Journeys of The Key West Southernmost Walker: January 2011

Dane Rauschenberg at the ING Miami Half Marathon Exposition where he was one of the featured speakers

ING Miami Half Marathon
Miami, Florida
Sunday, January 30, 2011

I race walked the ING Miami Half Marathon in Miami, Florida on Sunday, January 30, 2011. The temperature varied from the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s with sunny skies and a gentle breeze, perfect conditions for the race. The course was mostly flat except on Mac Arthur Causeway where there were two bridges that made the participants go up and down to cross. Water/Gatorade stations were located every 1 to 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers that were able to supply the approximately 21000 participants in the half and full marathons with the necessary liquids. Police and other volunteers controlled the roads and intersections to ensure the safety of the participants. Spectators were everywhere along the course cheering and encouraging everyone. The whole event was very well organized and fun to do. I have done this event in each of its nine years of existence, 7 marathons and 2 half marathons. My friend and fellow Maniac, Dane Rauschenberg, was one of the featured speakers at the exposition on both Friday and Saturday. It seems to me that this year’s event was the maximum capacity that the course can handle as the course was crowed the entire 13.1 miles. Despite this fact I still enjoyed myself and am looking forward to doing the 10th edition of the event in 2012.

Frigate Bird, Key West, Florida #2

Frigate Bird, Key West, Florida #1

Key West Half Marathon
Key West, Florida
Sunday, January 23, 2011

I stayed home in Key West this weekend and race walked the Key West Half Marathon on Sunday, January 23, 2011. The event had a half marathon and 5K and attracted nearly 900 participants. The weather was wonderful as the temperature varied from 56 to 61 degrees with sunny skies and a 10 mph wind. The course is mostly flat with one bridge of 25 feet elevation to cross. About 4 miles of the course was on roads which had very little traffic and plenty of enthusiastic volunteers and local and county police to control all the intersections and the rest of the course was on sidewalks and bike paths. Nearly 5 miles of the course was along the water. If the race had begun at 6:45 instead of 7:00, the participants could have had a wonderful view of the sunrise. Water/Gatorade stations were located every 2 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Each station had several tables spread out to ensure a smooth process. There were many spectators cheering throughout the course. The event was very friendly, well organized, and fun to do. I enjoyed myself completely.

Nautica Key West World Sailboat Championships, Kay West, Florida #4

Nautica Key West World Sailboat Championships, Kay West, Florida #3

Nautica Key West World Sailboat Championships, Kay West, Florida #2

Nautica Key West World Sailboat Championships, Kay West, Florida #1

Naples, Florida beach bird

Everglades National Park, Florida Wood Stork

Everglades National Park, Florida Osprey

Everglades National Park, Florida Green Heron

Everglades National Park, Florida Panther Statue

Everglades National Park, Florida Fire

Everglades National Park, Florida Cotton Mouth Snake

Everglades National Park, Florida White Heron

Everglades National Park, Florida Blue Heron #3

Everglades National Park, Florida Blue Heron #2

Everglades National Park, Florida Blue Heron #1

Everglades National Park, Florida various birds

Everglades National Park, Florida Rosetta Spoonbills and other birds

Everglades National Park, Florida Bird

Everglades National Park, Florida Alligator #3

Everglades National Park, Florida Alligator #2

Everglades National Park, Florida Alligator #1

Naples Half Marathon
Naples, Florida
Sunday, January 16, 2011

When I race walked the Naples Half Marathon in Naples, Florida on Sunday, January 16, 2011, the skies were overcast, the winds were gentle, and the temperature ranged from the middle 50’s to the middle 60’s. The course was completely flat and fast. There were many elite, world class athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Russia and the times were very fast. There were also six USA athletes from the Hansons Brooks Running Project and their founder-coach, Kevin Hanson, who I had met at other events. The race had a 2:45 gun time limit which is fast for walkers. I had to concentrate and finished in 2:39:15. Water/Gatorade stations were located every 1.5 miles and were manned by plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Police and volunteers controlled the course which utilized roads which were open to local traffic; however, the traffic was sparse because most of the roads were dead-end roads in an upscale section of Naples where every house seemed to be a mansion or small palace on a canal with impeccably landscaped lots. It was quite a beautiful, tree-lined suburban course where everyone was especially friendly. The race was very well organized, the medals and age group awards were nice, and I enjoyed myself very much. However, I was surprised that there was no gear check available. After the race I talked to Kevin Hanson. He was extremely proud of the performances of the five male runners, to whom he introduced me, and one female runner which he had brought to the race from their training facilities in Michigan. Zach Hine was fourth overall in the Men’s Division and his 1:03:53 beat the US Olympic Trials Qualifying time. Desiree Davila was the second overall finisher in the Women’s Division with a time of 1:10:33. This race of 1614 finishers attracted very talented age group performers in addition to the elite athletes. There was $15500 in prize money spread not only for the Open overall winners but also for Master, Grand Master, and Senior Grand Master winners. Special monetary awards were given for age group records as well as top performances for US citizens. The Naples Half Marathon was truly a first class race.