Veterans Day Run and Walk
Military and civilian communities can recognize the men and women who have served our country while participating in this four-mile race. The course winds through Naval Air Station Pensacola finishing along the water. Details: Nov. 9, www.pensacolarunners.com, (850) 939-3527.
Seville Quarter Turkey Trot
Help your waistline after your Thanksgiving feast. The course starts at Seville Quarter entertainment complex and continues through Historic Downtown Pensacola and along Pensacola Bay. Details: Nov. 22, www.rosies.com, (850) 434-6211.
YMCA Jingle Bell 5K
This fund-raiser offers something for everyone - a fast, flat course for competitive runners, a family atmosphere for parents and kids, team competition for school clubs and a beautiful, residential course. Details: Dec. 13, www.ymca-nwfl.org, (850) 478-1222.
Pensacola Runners Association 5K, 10K and Half Marathon
Runners of all levels will enjoy the beautiful scenic flat between the glistening Gulf of Mexico and the serene Santa Rosa Sound. Details: Jan. 17, www.pensacolarunners.com, (850) 476-7434.
Double Bridge Run 15K/5K
Come race through history as the City of Five Flags celebrates its 450th birthday. The annual run will start in historic Downtown Pensacola, hug the waterfront, cross two bridges to the finish line at spectacular Pensacola Beach, the same location Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna landed on August 15, 1559, establishing the first European settlement in North America. Last year’s race included the former Olympic husband and wife team of Mark Carroll and Amy Rudolph. Nearly half of the 9.3 USATF certified course is on bridges with spectacular views and challenging hills, and a minimum pace requirement keeps competition high. Details: Feb. 7, www.doublebridgerun.com, (850) 434-2800.
Pensacola Marathon and Half Marathon
The 26.2-mile scenic USATF-certified course is one of the last Boston Marathon qualifiers in the Southeast. The course begins and ends in Historic Downtown Pensacola and winds along Pensacola Bay and through neighborhoods crowned with oaks. Details: Feb. 15, www.pensacolamarathon.com, (850) 435-9222.
McGuire’s Irish Pub St Patty’s Day 5K Prediction Run
The Gulf Coast’s liveliest Irish pub has been a landmark for 30 years. Attracting more than 8,000 participants, it is Pensacola’s largest run and also the nation’s largest prediction run. Awards go to the fastest as well as the most accurate in predicting the time it will take them to walk or run the 3.1-mile course. A post-race party features music, beer, Irish wakes, Irish coffee, soft drinks, water and Irish fare. Details: March 14, www.mcguiresrunners.com, (850) 433-6789.
Mullet Man Triathlon
The South’s legendary bar, the Flora-Bama Lounge, sponsors the event giving athletes the chance to exercise and then celebrate in two states at once. The course includes a quarter-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico, a 17-mile bike ride and a 4-mile run under the Perdido Pass Bridge and back to the Flora-Bama for the after-party. Details: April 18, www.florabama.com, (850) 492-0611.
Fiesta 5K/10K
The 35th annual run is held the same weekend as the Fiesta of Five Flags Crawfish Creole Festival. Runners can enjoy the Downtown Pensacola course and then reward themselves at one of the largest crawfish boils in state. The event has been awarded the Southern Region 10K Championship for 2009. Details: May 2, www.pensacolarunners.com.
Gary McAdams Sandshaker 5K Run/Walk/Wheelchair
Get the family together for this beautiful run on a fast, flat course along Pensacola Beach with proceeds supporting the Gary McAdams Scholarship fund. A family-friendly post race party with music and refreshments takes place at the Sandshaker Lounge. Details: June 20, pensacolarunners.com, (850) 602-3289.
Ronald McDonald Firecracker 5K
The race starts at Seville Quarter with a course through Downtown Pensacola. Free beverages and food are provided to participants. After the run, enjoy the Sertoma Fourth of July festivities in Seville Square. Details: July 4, www.rmhpensacola.org/firecracker5k.html, (850) 477-2273.
Bushwacker 5K
Along with panoramic views on the Bob Sikes Bridge, runners get another big reward at the finish line: bushwackers. These frozen, chocolaty adult drinks invented on Pensacola Beach are the perfect ending to a fun run. Runners can also enjoy live music, free food and other special events throughout the Bushwacker Festival weekend. Details: Aug. 1, www.captnfun.net, (850) 934-3978.
Seafood Festival 5K
Not only do health nuts get to participate in a fun run, they can treat their bodies to bountiful fresh seafood at the Pensacola Seafood Festival. Seafood is stock-full of Omega-3 fatty acids, a natural anti-inflammatory, good for the heart and the perfect remedy for a runner’s aches and pains. Details: Sept. 26, www.pensacolarunners.com, (850) 433-6512.
Santa Rosa Island Triathlon
Start with a 600-yard swim in the Gulf of Mexico, then ride 18 miles along the Pensacola Beach toward Navarre and finish with a 3.1-mile run in the scenic neighborhoods east of the central beach business district. Details: Oct. 3, www.sritri.org, (850)380-0741.
On your mark, get set, go to the Pensacola Bay Area for fun and challenging races along scenic courses. From marathons and fun runs to the nation’s largest prediction race, Pensacola, Florida offers runners a variety of races. With mild temperatures, historic neighborhoods, panoramic water views and finish-line treats such as fresh seafood and frozen bushwackers, runners are sure to race with a renewed sense of energy.
