The Life Time Miami Marathon & Half is an exhilarating celebration of athleticism, endurance, and the vibrant spirit of Miami. Held annually, this iconic race brings together thousands of dedicated runners from around the globe, eager to conquer the scenic streets of this tropical paradise. The course takes runners on …
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The Life Time Miami Marathon & Half is an exhilarating celebration of athleticism, endurance, and the vibrant spirit of Miami. Held annually, this iconic race brings together thousands of dedicated runners from around the globe, eager to conquer the scenic streets of this tropical paradise. The course takes runners on a breathtaking journey, weaving through palm-lined avenues, alongside shimmering turquoise waters, and past iconic landmarks like the Art Deco buildings of South Beach and the magnificent Port of Miami. The Life Time Miami Marathon & Half is not just a race, but an immersive experience that captures the essence of this vibrant city.
People coming together. People running together. A test of endurance, strength and will. Join over 18,000 fellow runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes on a gorgeous course through some of the most famous spots in Miami and Miami Beach. Secure your space at the start line today because it’s not Miami without YOU!
Every year, we pay tribute to the star of the show — the course. Runners count on the course to pull them through each mile, and every year this course doesn’t let them down. Mile after mile, the views and sounds help propel runners to the finish line. Be on the lookout for views on the course that you might recognize from a hit TV show or movie. Many of those hot spots are actually part of this incredible course!
The truth is, Miami and Miami Beach are at sea level; we have really no noticeable elevation changes. However, we do need a way to get from one beautiful piece of land to another without getting our feet in the water. Descriptions of bridges, or as we say in Miami, “hills” are listed below:
– A quarter mile into the race there is the largest bridge of the course – the MacArthur Causeway – (9 meters above sea level) that connects to Watson Island.
– At the 2.5-mile mark there is a second incline that is a less gradual incline, but much lower height than the first. This connects to the island of Miami Beach.
– From mile 8 to about mile 11, you will cross the Venetian Causeway to return to mainland Miami. This span is essentially flat with a small incline on the last portion of the causeway.
– At the 13.1-mile mark there’s a drawbridge that gives you an incredible view of the Miami River, but isn’t too tall of a bridge.
– At the 25.9-mile mark you go over a drawbridge that goes almost unnoticed because it is small. As you go up it, you’ll begin to hear the cheers and the music of the finish line.
The Miami Marathon is also a qualifying race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group Championships.
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Do the half
The Expo: Super busy, highly recommend going before Saturday if you can. It's well organised though, and has an easy enough flow if you're just keen to get in and … MORE
The Expo: Super busy, highly recommend going before Saturday if you can. It’s well organised though, and has an easy enough flow if you’re just keen to get in and out. Most stands will also be at the finishing party.
Pre-race: I arrived about 45 mins before the start and could not get to the front of a toilet line. There were *nowhere near* enough toilets for the nearly 18,000 people who started the race. Depending which direction you’re coming from it can take a while to find/navigate into your coral, but they had people providing directions which was helpful. Vibes were high, great MC at the start getting everyone pumped up!
First half: Remember that less than a quarter of the participants are doing the full, so try not to get caught up in pace and excitement – most people are doing the half. The first 13 miles were excellent. Seeing all the cruise ships lined up in the dark, then ocean drive had great support, and the bridge back – the sun starts rising and it’s truly gorgeous! Watch out for the armadillo lane dividers – I saw numerous people trip. The cheer zone from mile 11-12 is an absolute vibe – run clubs and various communities in Miami really show up for the runners and it was so great! Then the half and full split…
The second half: things get lonely pretty quickly. But it’s all good until mile 15. Then you hit the Rickenbacker and if you start hallucinating, you wouldn’t be the first. But you’ll come back to earth at about mile 18 – thanks to some sparse shady trees and more people being around. But from mile 20…you’re holding on until you hit Brickell where the support picks up again and you’re on the home run. So to speak.
