LTC 234-2002
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Mana~r
Letter to Commission No,c2~ 'c~m;;L..
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To:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Date: October 16, 2002
From: Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager
Subject: MIAMI TROPICAL MARATHON
The purpose of this LTC is to advise the Mayor and Commission of an upcoming special
event. The Miami Tropical Marathon, an inaugural world-class marathon with a $50,000
cash prize purse, hopes to establish itself among other elite marathons such as San Diego,
Chicago and New York. The 26.2-mile course will begin and end in front of the American
Airlines Arena in Miami and will run through several municipalities throughout Miami-Dade
County, including the City of Miami Beach. This event will be the kick-off event for Miami-
Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas' Health and Fitness Challenge, a program whose
mission is to create events that will increase the awareness/education of health and fitness
of the residents of Miami-Dade County and encourage and maintain their involvement in
healthy activities.
The Miami Tropical Marathon is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 2, 2003, with
a 6:00 a.m. start time. Beginning at the American Airlines Arena, 5,000 to 7,000
participants are expected to race the full marathon or complete the half marathon.
In May 2002, representatives from the City Manager's Office and the Special Events
Division met with representatives of Mayor Penelas' Office and marathon organizers, PR
Racing, to discuss the event. At this first meeting, the City of Miami Beach made the
following stipulations before considering hosting the marathon: first, that the first leg of the
marathon take place in the City of Miami Beach; secondly, that the racers exit the City
before 10:00 a.m., and lastly, that the MacArthur Causeway not be closed to traffic.
At a follow-up meeting held in June 2002 with representatives from the City's Special
Events Division, Police Department, and Public Works Department and race organizers,
the City proposed a race route that would have the least impact upon the City and its
residents. The race organizers agreed to use the proposed route as the official race route:
American Airlines Arena in Miami - North on Biscayne Boulevard to exit City of Miami -
East on MacArthur Causeway - Southeast on Alton Road - South on Biscayne Street
(South Pointe Drive) - North on Ocean Drive - West on 14th Street - North on Washington
Avenue -Northwest on Dade Boulevard - West on the Venetian Causeway - re-enter City
of Miami.
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.
The City of Miami Beach will host the half marathon, which is the first 13.1 miles of the
race. Race rules state that anyone who falls behind on a 14-minute mile will be disqualified
from the race and be picked up by a shuttle bus. Therefore, all marathon racers will exit
the City of Miami Beach by 9:00 a.m. The MacArthur Causeway will not be closed to
vehicular traffic, but will require a lane reduction beginning at 5:00 a.m. (to set-up), until
7:00 a.m.
In addition to the marathon race, there will be water and entertainment stages along the
course. In a meetings held on September 30 and October 2, 2002, locations for the
entertainment have been located, including Alton and 5th Street, Ocean Drive at ih and
11th Street, Washington Avenue and 14th Street and Miami Beach High School. The type
of entertainment is yet to be determined, but organizers have agreed to be sensitive to the
City's residents and must comply with the noise ordinance.
The City has also recommended to race organizers that no water stations and/or
entertainment stages be located near any private development or capitol improvement
projects, as determined by the CIP Department. The same will apply to the race route if it is
determined by the CIP office that a project may place participants in an unsafe
environment.
The Special Events Division has begun to present the permit application to neighborhood
associations/groups that will be impacted by the marathon. The Ocean Drive Association
reviewed and gave a positive recommendation to the City Manager on June 27, 2002. The
South Pointe Advisory Board has been notified and tentatively has given a positive
recommendation (this Board does not have quorum, therefore a formal recommendation is
not yet possible). In addition, the event organizers will present the event to neighborhood
associations in the Venetian Islands, as well as hold a community-wide meeting.
On July 23, 2002, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, along with City of Miami Beach
Mayor David Dermer, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and PR Racing
Inc. announced plans for the Miami Tropical Marathon at a press conference held at the
American Airlines Arena. And, on October 8, 2002, marathon organizers announced
TOYOTA as the marathon's title sponsor, officially naming it the TOYOTA Prius Miami
Tropical Marathon.
With four months before the race, already 1,300 participants, from the United States,
South America and Europe have registered. More specifically, 40% of the registered
runners are from outside of Miami, including Brazil and Zaire. In total, participants from
over 17 countries and 33 states are registered.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact
me.
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