Welcome to
Ultra Sports LLC!

Smile.  You’ve Arrived!

Athletes.  Try something different: Exciting ultramarathon length races from 50 kilometers to 100 miles.  Or, picture yourself and five friends, each running 16 or 17 total miles—just a few at a time—completing a 100 mile competition.  Pure joy!

The original KEYS100 is held in mid-May in the unique and beautiful Florida Keys.  Race across the islands in individual races of 100 or 50 miles, or our unique 100 mile six person team relay.  Or, try “The Palm”.  The PALM100 is held in March along South Florida’s spectacular Gold Coast from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach and back.  The scenery is as beautiful as the competition is fun in the 100 mile team relay, or individual races of 50 km (31 miles) and 100 km (62 miles).  Want a one-of-a –kind wilderness experience?  Then run the EVERGLADES ULTRAS through the swamp, prairie and woodlands of the Florida Everglades in mid-February.  Race 50 mile, 50 Km or 25 Km options, all within the self-contained boundaries of the Fakahathchee Strand Preserve, Florida’s largest state park.  And don’t miss the unique, fixed-time race, Peanut Island 24: it is bound to become your New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day tradition.  Three distinct races of 24 hours, 12 hours and 6 hours test how far runners will go during that fixed time period, while watching magnificent scenes of yachts, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean inlet throughout. And, fireworks from West Palm Beach at midnight.

Spectacular water views and alternate venues unique to the Sunshine State are what people come to Florida to see, and each of our races features a beautiful and memorable location.  All races promote fundraising for worthy causes—for example, prostate cancer—and encourage runners to join the effort or run in support of charities of their own choosing.  Awards and finisher medals, race buckles and shirts are designed to reflect the geography and culture of the race location.  Individual competitors and team members will enjoy their official race “trophies” as much as they’ll be proud of their race accomplishment!  And, you will be joining the growing community of ultra-distance runners who, more than any other sport, recognize the challenge they are undertaking, and support and encourage each other on these exceptional journeys.

UltraSports Races: Defining Terms

Ultramarathon
Simply any running race of greater than 26.2 miles—i.e., official marathon length.  The most common race distances are 50 kilometers (31 miles), 50 miles, 100 kilometers (62 miles) and 100 miles, although many variations exist.  Longer distance races, such as the legendary Badwater 135 and Spartathlon (250 km), may be found in locations around the world.  Stage races run over a period of days, like Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara Desert and Grand 2 Grand Ultra in the American Southwest (North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Grand Staircase) and fixed-time races (described below) are all ultra-distance variations.

Team Relays
If you enjoy training with friends, you will love ultramarathon distance relay races.  Each team member runs just a portion of the total mileage.  For hundreds of thousands of people who have participated in half or full marathons and are looking for something different, the team relay is a competitive format that average and elite runners, alike, can do and thoroughly enjoy.  Team members take turns as the active runner while the others ride and recover in the team support vehicle to await their turns.  Our relay races cover 100 miles.  This is roughly half the course length—and at six runners, half the team size—of most ultra-relay races across the country.  Team members tell us that six-person teams are much easier to organize and team members stay more engaged throughout the event.  Faster teams will complete the race in 10-12 hours; others may take up to 20 or more.  Another major feature of the UltraSports format is that running segments are variable in length: the team decides how long each “leg” will be and how many segments each member will run.  Teams create their own race strategies rather than being given fixed leg assignments, and may even modify their plan during the race if weather or other conditions dictate.  Ask our race veterans and they will tell you that this element adds a lot to the excitement and fun on race day.

The Team Relay Races:
The PALM100 in late March includes our signature 100 mile six runner team relay race and has members racing along the ocean road from Fort Lauderdale Beach to spectacular Palm Beach, and back.  The “Original” KEYS100 is a point-to-point race.  Teams run the length of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Higgs Beach on Key West, where the race ends and the party begins.

Individual Ultras
For individuals seeking a break from the ordinary, our selection of races from 50 Km (31 miles) to 100 miles includes one just for you!  (In the Everglades, we’re offering a shorter trail race of 25 kilometers, or 15.6 miles.)  Each is run in a unique and beautiful water-oriented setting, or in the mysterious ‘Glades.  Runners are fully supported by volunteers at aid stations placed strategically along the route. Water, ice, sports drink, a complement of food and more are offered at each site.  Race marshals patrol active areas of the course for safety and to enforce race rules.  At the finish line you receive your well-earned finisher medal and a coveted belt buckle for those completing the long events (100 miles and 100 Km).  After the race, hang out and relax with food and a beverage or two, and swap yarns with old and new ultra-friends. Awards presentations to all the winners, too.

The Individual Races:
The KEYS100 includes races of 100 miles from Key Largo to Key West, and 50 miles from Marathon to Key West.  Whether it’s your first “ultra” or a perfectly timed warm-up for Badwater, racing in the Keys with your own support crew or on your own will give you all the challenge you can handle while running across the islands along the unforgettable turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Bay!

The PALM100 includes races along the ocean road of 100 Km (62 miles) from Fort Lauderdale Beach to Boynton Beach Inlet and back, and 50 Km (31 miles) from the Inlet to Fort Lauderdale Beach.  With the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Intracoastal Waterway on the other and the amazing architecture and landscaping of Florida’s Gold Coast along the way, this is one outstanding venue you will never forget.  And, if you happen to be a northerner, what a great time of year to take a break from the cold and make the PALM100 an integral part of your Fort Lauderdale vacation.

The EVERGLADES ULTRAS are destined to be a story-filled adventure you’ll be talking about long after the finish!  With three race distances of 50 miles, 50 kilometers (31 miles) and 25 kilometers (15.6 miles), this opportunity will be a fine fit for a great many endurance runners.  This is “the real deal”—a race not around, but right through the varied environments of the Florida Everglades.  Running on preserved “trams”—raised trails that were once used to transport cypress logs on rails to market—runners will pass right through exotic swampland, and grassland prairie and wooded “uplands”, and on a typical day see a huge variety of plant and animal life along the way.

Fixed Time
“Standard” races take place over a fixed distance, like 5 Km or 13.1 miles (half marathon).  The person who completes the distance in the shortest time is the winner.  A fixed time race is just the opposite: the winner is the person who runs the greatest distance in a specified amount of time.  Our Peanut Island 24 includes races of 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours.  The venue is a 1.25 mile paved trail along the water, circumnavigating Peanut Island, a county park in the Intracoastal Waterway near Palm Beach, FL.  The event is held over New Year’s; the 24 hour race begins at 10:00am on December 31 and ends at 10:00am on January 1.  Competitors may run 20 miles or 120.  Keep running, get some sleep, stop for food or catch a movie--the clock keeps going, so the distance you go is your call.  These races are very social events.  Bring your family and your tent, and camp at a campground site or in the grass near race HQ.  Peanut Island and fixed-time racing: what a great way to avoid all those bad drivers on New Year’s Eve.  To create your Peanut Island memory, begin by catching our boat to the island on December 31st.

Next Steps:

Pick your race, grab your crew or group of running friends, or help your company or organization create a team.  Tell your local high school or college track or cross country team that an UltraSports race is waiting for them in South Florida.  And, bring your family to cheer your success and enjoy the beauty of these tropical destinations.  We look forward to seeing you at the starting line of these exciting running events.