Local teen wins 7 Mile Bridge Run in Florida Keys
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, the sun rises above the Atlantic Ocean in the Florida Keys as a field of 1,500 competitors traverses the Seven Mile Bridge from Little Duck Key to Marathon, Fla., Saturday, April 1, 2023. The annual Seven Mile Bridge Run shut down the longest bridge on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway to traffic for three hours Saturday morning for the race over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Joanna Stephens, 28, of Atlanta won the overall women's title and Vaclav Bursa, 15, of Big Pine Key, Fla., won the overall men's division. Credit: AP/Andy Newman
MARATHON, Fla. — A Florida teenager and an Atlanta woman won the overall men’s and women’s divisions Saturday at a footrace across the longest of 42 highway bridges over water in the Florida Keys.
Vaclav “Vance” Bursa, 15, of Big Pine Key, Florida, finished first overall in the annual 7 Mile Bridge Run, posting a time of 41 minutes, 1 second and also claiming the top spot in the men’s division. Bursa, who placed third in the 2022 race, is a student at Marathon High School.
Joanna Stephens, 28, of Atlanta, completed the course in 41:12 to win the women’s division title and place second overall. Last year's winner, Collin Wainwright, 27, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Joel Martinez, 31, of Cape Coral, Florida, finished in 41:33 and 41:45, respectively, to take second and third place in the men’s division.
Holly Smith, 38, from Key Largo, Florida, posted a women’s division second-place time of 42:10. Key West, Florida, resident Shelby Nowak, 28, placed third with a time of 46:51.
The race, capped at 1,500 runners each year, drew competitors from 41 U.S. states and other countries including Canada, the U.K. and Switzerland.
The run closed the span between the Middle and Lower Keys to vehicular traffic for three hours Saturday.
The April contest is one of the most popular running events in the southeastern United States, and the race field filled within minutes after online registration opens in January.
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, a portion of the field of 1,500 competitors reaches the highest point of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys while competing in the annual Seven Mile Bridge Run Saturday, April 1, 2023, near Marathon, Fla. Joanna Stephens, 28, of Atlanta won the overall women's title and Vaclav Bursa, 15, of Big Pine Key, Fla., won the overall men's division. Credit: AP/Andy Newman
