Get ready for an adrenaline-pumping spectacle as 1500 runners gear up to conquer the challenge at Florida’s longest bridge! With excitement buzzing in the air, anticipation builds for this epic race. Now, let’s lace up our shoes and delve into the thrilling details of this monumental event.
1500 Runners Will Race At Florida’s Longest Bridge
In the 43rd annual Seven Mile Bridge Run, 1,500 runners competed to set the quickest time over the longest bridge on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway on Saturday.
In a time of forty minutes and thirty-three seconds, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident Collin Wainwright, 28, crossed the finish line first. He also asserted himself as the winner of the men’s division.
For the second year in a row, Joanna Stephens, 29, of Dallas, Georgia, won the women’s division with a time of 43:13.
A footrace over the Florida Keys Overseas Highway's longest bridge drew 1,500 participants Saturday, all competing to post the fastest time in the 43rd annual Seven Mile Bridge Run. https://t.co/bmSFC8jnK0
— CBS News Miami (@CBSMiami) April 13, 2024
The race champion from the previous year, 16-year-old Vaclav “Vance” Bursa of Big Pine Key, Florida, finished second overall in 40:37. With a time of 41:13, Christian Vazquez, 29, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, came in third.
In the women’s group, Anne DenOtter, 27, of Tavernier, Florida, finished in second place with a time of 43:52. Holly Smith, 39, of Key Largo, Florida, came in third with a time of 44:44.
The course record, which was achieved in 1998 by Paul Marmaro, a former resident of Florida, is still 32:57. With a cap of 1,500 runners per year, the race attracted participants from all around the United States as well as Germany and France.
Commencing in 1982, the footrace spans the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico convergence and is a part of celebrations honoring the completion of a project to construct 37 new Keys bridges to replace railroad bridges that were modified and built in the early 1900s.
The run prevented cars from using the bridge that connects the Middle and Lower Keys for three hours on Saturday morning. To reduce traffic issues, race organizers and Keys officials announced the event well in advance, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
It isn’t easy to even have a chance to compete. Online registration for the 1,500-runner field filled in minutes after it opened in January, making the April contest one of the most popular running events in the Southeast of the United States.
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