Venetian opens today at noon; ribbon cutting festivities, celebration run, ride delay driver high-fives

Yes, the Venetian Causeway reopens today after a nine-month rebuild of its westernmost bridge, and if the closed crossing to the mainland has mucked up you commute, that’s good news.

You might want to plan your first trip, though. The celebrations around the reopening may slow traffic.

There’s a ceremony (and ribbon cutting) at 11 a.m. The bridge is expected to be open to traffic around noon.  (Originally, the county said festivities would start at 10 a.m., but hey, we have been waiting this long, right?)

Then, starting at 6 p.m., several South Florida running organizations have encouraged their members to participate in a “United Venetian Run” run. The idea is for groups to run from the Lulemon store on Lincoln Road on Miami Beach and from the Omni Metromover station near the Adrienne Arscht Center and meet for a group photo at the Venetian toll booth on Biscayne Island.

The Miami Beach group is to start running at 6 p.m.; the Miami group at 6:30 p.m. Organizers are from local run clubs and the Miami Marathon, which features the Venetian in its event, but had to route around it last month. They expect about 400 runners.

Cyclists are celebrating, too. More than 600 people have RSVPed for an event that starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Miami Bike Shop (18th and Biscayne), crossing the Venetian and ends around 7 p.m. for a happy hour. in downtown

So…..maybe Tuesday, we return to the causeway to head home at rush hour.

 

Belle Isle cheers Miami’s marathoners on race day

By 8 a.m., the runners crossed Belle Isle in a giant wave.

What a perfect day for the marathoners! A crisp morning, 55 degrees at the start, the first wheelchair competitors reached Belle Isle at 6:39 a.m. The first runners crossed at 7:03 a.m., a little more than 42 minutes into the race.

By 7:30, Venetian Way was almost shoulder to shoulder with runners of all shapes and sizes.

Lots of neighbors turned out to cheer the runners.

Putting on a race like this requires hundreds of volunteers.

Students from FIU worked the Baptist Health water/Gatorade station.

Dr. Dribble, who was profiled in the Miami Herald last week, crossed at about 7:50 a.m.

Darren Weissman, also known as Dr. Dribble, ran the whole race dribbling two basketballs.

Enjoy the race.

Belle Isle gets ready for the runners; Miami Marathon’s a week away

Miami Marathon runners cross Belle Isle in 2013 raceO

Start the countdown and make your choices:

The Miami Marathon happens next Sunday morning, Jan. 25. If you’re not running, you can get up early and walk out to cheer the runners crossing Belle Isle and Venetian Way, or you can sleep in and wait for the footfalls can crushed cups to be swept away.

But you probably don’t want to make plans that involve driving between about 6 and 9 a.m.

Click for a closer look at the route

This year’s race is expected to feature more than 26,000 runners battling the 26.2 mile marathon or 13.1 mile half-marathon distance. They could be from your building or from the other side the world. The event is international, and you’ll people of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds working their way over the route.

If you see them on Belle Isle, they should be feeling pretty good. We’re between Mile 8 and 9 on the race course, so they should be strong.

We’ll be on the street cheering them on, and taking lots of photos to document their hard work.

 

Belle Isle scenes from Miami Marathon 2014

The runners came dressed for success

It was a warm and wonderful Sunday on Belle Isle, and some 25,000 runners crossed our island, pursuing personal milestones. Volunteers gave them water and Gatorade and we cheered them on….(Thanks to Belle Isle’s Steve Neifeld for the photos)

Getting ready for Miami Marathon Sunday

Scenes from 2013 Miami Marathon

We’re in the countdown to Miami Marathon (and Half-Marathon) Sunday.

The big race happens Sunday morning, with a 6 a.m. start downtown near American Airlines Arena downtown. The route should bring the first races (wheelchair competitors) to Belle Isle around 6:45 a.m.

We can expect runners crossing the island and the rest of the Venetian Causeway in a steady stream at least until 9:30 a.m. — 27,000 in all.

