The good news: When winds top 25 miles per hour, it’s hard to overheat while running a road race. The bad news: When those winds are directly in your face, it makes for some of the toughest racing around.
Despite facing brutal headwinds for the second year in a row, there were still plenty of smiles – and an abundance of “sunrise selfies” – as racers “Beat the Bus” and crossed the finish line of the 44th annual 7 Mile Bridge Run on April 5.
Around 1,500 runners and walkers, from 5-year-olds to 88-year-old Grand Masters, braved the longest bridge in the Keys on Saturday morning in one of the unique and scenic footraces in the United States.
Familiar faces and locals locked down top positions in the race. Key West 24-year-old Owen Allen was the first to break the tape in 41 minutes, 3 seconds, followed by a second consecutive second-place finish for 2023 bridge champ Vance Bursa of Big Pine Key in 42:27. Three-time winner Collin Wainwright of Philadelphia, the top finisher in 2024, completed the top three with a time of 42:39.
Joanna Stephens of Dallas, Georgia led all female finishers, breaking the tape in 44:15 for her third consecutive win. She was followed for the second straight year by 28-year-old Anne DenOtter of Tavernier, who crossed the line in 47:55. Key West High School distance running phenom Caylaa Makimaa rounded out the top three with a time of 50:12.
The 7 Mile Bridge Run began in 1982 to celebrate the opening of the new Seven Mile Brdige, which replaced the converted railroad bridge built by Henry Flagler in 1912. Racers are allowed just 90 minutes to complete the course, challenging themselves to “Beat the Bus” sent to collect stragglers.
The course record of 32 minutes, 57 seconds, set in 1998 by Florida resident Paul Marmaro, has stood tall for nearly 30 years.
