On Saturday, May 16, 2026, the 18th annual Keys 100 in Florida brought more than 1,000 individual and team runners across 42 bridges along the Overseas Highway to Key West, with their crews in tow. The race offers multiple distances: a 100-miler from Key Largo, 50-miler from Marathon, 50k from Big Pine Key, as well as team relays. Each event started under a rising sun that, by mid-morning, was in full force.
The energy at the start lines was electric with a mix of nerves, excitement and awe as the blazing sun and heat settled in early. Temperatures ranged from 77 to 90 degrees, with tropical humidity tempered only slightly by ocean breezes.
This year saw standout performances, including a record-breaking 50k finish by Emily Paradis, in 3:56:14, shattering the previous women’s record of 4:33:35 set in 2016 by Alice Henley and eclipsing the men’s record of 4:18:17 set in 2015 by David Kilgore. Second place in the 50k went to Calum Blow, in a time of 4:39:04, and third place to Maddison Saalinger in 4:42:19.
In the 100-mile distance, Ivan Penalba Lopez won the men’s race in 15:55:18, while Ashley Leisher was the first woman and fourth overall, finishing in 18:35:46. Rounding out the podium were Andres Villagran in 16:20:46, and Dan Waldschmidt in 18:17:55, finishing second and third, respectively. For the women, Charlotte Werner placed second (seventh overall) in 19:34:37, and Jessica Jones placed third (tenth overall) in 20:32:50.
In the 50-miler, first place went to Jeffrey Adams in 8:47:15, with second and third place going to Juan Rodriguez in 9:02:33, and Jason DuBois in 9:06:13, respectively.
Other memorable finishes included Pamela Chapman-Markle, 70, completing her 11th Keys 100 in 24:15:02, and Jim Miller, 73, the race’s oldest finisher, crossing in 31:05:06, both topping their age groups. During the run, Chapman-Markle reflected on her gratitude, saying she was “grateful to be alive and able to complete 100 miles in any race.”
Race director Bob Becker noted that, for him, it was an especially smooth year. There were fewer race-day issues than usual, which is a testament to the strength of the staff behind the scenes. From a runner’s perspective, there were marshals throughout the course, and the event was well organized from beginning to end. This year’s finishing rate of 67%, compared to 63% last year and 46% in 2024, also reflects a positive shift.
This marked my 11th time at the Keys, and I opted to run the 50-mile race. Throughout the day, I found myself taking it all in, including the Seven Mile Bridge, open water on either side of the course and the expansive blue sky. The race’s postcard beauty stays with you long after the it ends, and makes you feel lucky to be out there. It remains the only race where, so often, I am certain there is nowhere else I would rather be.
The race holds a special place in my life because it was my dad’s favorite event. For six years, he worked the 50-mile aid station, always waiting for me when I ran the 100-mile race and checking to see that I was okay, sending me forward and then making his way to Key West to greet me at the finish line the next morning. It’s impossible to be on that course and not think of him or my mom, Karen Weiss (KW), who passed away just days after I ran my first Keys 100 in 2011.
I’m often asked why I keep returning. Part of it is the pull of place – the run to Key West, layered with memory, where I once lived and spent time during both undergrad and graduate school, writing my thesis on Hemingway. But place is only part of it. Like returning to a great book, revisiting the same race is less about the course and more about who you’ve become. The course is the same, but you are not. Each year, you arrive changed, bringing a different version of yourself to the starting line. Over time, you realize you don’t see more in the race, you see more in yourself – more grit, perhaps, or more grace. When the beauty around you feels more vivid, it’s not because the landscape has changed, it’s because you have.
I ran with a close friend this year, sharing a crew and spending more time laughing than not, as we cooled ourselves with ice draped around our necks and tucked into our hats. Along the way, we met runners from out of town struggling in the heat yet continuing forward, optimistic and determined.
What stands out, year after year, is the spirit on the course. In a world that can feel chaotic, there is something grounding in the shared effort – people from different places, backgrounds and beliefs moving toward a common goal. It’s a reminder of what’s good: people helping people, forward motion despite difficulty and a quiet, collective resilience.
The final miles, counting down to mile marker 0, were solitary this year, and I was filled with a deep gratitude to be out there on that course, and to all the people who have supported me over the past year. And a gratitude to myself, for believing. I ran along South Roosevelt Boulevard with the water gently breaking against the rocks and the noise of the day fading into stillness. The night sky opened above me as the stars stretched wide and I passed familiar course markers: Bertha Street, then onto Atlantic Boulevard. These were roads that once formed the rhythm of my everyday life.
As I made my way to Higgs Beach, I thought of my dad, waiting as he always had, patient and steady at the finish line. In my mind, he is always there.
This one was for him.
Full results here.