Over 300 compete in South Florida's annual Key Largo Bridge Run
KEY WEST — A field of over 300 runners, ranging from 4 to 75 years old, competed on a panoramic course above the Upper Florida Keys and the eastern edges of the Florida Everglades Saturday morning during the annual Key Largo Bridge Run.
Racers running and walking in several 5k divisions crossed the 65-foot-high Jewfish Creek Bridge, considered the entryway to the Florida Keys. The bridge is the southern portion of the 18-Mile Stretch, a section of the Overseas Highway that connects mainland South Florida with Key Largo.
Runners in the event, sponsored by First State Bank of the Florida Keys, represented 11 U.S. states including Florida, Virginia, Vermont, Michigan, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa, according to organizers.
Anthony Kelhower, age 36, of Marathon, Florida, won the overall 5k for the second consecutive year with a time of 18 minutes and 57.09 seconds. Key Largo's Holly Smith, 39, won the overall women's division in 19:54:55 and placed second overall.
From Tavernier, Florida, Bob Arnold, 63, won the men's masters division with a time of 23:49:02. Key Largo resident Jenny Flynn, 49, posted a time of 24:51:76 to win the women's masters division for the second straight year.
The 2025 Key Largo Bridge Run is scheduled for Dec. 6.