Finish: It’s a great finishing line, triathlon style with the blue carpet, flags and grandstands. It has a real sense of occasion. There are some fun stands at the finishing party, and the band this year was great!
Summary: The half marathon is a really excellent race. The heat makes the full extremely challenging and you need to pace accordingly. This was my third marathon, and for this reason, probably the hardest. What the course lacks in elevation, it makes up for in temperature.
Stringent time limits but beautiful race
The packet pickup and expo were nice and easy to navigate. Shuttles taking us to the expo and the races were plentiful and timely. This was to be my first … MORE
The packet pickup and expo were nice and easy to navigate. Shuttles taking us to the expo and the races were plentiful and timely. This was to be my first marathon. It States on their website that if you complete 12.8 miles by 3.5 hours, that you would be allowed to continue to meet the 7-hour time limit for the marathon. What they don’t state clearly is that if you fall behind the 16-minute per mile race at ANY point, that you can and will be picked up and taken to the end of the race. My first two miles were under that pace, but as I went over a bridge in the 3rd mile, I slowed down a bit. Just a minute and a half slower. As I took a right onto Alton, not even 4 miles in, I was told my race was over and to get on the bus. There was a whole bus full of other people who’d just been picked up also. I looked at a chart they have saying what time you needed to be at that intersection, and I was 6 minutes ahead of that time. Also, there were probably 50 people still behind me. If I would have known I’d get picked up so early into the race, I would have tried harder to meet the 16 minutes on that third mile too. I was very disappointed how this went, but I contacted the race director who gave me some money back on the race. They also still gave me a half marathon medal. I only wanted to complete one marathon my whole life, and Miami was to be that one. But I’m going to finish another one that doesnt have such a strict time limit, and I’m planning to do the half marathon in Miami for the 25th anniversary next year.
Miami Half — Trading Snowbanks for Sunbu
I really enjoyed running this race—it truly felt like a big-time event. The morning MC did a great job getting everyone fired up, and the start heading out toward Miami … MORE
I really enjoyed running this race—it truly felt like a big-time event. The morning MC did a great job getting everyone fired up, and the start heading out toward Miami Beach alongside the cruise ships was pretty incredible. Running past PortMiami at sunrise felt uniquely “Miami” in the best way.
The out-and-back along Ocean Drive was even better on the return into downtown—great energy, great views, and one of those moments that reminds you why you sign up for races like this.
Performance-wise, the heat was the real variable. While most of the Midwest was shut down under snow and ice, I was in Miami learning (again) that pacing plans don’t negotiate with humidity. I had to downshift, manage effort, and focus on finishing strong rather than forcing a number that just wasn’t there on the day. Not flashy, but smart.
All in all, a fantastic experience—well organized, scenic, and absolutely worth it. I’ll take adapting to the heat over dodging black ice any day—and I’m leaving Miami knowing I raced it the right way.
My favorite race
Gorgeous course, well-run, cool medal & shirt. The only downside is the heat! But that’s part of the challenge. Highly recommend. (Can’t imagine running the full marathon, though!) MORE
Gorgeous course, well-run, cool medal & shirt. The only downside is the heat! But that’s part of the challenge. Highly recommend. (Can’t imagine running the full marathon, though!)
Great First Marathon!
