Short Version: 4th HM for DW and myself. We liked our previous destination races in Knoxville and Nashville last year, so we decided a warm weather race was in order after this horrible winter. So a HM in South Beach and a cruise seemed like great way to put an end to winter (5F when we left home.

Me: 2:30:41, OA 1743/2450, Men 985/1200, AG 21/22 (WTF ???), Age Grade 49%???

(glad I'm graduating to another AG this year. Apparently Floridians are in better shape than us Midwesterners).

DW: 2:30:41, OA 1742/2450, Women 758/1250, AG 15/36. Age Grade 53%. Weren't planning or ready to do very well, but the primary goals to finish and have fun were met.

Longer Version: We arrived in South Beach on Thursday before the Sunday race, and the day after the race, we headed down to Ft Lauderdale for a short cruise on the Celebrity Constellation. South Beach is nice, but it is a little "busy" on the weekend. Maybe it was Spring Break. Liked staying at the Essex House, which is an old Art Deco hotel and it was surprisingly quiet. Got in a good 5 mile run in on the beautiful Boardwalk on Friday and had a nice FE lunch with Docket. This race is managed by USRoadsports Entertainment. I think this was previously an Allstate race and MU has taken over all of them as sponsor. Packet pickup was on Saturday on the beach. Goody bag was limited to our shirts (not another blue shirt), our bibs and safety pins. The previous mornings seemed a little cool, so we were surprised when we stepped out of the hotel on Sunday morning for the race, it was warm and humid. We normally don't do long runs in warm weather and we sure haven't seen a warm day in months. Start gun was at 6:13 and I somehow neglected to tell DW about the early start (not a morning person), but I did manage to get her up for the race on time. Fortunately the hotel was only 2 blocks from the starting line, but it was still dark when we got there at 6:00. We lined up at the back of the pack and were still way behind the 3 hour sign and a lot of runners filled in behind us. Kind of hard to move up on the narrow street.

So we started on time in the dark, but it was light within a few minutes. We headed north winding around South Beach for a couple of miles (not sure where SoBe ends) before heading west over Biscayne Bay on the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Kept our pace in the 11's as we were heating up fast and there was a long incline on the bridge, although we did run most of it. We were entertained by Dr. Dribble passing us, but he kept stopping for pictures, so he passed us several times. The bridge ended on the Miami side and we ran a few miles on 2nd Avenue before getting back on MacArthur Causeway heading back east towards SoBe. Fortunately the humidity seemed to drop, or the wind shifted and we were fairly comfortable the second half of the race, particularly after a PP stop. We hydrated a lot and even took some Gatorade which is unusual for us. Not too many spectators on the bridges (or anywhere else), but there were lots of bands and cheerleaders. Funny how nobody acknowledges the volunteers, but we try to. It was very nice running on the causeway with the bright blue water and the little islands along the way. Eventually we ran across from the Port of Miami with all the cruise ships, so that was fun, especially with our cruise sailing the next day. Last 2 miles took us back on SoBe, through South Beach Pointe Park and back north to the finish line. We were still feeling good and picked up the pace to 10:30 and were passing a lot of runners in the last 2 miles. Finish line was a few blocks south from the starting line and was right at the beach. Lots of food and of course the Michelob Ultra tent next to all the musclemen section of the beach (gag). It was pretty convenient being 2 blocks from our hotel, so we could shower, grab some breakfast and rest up at the hotel pool the rest of the day.

This was by far our favorite of the 4 HM's we've run now. We liked the course, it was well organized and we had great weather. Supposedly they are giving us a free entry to another MU HM, so we might just use it in Chicago. Now that 3 of our races have been destination races and they have all worked out so well, we will have to find some more, especially for next winter. BTW, we cruised on the Celebrity Constellation the next day and it was great. Only runners on that ship is running for food and drinks. Except of course for us, and we did try running on the outdoor track, but that was a challenge. Even tripped on a lounge chair while passing a senior, tightroped few more chairs and landed flat on my back on another chair. Not very pretty, but no injury and we finished our run. Our ship stopped in Key West, so we disembarked early and got in a 5 mile "sightseeing" run down Duval Street. So we still managed to log 32 total miles for the trip. Too bad we also ate about 32 million calories. Glad we did this race. We had a great time. Maybe we should do a run/cruise next winter?

Hope these pictures are visible.

Thanks for reading...Jerry

Sounds like you had a lot of fun.   I'll have to keep this race in mind for future trips to Florida.  I'm glad the contrast between Chicago freeze and Miami heat wasn't too painful.  Was the cruise just a coastal cruise to Key West?

OK.  What is "MU?"

Great job to both, Jerry!  It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife.  I am glad you had fun and that the weather cooperated that weekend.

Congrats Jerry! Nice report.

Nice report, Jerry.  Glad you had fun.  That must have been tough to acclimate to the Miami warmth after months of northern cold.

I wonder if Goose Island Bourbon County would sponsor a HM? 

Sounds like a great time!  I'm glad the heat didn't bother you too much, and a cruise does seem like a great way to recover!

Great report, Jerrry and congratulations to you and your wife!  This sounded like such a pleasant WARM trip.  You all did very well especially considering how you weren't acclimatized to the warmer temperatures.  I think it's so cool that you make these races together, and that y'all were able to meet our Damaris.  How nice for all of you!