After quitting smoking, I gained weight and stayed inactive for too long. In January 2014, I started walking—first to work, then around town. My sister, a longtime runner, convinced me to sign up for a 10K, which led to longer races. A friend challenged me to try a half marathon, and in February 2015, I finished my first. I was hooked! Eventually, I adopted the Jeff Galloway run/walk method, improved my pace, and kept going from there.

“I’ve run over 100 full and half marathons on road and trail, numerous other distances, and both the Colt Creek half and Lake Louisa half in the past. The Florida Run races are special and memorable, and they are absolutely events to participate in more than once. I plan on running both this year."

“My running journey has been quite unexpected. Back in high school, I used to despise running. I would always dread running during football and basketball practice. But I got into sports because I wanted to be more socially acceptable amongst people.”

If pressed to give our favorite aspect of The Florida Run events, it’s most definitely the running community that has developed and stayed united through the years.

Whether in person or through comments on our social media pages we sometimes get a glimpse into the inspiring stories that lie within each of us.

Maria is one of those. Here are some of the details behind her inspiration.

It’s hard to NOT notice when an entire family shows up to one of our races—Mom, Dad, and Kiddos ready to go. But when those babes are 4 months old, you MUST know the rest of the story.

We caught up with stroller-pushing Mama Lori and got the deets on her running & family life.

Team Spotlight: Homeland Heroes

Meet the dynamic squad from Homeland Security who just clinched victory in our recent team competition! We chatted with one of the team members to spill the beans on their success and share some lighthearted moments.