Florida Five

FLORIDA FIVE:           February 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, 2027 (The week of President's Day)

PLACE:                        Multiple locations in Central Florida within 35 miles from the Orlando International Airport (MCO).

                                            Day 1 (2/18) - Wekiva Springs State Park, Apopka, Florida (Tentative).

                                            Day 2 (2/19) - Magnolia Park, Apopka, Florida (Tentative).

                                            Day 3 (2/20) - Chapin Station, Winter Garden, Florida (Tentative).

                                            Day 4 (2/21) - Sanlando Park, Altamonte Springs, Florida (Tentative).

                                            Day 5 (2/22) - Cady Way Park (Trailhead), Winter Park, Florida (Tentative).

WHAT:                         50K, Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, and 5K distance options for each day.

                                      (Five distances for five days. Yes, people can, and do run five days consecutively)

START TIMES:            All race distances start at 7:00 am

TIME LIMIT:                9.5 hours (or so)

PARKING:                    Parking will be at each race site, specific information for each race day coming soon.

WARNING: Before you register, read everything below. Here are the main points:

     Not chip-timed. We are hand timed. Let us know when you finish.
     Courses are not certified. Not designed for speed. NOT a Boston qualifier.
     No age group awards, no t-shirts.
     Cup-less—bring your own bottle.
     
These events are no frills, low-key, casual, fun events. GREAT for first timers! These are not certified or sanctioned courses—meaning, NOT a Boston qualifier. Don’t expect much and maybe you won’t be disappointed. 

WHAT YOU DON’T GET: t-shirt, hat, socks, or any other apparel, great bling, cute reusable race bag, age group awards, spectators lining the course, crowds cheering you in, hearty food at the finish, exciting music, and a party afterward, all on a certified course. There are plenty of other events out there for you.

WHAT YOU DO GET:  low entry fees, courses that are guaranteed not short, a simple finisher’s medal, a generous time limit, and a published finish time. But isn’t that all you really need? What do you do with all that other stuff anyway? You know you want to sign up. Really, where else can you run a marathon for $65?

COURSES:  The courses are NOT certified--no Boston qualifier here. The courses are lap courses, meaning that you will do an out-and-back multiple times. Which means you will see other runners going and coming. Not as boring as it might sound. In fact, many people come to prefer this course design. All the courses will be on primarily paved, urban run/bike trails that are fairly flat with some to a lot of shade. These are open courses and will be open to the public. This means there may be other runners, walkers and cyclists. Detailed course descriptions will be coming soon!

The marathon and half marathon laps will be approximately 1.9 to 2.2 miles. The full is expected to be 12 to 14 laps and the half is expected to be 6 to 7 laps. The 5K and 10K laps are approximately 1.55 miles—two laps for the 5K and four laps for the 10K. The 50K is expected to 14 to 16 marathon laps, with two small laps added at the end. 

Turn arounds for each distance will be clearly marked. Rubber bands will be available to help you keep track of your laps.

For more details and a crude course map, we will be posting those once race sites have been confirmed. 

FINISH: When you finish, be sure to ring the bell and make sure the timer knows you are finished. Otherwise, you will not get an accurate time. Remember we are hand timed.

AID STATION: The aid station is at the start/finish of the loop course; you will pass it each lap. We will provide plenty of water, Gatorade, and soda, along with a variety of sweet and salty snacks. This is a cup-less race. Bring your own hydration device—water bottle, hydration belt/pack. 

HEAT:  Florida in February can have a wide range of temperatures. The average temperatures for this time of year are 74°F and 52°F. We will provide ice for your water/Gatorade, hat, water bottle, etc. We will also have ice water in a bucket for you to dip your hat, cooling towel, etc.   

LIGHT: Sunrise for this time of year is 7 am, so you should not need a light.

RESTROOMS: The restrooms will be near the start/finish line.

DROP BAG: There will be a location near the start/finish line, where you may leave a drop bag. Depending on the course, you may be running right by your car.  

If you are still undecided (congratulations for reading this far), and you want to know what to expect, we won’t likely have world class athletes based on speed, but we will likely have world class athletes based on numbers of marathons completed. Just imagine the stories!

VOLUNTEERS: We always need volunteers. Each volunteer day earns one free race entry for a long distance (50K, marathon, half marathon), or two free entries for a short distance (5K or 10K). Contact Steve or Sue at wingmanrunning@yahoo.com. You may use the free entry yourself or for someone else.

Wingman Running Company