For the first time in three years, a full field of 1,500 runners pounded the pavement before sunrise in Marathon’s 41st annual Seven Mile Bridge Run on April 2. An early start and overcast skies for the first 40 minutes of the race provided temporary relief for runners battling otherwise hot and humid conditions to cross the Keys’ longest overseas span.
For the second year in a row, the run began on the bridge’s west end, challenging racers to run facing the rising sun and conserve energy to conquer the bridge’s 65-foot-high half-mile hill later in the race.
The overall leaderboard saw both familiar and fresh faces as local athletes made a strong showing. 26-year-old Springfield, Pennsylvania resident Collin Wainwright was the first to break the tape as he captured his second consecutive overall title in 38 minutes, 6 seconds, followed by Derek Morgan of Davie, Florida (39:51) and Marathon High School student Vaclav Bursa (41:29).
In the women’s division, Marathon triathlete Holly Smith, 37, crossed the line in 43 minutes, 23 seconds followed by Tavernier’s Anne DenOtter (43:29) and Fort Lauderdale’s Alice Henley (43:34).
“The race always turns out to be a fantastic event,” said former race director and current registration coordinator Bobbie Bayles, noting that this year’s race overcame logistical challenges to run a full field of contestants in a new direction and move the race’s afterparty from its former location at the 33rd Street boat ramp in Marathon. “It doesn’t matter how many walls we run into. Somehow there’s always a little hole that we get through. The race was great.”
Runners take off into the sunrise. 
The 41st annual Seven Mile Bridge Run overall champions. Women’s division, from left: Alice Henley, 3rd; Anne DenOtter, 2nd; Holly Smith, 1st. Men’s division, from left: Vaclav Bursa, 3rd; Derek Morgan, 2nd; Collin Wainwright, 1st. 
Matison Little (bib 925, left) and Alexandra Little (bib 926) celebrate as they conquer the bridge’s half-mile hill. 
From water stations to start- and finish-line management, volunteers are the lifeblood of the race. 
Racers pour across the finish line as spectators offer encouragement from the Old Seven Mile Bridge. 
A reversed race direction challenged runners to conquer the bridge’s hill after nearly four miles, instead of the typical two. 
Marathon Fire Rescue staff and MHS Fire Academy students staff the much-needed misting station at the race’s fifth mile marker.
Photos by Barry Gaukel and Andy Newman
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MEET THE CHAMPIONS
COLLIN WAINWRIGHT
26-year-old Springfield, Pennsylvania native Collin Wainwright knew there was a target on his back after picking up his first overall win in the 2021 bridge run. With daunting heat and humidity challenging the lead pack, he knew the key to this year’s win was to stick to his game plan, regardless of others pulling ahead of him in the early stages of the race.
“I’ve gone out hard before and blew up in the last two miles or so, so I knew I didn’t want to do that,” he said. Staying close to other surging members of the front pack, Wainwright took the lead over the course of the bridge’s hill and never looked back.
How did this year’s win compare to last year’s?
“This year was a lot more humid. It was brutal. The last run I did before coming here was in about 20-degree weather, so it was definitely a shock to the system. Last year, I felt a lot more comfortable a lot further into the race. This year, I felt like everything after the first mile was very labored.”
What are your pre-race rituals?
“Every year before the run, my family has a huge spaghetti dinner, and I eat as much spaghetti as I can. We do that with my aunt and uncle (from Marathon), Trich and Pete Worthington.”
What’s on your race playlist?
“I listen to motivational videos from Eric Thomas. The theme from ‘Requiem for a Dream,’ which is all orchestra. ‘Eye of the Tiger’ from ‘Rocky,’ because I need to rep Philly. And then Eminem.”
HOLLY SMITH
Holly Smith is the 2022 women’s Seven Mile Bridge Run champion. But for her, this race was just a tune-up. The 37-year-old Marathon triathlete has her sights set on an Ironman in May, and although she initially entered the race as a training run, she realized with a mile to go that she had a chance at capturing the top prize.
“I was planning to run a little bit faster than my half-marathon pace, and I saw a couple girls who looked like they were going to go out pretty quick, so I thought if I could keep them in my sight line, that would be a pretty good day,” said Smith. “I was in second pretty much the whole race, and I figured that’s where I was going to stay. But I could see first place in front of me, and I was catching up to her a little bit more. I was running my own race, but once I realized I had a chance to win, I said, ‘well, time to turn it up a little bit.’”
What are your pre-race rituals?
“I probably stand in the line for the bathroom four different times, because I’m always nervous.”
Was this a piece of cake after training for an Ironman?
“It was really odd for me to just run, because I’m so used to coming off a bike. When the race first started, I felt like my legs weren’t working. It took me half a mile or so to realize, ‘all right, now I’m running.’”
What’s the funniest thing on your race playlist?
“Without looking, I think I probably have some Disney songs on there.”
