Hemingway 5k Sunset Run/Walk and Paddleboard Race Set for July 23

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Runners, fitness walkers and paddleboard enthusiasts can test their skills and celebrate Ernest Hemingway's sporting lifestyle Saturday, July 23, during the Papa's Pilar Rum Hemingway 5k Sunset Run/Walk and Paddleboard Race.

The athletic challenges are part of Hemingway Days, a six-day commemoration of the life and work of the author who lived and wrote in Key West for most of the 1930s. Papa's Pilar Rum is named for Hemingway's fishing boat, Pilar, which he used often during his Key West years.

The Lazy Dog Paddleboard Race is to kick off at 6 p.m. at the island city's Southernmost Beach, 1405 Duval St. on the Atlantic Ocean. Competitors are tasked with paddling a 3-mile ocean course before finishing back at the beach.

The popular 5k run/walk is to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Southernmost Point in the continental United States, oceanfront at Whitehead and South streets. Participants race through picturesque Old Town Key West, past landmarks that include the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, as they complete the flat 3.1-mile course.

Afterward, a post-race awards party is scheduled at the Southernmost Beach Café with food, libations, a silent auction and raffles.

Paddleboard awards are to be presented to the first- through 10th-place male and female finishers. In the 5k, awards await the top three male and female overall finishers, top three male and female masters, and top three male and female finishers in age categories ranging from 9 and under to 75 and over.

Special medals also will be awarded to those competing in both challenges.

A registration booth is to be open 3-7 p.m. race day at the Southernmost Hotel parking lot at the corner of Duval and South streets. Race packets can be picked up there.

Interested participants can register online at active.com or download registration forms by visiting keywestspecialevents.com. Forms also can be picked up at local hotels and fitness centers.

The registration fee is $45 per adult for either race or $80 for both races. The fee includes a collectible race tech shirt, food, libations and giveaways.

Event information: keywestspecialevents.com or 305-240-0727

Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY

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Each year, 5k participants race through picturesque Old Town Key West, past landmarks that include the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, as they complete the flat 3.1-mile course.

Each year, 5k participants race through picturesque Old Town Key West, past landmarks that include the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, as they complete the flat 3.1-mile course.

Paddleboard race competitors' age categories range from 9 and under to 75 and over.

Paddleboard race competitors' age categories range from 9 and under to 75 and over.

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