'There has never been an event like this'

I know, I know -- we've all heard grand statements like this before. And any ambitious bridge run will have to undergo comparisons to Charleston's uber-popular Cooper River race. (With 40,000 participants annually and a route that rises to a spectacular 200 feet above the water, it's certainly tough to hold a candle.)

Nonetheless, the brand-new Jewfish Creek Bridge Run -- offering a half-marathon and a 5K in the Florida Keys this fall -- is pretty darn intriguing.

Here's a look at the bridge, which opened in May 2008:


Here's a look at the press release, which I received today:

KEY LARGO, Florida Keys - For more than 25 years, the annual Seven Mile Bridge Run has attracted sold-out fields with participants eager to run across the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Keys.

Now, running enthusiasts can add a second Keys bridge run to their calendars.

Organizers in Key Largo have planned for the Jewfish Creek Bridge Run, a half marathon and 5K run/walk set for Saturday, Nov. 14. The event is to be held in conjunction with a Health and Fitness Expo the day before.

Entry fees are $35 per person for the 5K and $70 for the half marathon. There is no admission charge for the expo, to be staged at the Key Largo Holiday Inn, mile marker 100.

The foot races across the recently completed $93 million, 1 1/4-mile-long Jewfish Creek Bridge are to occupy the northbound lanes of the bridge and the southern portion of the 18-mile-stretch, a section of the Overseas Highway that connects mainland south Florida with Key Largo.

"There has never been an event like this on the 18-mile-stretch and it will be the first run over the new bridge," said race director Candy Basilius. "The course is mostly flat and fast, with the exception of the 65-foot-high bridge.

"It is an out-and-back-route that should be a perfect qualifier as we are in the process of getting the course certified with the USA Track and Field," she said.

The course also provides spectacular vistas of the Upper Keys and the eastern edges of the Florida Everglades.

More details are available at www.jewfishcreekbridgerun.com.

This race is presented by the Key Largo Baptist Church and TIB Bank of the Keys, with promotional funding from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.