45th Annual 7-Mile Bridge Run Draws 1,500 Runners to Marathon Span

Fifteen hundred runners took over the Seven Mile Bridge on Saturday morning, shutting down the most critical stretch of U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys for the 45th Annual 7-Mile Bridge Run and leaving drivers with firm instructions: be across before 6:00 a.m. or wait.

The Marathon Runners Club, which has organized the race for four and a half decades, capped the field at 1,500 and routed participants through a shuttle system from the Knights Key and Isla Bella Beach Resort area to the starting line at the west end of the bridge. From there, runners covered the full span to the Marathon and Curry Hammock side for the finish, tracing one of the most distinctive road race courses in South Florida.

Bridge access cut off at 6:00 a.m. with no exceptions for motorists. Organizers warned residents and visitors well ahead of race day to plan travel around the closure, with post-race congestion expected to linger an hour or more after the span reopened. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office coordinated traffic control and public safety throughout.

Split Second Timing and RunSignUp served as the official timing and registration platforms, posting preliminary results and participant logistics following the race.

The 7-Mile Bridge Run doubles as a fundraiser for youth activities, a function that anchors it to the community beyond its competitive draw. Now in its 45th edition, the event has become a fixture on the Keys racing calendar precisely because of its setting: seven miles of open road over open water, with no equivalent course anywhere in the region.

That setting also makes the race one of the more logistically demanding events Monroe County handles each year. The Seven Mile Bridge carries no bypass. When it closes, so does the corridor. The tight coordination among the Marathon Runners Club, Split Second Timing, and the Sheriff's Office reflects how little margin exists when Marathon's most recognizable span doubles as a race course.