13.1 Fort Lauderdale and A1A 10K

From the starting line near Las Olas and A1A, runners first head west back into Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood, where the mix of old and new homes create a fascinating view into the history and culture of the area. After running around the streets of the neighborhood, the course returns to Las Olas and heads back east toward A1A, passing the start/finish line along the way. But the course isn’t over yet–in fact, it’s just begun. The course turns left and continues along A1A. If you weren’t cruising before, you probably will be now, with the ocean views and almost pancake flat course. After reaching Highway A1A, runners head north for the next few miles along the beach highway, where they’ll pass by a number of beautiful beachfront homes as well as resort hotels, cafes and restaurants along the way. This stretch of the course is a long straightaway that continues all the way north to East Oakland Park Boulevard, where runners hit the turnaround point and then head back in reverse along the route they’ve just run, all the way south to the finish line. The race is open to walkers as well as runners, and race organizers plan to keep the course open for three and a half hours, after which it will be re-opened to traffic. Runners finish the race back where they started, where the sandy beaches will play host to the post-race festivities, where runners will pick up their finisher’s medals and get to enjoy live music, food and the age group awards. Runners and walkers will have an early start for the half marathon, starting at 6:15 AM. For the half, runners are expected to keep a pace of 16 minutes per mile or better.