a live band and they were giving out beer and shots of rum🍹

Some things worth mentioning..
There’s not a huge expo. I think there were maybe 3 tents set up. So, bring what you need instead of expecting to buy things there.
The swag bag was only a microwaveable bag of rice. The dry fit long sleeve shirt though was one of my favorite from all my races.
It is a cupless race so bring your own hydration vest, handheld hydration or collapsable cup. They sell collapsable cups for $4.50 but by the time I got there (late Saturday) they had sold out. I was happy I had my hydration vest. There were multiple tables set up to refill, and the volunteers had no problem filling up by vest. They filled it up with jugs of bottled water, not a hose 😆

I give this race a 5/5 for sure! If you get a chance to run it, you won’t regret it! I’m already so excited to run it again next year!

The Half Marathoner recently awarded the Gasparilla Half Marathon the best half marathon in Florida and after running it I see why!

To begin with, they publish a race guide that has everything you need to know about the race weeks before the race. You are emailed a link to the guide and they post it on social media. The local news promotes it and even does a special weather report geared towards the race. This race definitely has a lot of local support!

The expo was full of vendors, samples, and fun! Even Meb showed up for the fun- it’s always a good expo when you get to meet an Olympian! I never do gear drop off, but that was available at the expo too.

The swag… the half marathoners get a long sleeve tech shirt, and I LOVE the colors and design!! The colors are bright and of course Pepperjack, the parrot, is on the shirt. We also got a nice tech hat 🧢 and a bottle opener.

Race morning…I was worried about traffic and parking since this race has 18,000+ runners. But, there was no traffic and parking was super easy. The garage I parked at, the Fort Brooke Garage, was empty and was a short walk to the start/finish line. The convention center was open that morning with plenty of clean bathrooms- no porta potties necessary 🎉 The start line was crowded and started in waves. For as many people that there was, it was very organized. I started near the back since I was post injury and not looking to PR, and I started maybe 15 mins after the first wave, not terrible.

The race course itself was a fast, fairly flat, course. The course was along the water for a few miles and in neighborhoods. I even saw a dolphin when running by the water 🐬 There wasn’t a huge amount of crowd support along the course or entertainment, but the crowd that did show up was fun and energetic. Since there’s an option to have your name on your bib if you sign up early, it was pretty cool to hear the crowd yelling your name. My only suggestion for improvement would be to hire bands/DJs to pump the runners up during the race. Not a huge deal, obviously, but it would make it a little bit more fun. 🤩

The weather.. the weather was perfect! Not too hot and not too cold and sunny ☀️ It was 54 at the start.

The bling…. The medal was ginormous! The medal is big and heavy! The medal is a skull with a parrot on the top. They really paid attention to detail by putting the 13.1 on an eye patch on the skull and having a parrot earring. Very creative!

The after party… they had lots of yummy snacks after the race! Along with the usual water, Gatorade, and 🍌 they also had cheez-it’s and pringles. Cheez-it’s never tasted so good! 😋

I would definitely recommend this race if you’re looking for a February race!