Journeys of The Key West Southernmost Walker

Space Coast Half Marathon

Cocoa, Florida

Sunday, November 26, 2017

On Sunday, November 26, 2017 I race walked the Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa, Florida. It was a nice day for the race which saw 3264 participants finish the half marathon and 1325 participants finish the full marathon and featured sunny skies, little wind and a temperature varying from 56 to 65 degrees. The course was relatively flat with a little up and down and no challenging hills. The course utilized a road along the Indian River in Cocoa and Rockledge, Florida that was for the most part closed to traffic; however, a few residents who live along the course needed to leave or enter their homes and were very careful to ensure the safety of everyone. A few police were at intersections. Water/Gatorade stations were located approximately every 1 to 1.5 miles and had plenty of tables and plenty of friendly efficient volunteers taking care of the needs of the participants. Each station was organized with Gatorade first then water and the tables were spread out to help alleviate the crowding caused by the large amount of entries. This is the 46^th time the event has been held and I have completed the event for 15 years in a row --- 6 full marathon from 2003 to 2008 and 9 half marathons from 2009 to 2017. I really enjoy doing this event as it is always well organized and fun and features wonderful medals and lots of post-race food and beverage as well as a space themed race and former astronauts who participate as well as other race celebrities. For me this race marked another milestone in my career as this event was half marathon 150 since I had my left knee replaced on February 20, 2012. I now have a total of 135 full marathons and 228 half marathons completed race walking since January of 2002.

Chester Kalb

Helen Kwiat

Gerda Kalb