A field of nearly 450 national and international runners competed on a panoramic course above the Upper Keys and the eastern edges of the Florida Everglades Sunday morning during the 11th annual First State Bank Key Largo Bridge Run in the Florida Keys.
Racers in half-marathon and 5k divisions crossed the 65-foot-high Jewfish Creek Bridge, considered the entryway to the Florida Keys, which is the southern portion of the 18-Mile Stretch, a section of the Overseas Highway that connects mainland South Florida with Key Largo.
Runners represented Panama and U.S. states that span the country including Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Kentucky and Minnesota, according to organizers.
Kervin Batista, 32, of David, Panama, won the overall men’s half-marathon division title with a time of 1 hour, 27 minutes and 53 seconds. Tavernier, Florida, resident Anastassia Webb, 40, won the overall women’s division in 1:43:39.
Simon Gutierrez, 17, of Islamorada, Florida, posted a time of 18 minutes for first place in the overall men’s 5K division. Miami’s Carolina Jaramillo, 36, won the women’s division with a time of 23:08.
The awards were presented at a post-race “after party.”
The 2022 event is set for Sunday, Nov. 13.