This was my first Full Marathon and it did not disappoint! I’ll start with the Expo. I paid for the VIP experience, so I bypassed the line to get my … MORE
This was my first Full Marathon and it did not disappoint! I’ll start with the Expo. I paid for the VIP experience, so I bypassed the line to get my bib and swag bag. The lines were very long and seemed confusing to the Non-VIP. The Expo was good. Got some freebies. The race! I took the Brightline train from Fort Lauderdale (special early train) and it got me into downtown at 5am. Perfect! I walked .5 miles to the race area where I found my corral. Since I did the VIP, I was placed in corral B. I am slow and I would have been almost at the end, but I wanted the early start because I wanted to enjoy the after race festivities before they started to clean up and that would have happened if I started later. The race started exactly on time and I believe it took almost a full hour to get all the corrals over the start line. The half had over 15,000 people and the full had only 3,000, so the first half of the race was crowed. Since I was slow and in a fast corral, I got over to the right so others could pass me on the left. I was always about 6” to 18” from the right side and people still had to pass me on the right. I did not understand that at all. There was 20 feet or more to my left. Once the half and full split, it got very nice. People were spread out and no one was trying to pass me on the right anymore. The course is amazing! Water views, city views, bridges, beautiful homes, the list goes on. The water stations were every mile and well stocked. There was also bathrooms and medical every mile. The course is super easy to follow and the city does an amazing job. Even the police were cheering on the runners. The crowed support was great in some areas and not existent in others, but over all good crowd support. Watch that hill (bridge) at mile 25! LOL. I loved when I crossed the finish line, my name was announced. I’m not sure if that was because I was a marathoner or because I did VIP, but that was great. Overall Miami does it right and it was a great race and a great production. I not sure I would do it again because I like smaller races and it was very hot and humid, but I still loved every minute.
Beautiful City but too Hot & Crowded
I did this race in 2022 which was the first year it was produced after the pandemic and I loved it. It had a smaller field than usual that year. … MORE
I did this race in 2022 which was the first year it was produced after the pandemic and I loved it. It had a smaller field than usual that year. I was really excited to do this race again as most races that I did during or just after the pandemic and repeated were even better the second time. However this race was way too crowded and I enjoyed it less this year. I still overall thought it was a good race but if you want to do this race plan on it being super crowded. The race was pretty similar except the bigger field so I am going to focus my review on things that were different this year. First thing to note is this is an expensive race (which is understandable since they close down streets and bridges in a huge city) and registration sells out fast. You don’t need to register the second it opens but it sold out in about a month or so. If you are planning to do this race make sure you register right away. There is good pre race communication. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Downtown Miami right by the start/finish. The hotel was a bit pricey so I just stayed one night and flew it early Saturday. After my flight I got lunch and went to the expo. The expo is at the Miami Beach convention center. I did rent a car but there are shuttles from Miami Beach to the start so you can stay in Miami Beach and not need one. The expo is very large and has lots of booths, free samples and there was even some dancers and entertainment. Packet pick up though was confusing. You could pay extra for a personalized bib and were assigned a number or if you didn’t you were assigned at packet pick-up. I spent enough on races this year to not need to a personalized bib. The bib pick up was confusing as you needed to check in with a Lifetime app. The confusing thing is there was 2 different apps one for tracking and one for check in. I thought I downloaded the app already but it was the tracking app so I needed to download a new app to check in. I was not the only one and even though the lines were relatively short it took forever as almost no one had the right apps. This was very confusing and one of the least efficient pack pick-ups I’ve seen. I also noticed I was assigned corral F which I thought was odd as I was assigned a much later corral last time but I though maybe they changed how they were doing the corrals. Packet included bib, a nice shirt, and some samples of pain relief gels (which came in handy when I came home from Miami and slipped on ice – more on that in my next review). There was also gross some type of jerky that I just put back. I’ve been seeing this more and more in race packets please don’t include samples of meat. Race start is a bit cramped as there are so many runners but they had a big sign of where the corrals were and it seemed clearer than in 2022. I went to corral F again thinking it was odd it was more up front but thought maybe there were a lot of back of packers and this meant more time running in cooler weather. Off we went right about the assigned time for F. And I soon realized I was in way too fast a corral when I saw a 2:00 hour half marathon pacer (after the race I looked though my emails and saw I was actually supposed to be assigned corral “I” not sure how I ended up in “F” it must have been a mistake at packet pick-up). I thought it was probably just me so I went off to the side and did my own little run-walk thing. However it wasn’t just me there was a whole mix of paces. We came to this small uphill shortly after the start and we literally had to walk because so many slower people were in the wrong corrals. I mean this uphill was nothing. I will walk anything resembling a hill but this was not steep enough or long enough for me to interupt my intervals. Things got a little better as it was more spread out but there were definitely some rude runners pushing and shoving their way up front (It is totally fine to pass people but not cool to actually shove and push people and if you accidentally do it please apologize). Once things got more spread out it was better. This probably sounds really negative but the course is gorogeous and flat and has ocean views, beach views and city views. It is a really nice course. It is also all on closed streets and very well marked with mile markers and timing splits. There are also a ton of aid stations and porta potties. I have never seen such short porta potty lines in a race this large. However the aid stations were kind of a mess and couldn’t keep up with the number of runners. The volunteers were trying their hardest but it was hot so most runners were stopping at each aid station and the volunteers couldn’t keep up. There were never issues with running out of supplies but cups weren’t ready. One station had gels. I forget the brand but the one I took was passionfruit flavored and was delicious. I do think production and aid stations are difficult in a race this large and the issues here were similar issues that I saw at Disneyland and other big races. One simple solution would be to alwasy have aid stations on both sides as the aid stations were more efficient when they did have them on both sides. Crowd support is mixed for this race. There is very little support in the beginning as you go over a bridge and not as much support in Miami Beach. However there was amazing crowd support once you returned to Miami for the last miles when you needed it. Crowd support was better than 2022 which I appreciated though there are long stretches without it. Another thing I love about the race is it is very walker and back of the pack friendly. It is also great how marathoners can decide on the spot if they want to continue or drop down to the half. Both years I did the race it was very hot and humid. My finishing time was not amazing but it was good for the heat. The finish area is lined with spectators. The medal is nice and an interesting artistitic, spinning design. The finish festival is huge. I was disappointed in post race food this year. In 2022 we got lunchs including vegan and vegetarian options. This year there was just some basic snacks. They did have this interesting packaged crepe things. There was great post race drinks (even non-alcoholic). I got an athletic brewing company non alcoholic beer, a vegan cold brew cream drink and a celsius energy drink. It is a huge pain to get out of the festival and even though my hotel was across the street from the park I had to take the most convoluted long way out. Not sure how to fix this and not interupt the finish line so it’s not a complaint just something to account for when planning your morning. Overall I still enjoyed this race but I enjoyed it a lot more when there was a smaller race field. I do think the race may need a consider a smaller field and lottery or a longer waved start. Even if they can’t make this big a change a few things like being more accurate with assigning corrals (maybe pre assigned bibs) and aid stations on both sides of the course would have helped. I’d still do this race again and would still recommend it though not as strongly as I would have after the 2022 race. I take back what I said in my Clearwater review and unless you love huge races, I’d do Clearwater over this one. I still think this is a good choice for Floride if you like big city races and/or want to visit Miami.
Great race. Very scenic!
Mostly flat. When the split between half and full, you cross a bridge that is a bit steep but overall, that is really the only challenge. Can't wait to do … MORE
Mostly flat. When the split between half and full, you cross a bridge that is a bit steep but overall, that is really the only challenge. Can’t wait to do it agian!
Nice flat course, well organized
About 20,000 or so runners from all over come to this. It was my first half-marathon, but I could tell it was several notches above what is a typical race. MORE
About 20,000 or so runners from all over come to this. It was my first half-marathon, but I could tell it was several notches above what is a typical race.
I love every second of this race
It was my first time and I loved it everything was perfect the energy of the people was so many people from everywhere different cultures, different languages but with one … MORE
It was my first time and I loved it everything was perfect the energy of the people was so many people from everywhere different cultures, different languages but with one thing in common the love for running
Amazing
I love the energy Miami marathon brings. It makes you want to go further than you ever imagined. I ran my first one and it inspired me to run my … MORE
I love the energy Miami marathon brings. It makes you want to go further than you ever imagined. I ran my first one and it inspired me to run my second one which I did 25 minutes better. I now want to run my third one in 2025. I love what Miami marathon is about and I want you join and keep the train moving.
