The 2011 ING Miami Marathon made good on its promise Sunday morning: The water station crews were quiet, the runners were happy and the cleanup happened with amazing swiftness — a great event and great morning on Belle Isle.
There were runners (and wheelchair athletes) of every speed, shape and size — from the three front-runners who crossed our island just after 7 a.m. to the walkers working their way along two hours later.
Belle Isle residents cheered, held signs, kids and pets. Your Belle Isle Blog got out early to document the moment — and here are lots of photos to share.
When the race started at 6:20 a.m., there were 21,400 registered runners for the 13.1 mile half marathon and and the 26.2-mile marathon, a record for the race.
By 10:30, almost all the crushed cups were gone — and amazing cleanup by a well-organized crew that spent hours dispensing water and Gatorade to the thousands of runners.
Then they took up rakes to clean up the cups, while trucks moved in to pick up and remove the mess — from the Venetian Causeway and the dozen Port-O-Lets set up in front of The Standard.
Here is gallery of images from Belle Isle.[
- The Belle Isle water station included a bathroom stop for 21,000 runners.
- The first three men crossed just after 7 a.m.
- Belle Isle residents and pets cheered the runners.
- Workers dispensed an amazing amount of water and Gatorade.
- The cleanup went quickly.
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