Downtown West Palm welcomes back marathon runners for December races

Cancelled last year because of the coronavirus, the The Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon is expected to draw about 3,000 competitors from at least 46 states and 18 countries on Dec. 12.

The colorful and popular event, first held in 2004, is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach.

"We are excited to be back," race managing director and owner Kenneth R. Kennerly said. “There is nothing like running up and down Flagler Drive.”

Birhanu van der Riet, 23, agrees.

The Palm Beach Atlantic University cultural anthropology student ran his first marathon-distance event last year by lapping around a course he and his brother marked out in their Winter Garden neighborhood near Orlando. This year’s race will be his first competitive marathon.

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“I’m so excited. My goal is to finish in under three hours. I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon,” he said.

Besides the 26.2-mile Palm Beaches marathon, the weekend events include a marathon relay and half marathon on Sunday. A 10K and 5K road race are planned for Saturday morning.

Click here for marathon and half marathon routes

Click here for 10K route

Click here for 5K route

Races all start and finish at Datura Street, near the Meyer Amphitheater. The mostly flat course runs along palm-tree lined Flagler Drive and South Olive Avenue, through the historic residential neighborhoods of El Cid and Northwood and past yachts docked at Palm Beach Yacht Club & Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway. The race’s north boundary is Manatee Lagoon and the south boundary is Southern Boulevard.

While the marathon may not have the economic punch of other local events such as The Honda Classic, significant dollars will be generated to local hotels, restaurants and attractions, said Kennerly.

“Runners are not going to party like visitors to Honda. But it’s still a big boost to the local economy,” said Kennerly.

Locals likely will welcome back runners after last year’s cancellation. Many get up early on that Sunday morning to line Flagler Drive, South Olive Avenue and side streets to cheer on the runners. They shout out encouragement, wave handmade signs, sip coffee, clap, bring their leashed dogs and hand out drinks and fruit to passing runners.

Competitors such as van Der Riet hope to achieve qualifying run times for other such as the Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 18, 2022.

Male runners between the ages of 18-34 for that marathon must finish in three hours or less. The qualifying time for women in that age group is three hours and 30 minutes. Qualifying times increase with age for both sexes. For example, for runners between 50-54, the qualifying time is three hours and 55 minutes for women. The qualifying time is three hours and 25 minutes for men.

Two years ago in the Marathon of the Palm Beaches, 245 runners (84 women and 161 men) finished the race. The fastest time was three hours 26 minutes for women and two hours 58 minutes for men.

The overall average finish time was 4 hours and 44 minutes.

Registration deadline for the 26.2-mile event is Dec. 9 at midnight.

For information and to register online, go to runsignup.com.

Race weekend

Saturday, Dec. 11

SunRun 5K, 7:30 a.m., $45

10K, 7:30 a.m., $60

Sunday, Dec. 12

Marathon, 6 a.m., $130

Half marathon, 6 a.m., $105

Relay (team of four), 6 a.m., $270

Where: Races all start and finish by the Meyer Ampitheatre on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.

Registration: Ends Thursday, Dec. 9

More information: gardenoflifemarathon.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Garden of Life Marathon returns in West Palm Beach after COVID pause