Paul Fish's Staging Area

Get to feel part of the former Space Shuttle program by running on the Space Shuttle landing runway. It’s fast, flat, and well supported by the Running Zone of Melbourne FL. Lots of walkers and 1st time runners, but lots of room to maneuver. Everyone has fun! Highly recommend for everyone, but especially local Florida runners.

This event at Cocoa Beach, Florida is deceptively difficult. This event started a little late, and the temperature was probably about 78 degrees, but there was nice cloud cover shielding the runners from the sun. Running in sand is not the best venue, but the sand nearest the waterline was harder packed. There was a covering of stinking seaweed all over the beach, which made for a kind of smelly running. This was an out and back, and on the way out clouds shielded the sun for about 45 minutes. Then, the cloud cover dissipated and the rotisserie started. There was a stiff breeze from the south into which we ran the leg out. It slowed us some, but did keep us cooler. At the turn-around, the wind was to our backs and the sun bore down on us. It was not just the heat directly from the sun, but also from the sun’s reflection off the ocean. So, we were being doubly baked. Support was minimal. Water and Gatorade at 4 stations, manned by baking volunteers (hats off and three cheers for them!) We could have used a couple more aid stations because of the heat. A big drawback was that there were no porta potties on the course. This had to have been a big stressor for some people, especially inexperienced runners. There were two places on the course where signs directed runners up over the dunes to public restrooms. Also, it would have been more comforting to see more dune buggies keeping track of runners who might be in trouble, and toting people back to the start if they couldn’t go on. Post-race support was scant. There was some pizza that looked a week old, a fresh fruit salad, which was really good, but the water and Gatorade were warm. There were mimosas, which were ice cold and not too bad, but not really good for dehydration recovery. For those of us who like to sink our teeth into some carbs, there was nothing. For those finishing past 2:30, there was no cold water left at the finish, the mimosas were just about gone, and there were basically no other refreshments.
I’ve been running in events for almost 40 years. Back in the 80’s support was minimal and we didn’t expect much, but times have changed, and we expect at least very cold beverages and a fair assortment of foods to get our sugar levels back after an especially difficult run. This is the second event that I’ve participated in for which Smooth Running did a fairly lousy support job (the first being the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse half marathon. In fairness, they have done a great job for the Publix Melbourne Marathon and Half Marathon), but for this event, it was dangerous because of the environmental conditions. I do not recommend this run except for experienced runners who know what they can/cannot do.

This was a very nice event, but some aspects were not quite up to the standards that I’ve grown accustomed to from The Running Zone. First the great stuff! The venue was fantastic. Mostly flat (except for a short, killer, heartbreak hill very near the end), nice scenery all along the way. A wide path for the most part, and a nice, 2+ mile stretch on dirt/gravel. Great support along the route!! There were frequent water/Gatorade stations well-staffed with cheerful folks (it was pouring rain for much of the race so a lot of kudos to these folks!!!) There were many turns, and there was always a volunteer/staff member there to make sure you didn’t miss it…lots of kudos to them as well as they were dressed in costumes and getting soaked in the rain!!! The awards ceremony was VERY efficient and they got through the age groups very fast. Nice entertainment with costumed knights sword fighting. Great picture opportunities with various themed sets. FREE race pictures for everyone. Lots of timely pre-race info, but “plenty of parking” turned into a long traffic jam and then a mad search for a place to park and a sprint to the event. No signs for gear check. Looked around with several others for quite a while. Finally, found it inside a building. There, we were told to go to the start line. Went to the start flags, and after standing around for a while, with other folks, we were told that we were at the “wrong” start line and that it was in a field about a quarter mile away. So, we got a nice warmup jog to the start line. After-race refreshments were lacking. Water was warm, the offerings were some kind of mystery stew, bagels, pizza, and smoothies. There was also a beer truck. No fruit, no pastries. My wife and I are vegetarian and don’t drink alcoholic bevs., so we ate nothing and drank the warm water, but did try a smoothie which was OK. (Fortunately, there was a Starbucks on the way home, which just happened to be filled to overflowing with race runners). This is a super event for local folks. No pressure for the runners/walkers to meet tight timelines, and there were even some furry, four-legged friends on the course.

You won’t find another venue like this; running on the shuttle landing strip. We could have used a little more info before the race, but race day itself was flawlessly produced. Times were quickly posted on line the same day, and a large number of free photographs were posted within a couple of days. The logistics of moving a large number of runners around the Kennedy Space Center was smoothly accomplished with comfortable buses. Overall a great experience. Looking forward to next year.

Flat, fast course through history of space launches from historic Cape Canaveral. Well supported on course and a nice party afterwards. If it doesn’t get too hot, it’s a great race for personal best!

Everyone wins in this race. All proceeds go for spinal cord research, and everyone only runs against themselves. I made it just over 16K before the chaser car caught me. I was pleased. City of Sunrise provided fantastic support! Pre-race, post-race…everything was top shelf!