A footrace over the Florida Keys Overseas Highway’s longest bridge drew 1,500 participants Saturday, all competing for the fastest time in the 41st annual Seven Mile Bridge Run.
Pennsylvania resident Collin Wainwright claimed his second overall men’s title during Saturday’s race. The 26-year-old from Springfield finished first, with a time of 38 minutes and 6 seconds.
In her first year participating in the bridge run, Holly Smith, 37, of Marathon, Florida, won the women’s division title, completing the course in 43:23.
Davie, Florida, resident Derek Morgan, 36, finished second in the men’s division with a time of 39:51. Florida Keys middle school student Vaclav Bursa, 14, placed third with a time of 41:29.
Anne DenOtter, 25, who lives in Tavernier, Florida, placed second in the women’s division with a time of 43:29. Placing third was Alice Henley, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who finished in 43:34.
Currently, overall course records remain the same. In the men’s division, former Keys resident Paul Marmaro holds the fastest time at 32 minutes, 59 seconds, set in 1998. In 2004, Sonja Friend-Uhl set the longstanding women’s record of 37:15.
Staged each April, the footrace typically fills 1,500 racing slots within minutes. Its panoramic views over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico make it one of the most popular running events in the southeastern United States.
The race began in 1982 as part of festivities to mark the completion of a then-new Seven Mile Bridge as well as 36 other new spans in the island chain. The event was so well received that community and state transportation leaders decided to make it an annual event.
Organized by the Marathon Runners Club, funds raised from this event are donated to the local youth of the Middle Keys, both at the area schools, as well as other youth groups, which stage athletically oriented activities. Since the event’s inception Middle Keys’ youngsters have benefited from donations of well over $500,000 distributed by the club.
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