Plan ahead — for breakfast at home, or a walk to the story, or better yet, getting up early to go out and cheer the runners.

When runners pass us by, they will be about 8 miles into either a 13.1-mile or 26.2 mile journey. They’d love your support, and they have worked hard for this day.

If you have to leave the island, know you can only go east, and it will be a slow slog…..

 

Scenes from the ING Miami Marathon: the runners cross Belle Isle

Runners in high spirits crossing Belle Isle

They wore running gear and wedding gowns, kooky headgear and Kinesio tape, their own names (Go, Charles!) and the names of honored loved ones on their shirts and hats and shorts.

And on their faces, the 25,000 or so runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes who crossed Belle Isle in Sunday’s ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon wore the look of pride you get from working hard and achieving  a personal goal.

Wheelchair athletes started before runners.

The first wheelchair competitor crossed the island at 6:34 a.m. (after a 6:05 a.m. start). Our first runner crossed at 6:58 a.m., following a Nissan Leaf pace car. And the rest of the field streamed over bridge from Sunset Harbour headed west across Rivo Alto, DiLido, San Marino, San Marco and Biscayne islands on their way to the mainland.

First runner to Belle Isle

They were cheered on by a smattering of family, friends and Belle Isle residents,  along with the water-and-Gatorade crew from Baptist Health, If you were running in Sunday’s ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, you might have wished it was a little cooler. But the overcast skies kept the heat down as the sun rose in the early morning.

The volunteer crew from Baptist Health (station G) filled paper cups in the darkness before 6 a.m. By 7:30, they were awash in Gatorade and up to their ankles in crushed cups.

But the story of the day was the runners — fast, slow, elite athlete and weekend warrior. Here’s a look at the rest of the runners (click on any photo to enlarge and get a better view. Maybe you are in there!)

Dennis “Coatman” Marsala

Get ready for the ING Marathon on Sunday

The 2013 ING Marathon path across our islands.

The 2013 ING Marathon and half-marathon — the huge community event that brings 25,000 runners across the Belle Isle and the Venetian Causeway — returns in one week, on Sunday, Jan. 27.

Ask the runners, and most will tell you that the Venetian Causeway crossing is the most beautiful stretch of the race.

The organizers delivered marathon hangers to Venetian Isle homeowners earlier this week, to make sure we’re prepared for the Sunday morning traffic disruptions and know when to get out and cheer. Later this week, we’ll see portable toilets and other necessities moved into place.

The marathon brings money and visitors to the community, and the group that runs it works hard to ensure it isn’t too disruptive on Sunday morning. Event manager Whitney Murphy promises all you’ll hear are the footfalls of runners, and our islands will be cleaned up by afternoon.

Here’s some Belle Isle Blog advice on how to make the best of the event:

– Get out and cheer the runners. The race starts at 6:05 a.m. for wheelchair competitors and 6:15 a.m. for runners. We’ll see the leaders pass Belle Isle (mile 8)  around 6:30 a.m., and we’ll see people who have trained for months crossing until 9:30 or 10 a.m. They range from elite athletes to average folks who committed to goal and are on their way to achieving it. Make signs to motivate the runners. Your enthusiasm will help lift them to success.

Lady Liberty?

– Plan your morning around the race. From about 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., you’ll only be able to go east on Venetian Way by car, and quite slowly. If you want to go to breakfast, you might want to walk. That way, you can cheer the runners as you go along. IF you HAVE to go to the mainland in the morning, plan to ease your way east on Venetian Way, then south on West Avenue, and east on the MacArthur Causeway, where westbound lanes will be open.

There are several key water stations on the Venetian Causeway leg of the route, one on Belle Isle (mile 8),  San Marco Island (mile 9) and Biscayne Island (Mile 10)

Enjoy the race . Belle Isle Blog will be taking photos of the runners from our island, and promises to post them on the site as early as possible Sunday morning. Here’s a look at last year’s coverage.