RUNNERS CONQUER KEY LARGO BRIDGE RUN

Runners, friends and family gather for the 2022 First State Bank Key Largo Bridge Run 5K at Jewish Creek Bridge and Gilbert's Resort Saturday, November 12, 2022. Photo by Doug Finger

Around 350 runners and walkers scaled Jewfish Creek Bridge — the gateway to the Florida Keys — for the 12th annual First State Bank Key Largo Bridge Run on Nov. 12. Upper Keys runners were well represented on the podium between the overall 5K winner Anthony Pallaria, 37, of Islamorada, and Anastassia Webb, 41, who won the women’s division. Pallaria crossed the finish line at 19 minutes and 25 seconds. Webb, a Tavernier resident, finished with a time of 21 minutes and 35 seconds. Key Largo resident Chris Nelson finished second in the men’s division with a time of 20 minutes and 49 seconds. Racers ranged from kids as young as 8 to men and women in their 70s. Some participants came across the pond from Ireland, Germany and England. Ireland’s Cian Kennedy, 48, won the men’s masters division with a time of 22 minutes and 27 seconds. Racers from Ohio and Oklahoma to Minnesota and Oregon had the chance to take in breathtaking views of the eastern Everglades and Atlantic Ocean as the sun rose. A strong Upper Keys contingent also raced and walked the course. Women’s masters winner Terri Swanson, 63, from Marathon, posted a time of 25 minutes and 59 seconds. The race, organized by HNO Productions and Henry Menendez, supports Key Largo School and Teen Intervention & Prevention Services (TIPS).

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.