Wonderful Half Marathon Scenery
The energy at the start of the Marathon is amazing. Miami scenery bridges and sunrise is amazing. Passing Miami beach at 7am when others finished to party and you are … MORE
The energy at the start of the Marathon is amazing.
Miami scenery bridges and sunrise is amazing.
Passing Miami beach at 7am when others finished to party and you are running feels so good!!
Mi carrera favorita, sensaciones de Amor
La sensación de correr Life Time Miami Marathon & Half es única, es mi carrera favorita, quisiera correrla cada año, la energía de la gente te da un Plus para … MORE
La sensación de correr Life Time Miami Marathon & Half es única, es mi carrera favorita, quisiera correrla cada año, la energía de la gente te da un Plus para cumplir las metas deseadas, en Miami se corre mejor que otros lugares, la organización es excepcional, la medalla es la mas hermosa que he tenido, el recorrido y paisaje es hermoso
Will run it again and again!
Would highly recommend! This was my Miami Half #13 and I'll keep running it. Started running it many years ago while living in NY, then I moved to Miami not … MORE
Would highly recommend! This was my Miami Half #13 and I’ll keep running it. Started running it many years ago while living in NY, then I moved to Miami not too long ago and now is my hometown go to half. Great production that has improved over the years. The medal is a bit too bling for my taste, and heavy too, but I guess it’s Miami style. Beautiful views, just a few minor and short hills and a super lively post race party. Just be prepared because you could get the most amazing weather (lower temps, no humidity) or a hot day with 200% humidity!
Hard not want to run it again
This race is all about the energy and the production! Running through Miami beach, enjoying all the good energy of the crow and off Couse getting to that 42 k … MORE
This race is all about the energy and the production! Running through Miami beach, enjoying all the good energy of the crow and off Couse getting to that 42 k goal was just AWESOME. The hydration points where awesome, they had, gels, waters, first aids an obviously Gatorade! Lots of paramedics in case of anything and of course LOTS of good vibes! Looking forward to run it again this 2025 !!!
Loved it
It was my first full marathon and it was a great experience. The course was beautiful; it went by the water and through the city. There were plenty of aid … MORE
It was my first full marathon and it was a great experience. The course was beautiful; it went by the water and through the city. There were plenty of aid stations.
Great falt course with small elevation
This course has great views through out, starts in Downtown heads down to Miami Beach and returns back to what it feels a very Miami route. It's very crowed, so … MORE
This course has great views through out, starts in Downtown heads down to Miami Beach and returns back to what it feels a very Miami route.
It’s very crowed, so that affects everything, from aid stations to bathrooms, to overall production. My favorite part is the last 2-3 miles, they are in filled with cheer zones and locals, it is an end out of a movie.
Miami made me a marathoner!
Will never forget the people cheering at you at every mile, never felt lonely! This is the race to make it as your first marathon, lovely experience. MORE
Will never forget the people cheering at you at every mile, never felt lonely! This is the race to make it as your first marathon, lovely experience.
Beautiful run and great logistics
This race its a great opportunity to do a PR or just enjoy a magnificent run with great atmosphere and views. I come from a warm city so the weather … MORE
This race its a great opportunity to do a PR or just enjoy a magnificent run with great atmosphere and views. I come from a warm city so the weather was right on point for me but if you are not just to be sure to do good hydration.
Great experience
The scenery is breathtaking but there was really a lot of participants and at moments it was difficult to pass the slower participants and this really slowed me down at … MORE
The scenery is breathtaking but there was really a lot of participants and at moments it was difficult to pass the slower participants and this really slowed me down at the beginning, when going up the bridge.
My Local Big Race
Flat course from Downtown to South Beach and back. Great crowds and energy. Could be hot and it was. Nice expo too. Register early as it sells out. MORE
Flat course from Downtown to South Beach and back. Great crowds and energy. Could be hot and it was. Nice expo too. Register early as it sells out.