Miami or Ft. Lauderdale 1/2 Mary??

Oh yeah, and I like races with lots of people and lots of spectators.   I need cheering to get me to keep going!

I think the Miami 1/2 Mary will be your best choice. I've done it a couple of times and its a really nice half marathon.

They have some pretty cool cheering zones.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

FR

Miami wil be bigger, I have done it and it was fun. Boca has a little one in November too. palm beach ehhh the half is cool but you run through the hood!

I have to say, I did the inaugural A1A and it was really great!!  Good crowds and music and the course was varied and scenic in many places.  Did it last year and the weather was awful, but I got a PR...will probably keep it on my calendar as a yearly race.  It's just down the road, afterall, and it's on a long weekend...I'm trying to convince friends and neighbors to do it so we can all stay and party that night!

Im in Im in let me know!!!

We did Miami last year and to be honest for an ING event, we were not impressed. Parking downtown was a mess. If you do it, plan to arrive very early or stay at the host hotel and avoid the headaches. There didn't seem to be any volunteers to "direct" people at the start. It was a mass "gaggle" at the AA Arena which seemed to be the gathering place. Since it rained heavily leading up to the start, everyone tried to pile inside to stay dry and "push" their way out at start time. It just may have been because of the rain, but the port-o-potties were hidden to the side of the arena and we didn't see them until the very end. Did I mentioned besides the overcrowding in the arena the bathroom lines were looooooonnnng so "go" before leaving. The course was OK, it was a good 3 miles in before the first water station though. The post race was nothing spectacular. All in all we were disappointed and don't plan to do it again any time soon.

I would have to disagree with Jack. I think the parking issue is clearly stated in the Packet Guide given to everyone at the Expo. It states where parking is available to downtown and the time to get there. There are also shuttle buses available from various locations as well as the metro.

Second, there were plenty of bathrooms around the arena as well as in front of the arena. Also in the finish area there were plenty of bathrooms as well and the finish was pretty close to the start.

The rain did give way for the start to be a bit disorganized, however I saw plenty of signs showing the numbers of the corrals and again all this was stated at the Packet Guide given the day before. It is always goood to read it since it clarifies all doubts. The reain definately affected this event a bit, but it still an awesome race and I would encourage you guys to give it a second shot.

FR

Yeah! Let's get a group together for the Ft. Lauderdale half mary!! I need something to motivate me, and i will CERTAINLY want to get out of the winter in PA by then.

im down

OK...I will be on this november 4th   Just get registered and I'll see what I can find in the way of hotel deals.  But NOT UNTIL NOV 4th!!!!

I live in delray Im just gonna drive down , I wil see you at IMFl a few of us aare taking the trip up to reg for next year, yeah 2 ironmans in one year lol

Oh snap Im all for that!!!

OK - my future sister-in-law said she and my brother will try to come down that weekend, too!  She'll run with me (well, probably way ahead of me) - I don't know if I should induct her into the BT group or not.

Wife and I are doing ING - won a free entry! First Half mary for both of us. Any ideas on "reasonable" hotels that would be convenient? Looks like free entry will cost us $500+.

Revisiting this thread...who is in?  I am doing this with my friend to pace her...uber slow...but we plan on staying down there...Will let you know what we find in the way of hotels!

Same day as Austin marathon, So I wil be in austin with a huge group of triathletes from all over again. Last year wa sa blast, anyone interested let me know

ING Miami was great - none of the troubles outlined in the post above. Plenty of potties and volunteers! Very organised for over 10,000 runners. All you had to do was read the instructions. Fun party afterwards. First 1/2 for both of us - finished healthy and upright!

My wife and I did the 1/2 Miami ING event this past weekend and it was great. I didn't have much to compare it to as I'd never run one before, but we were both really impressed with the ING thing. My wife's done the Chicago and Charlotte a couple times and she'd never been in a race with so many entries. Pretty cool, we had a blast, crossed the line hand-in-hand in 2:08 and can't wait to do it again!

The best part is definitely sitting at the finish and watching the seemingly unlikely folks (70+yr old farts, 300 pounders, etc) cross the line with tears of accomplishment in their eyes. What incredible inspiration... I was blown away and it still chokes me up to think about it. Incredible.

Roll call for the A1A...I"ll bet there with a friend, keeping her company.  Should be a fun morning.

see you there