When you live in a state that gets snow in the winter–specifically Ohio–how can you say No to a January half marathon in Key West?

Key West, the southernmost Florida key, is both beautiful and fun. Who wouldn’t want to do a race there when the temperatures at home are in the 20s?

The Half Marathon in Key West isn’t just a race, it’s a weekend of parties and races. It starts with a meet and greet on Thursday and ends with an after party on Monday. There is a 5 K, and 10 K on Saturday with an 8 K and half marathon on Sunday. Doing both the 5 K and 10K with either of the Sunday races will earn more medals and the honor of being a Little Pecker or Big Pecker.

My friend Deb and I arrived in Key West on Friday. At 2:10 the line for packet pickup in front of the Half Shell Raw Bar was already long. With so many races and race combinations, it took some people a little while to get through and collect all of their bibs, etc. After more than 40 min waiting in line, we finally got through.

There wasn’t much of a race expo—a few freebies like cinch sacks and a tent to buy shirts. But it was outside, it was sunny, and the day was beautiful.

Saturday, I had originally planned to do the 5K, but decided I should enjoy the day instead, so I skipped it. We spent the day walking all over the island and had a great time going to the beach, visiting the Truman Little White House, and shopping on Duval Street. Though it was very fun, we ended up walking about 4 miles! In hindsight, I probably would have been better off doing the 5K.

Sunday, we got up bright and early to walk 0.7 miles to the race start. Though Friday evening was in the 60s and Saturday was cool on and off, Sunday felt very warm starting at 70°. After being in the 20s in Ohio, 70° with no breeze felt even warmer than usual.

Race morning was pretty casual. At 7:00 the half marathon started—with no fanfare we were off. The 8K started about half an hour later.

We wound our way down a few streets before we continued on Duval to the southern side of the island where we walked on the street along the shore for several miles. We went all the way past the airport before turning around to head back, only in this direction we were on sidewalks. Eventually, we were on Whitehead, made a few confusing turns, then finished a couple blocks from the start.

The water stations along the race were nontraditional. To protect the ecosystem, there were no cups. People were encouraged to carry their own cup to be filled at each water station, or carry their own water. Not knowing how well this works, I chose to carry my own water bottle. I’m glad I made that choice! Though there were supposed to be water stations every 2 miles, there weren’t.

The course itself was beautiful, but with very little breeze and almost no shade, it was pretty toasty. Even though I was super slow at 3:31, I was glad to be done.

Deb did the 8 K race and really enjoyed it!

After being handed my medal and grabbing water, I realized there was almost no after-race food I could eat. Being gluten free, I grabbed half of a banana and had to pass on the bagels and cakes.

We went to the after-race party thinking there might be more food, but there wasn’t. There was plenty of beer, but no gluten-free beverages. Though the band that was playing was good, without food or beverages for us, we decided to head back to our room, and went out to lunch.

Things I like about this race:

• The location—Key West in January
• The race hosts plenty of parties all weekend
• The shirt and medal are great

Things I think can be improved:

• More water stations on the course
• Gluten free food and beverages after the race
• Room to sit at the after-race party

Despite the challenges, escaping Ohio winter for a sunny Key West weekend made it all worthwhile.

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