Miami Marathon

Orange Bowl era

The inaugural Orange Bowl Marathon, established as part of the annual King Orange Jamboree, was held on December 26, 1977, with over 800 participants.^[2][3]

Originally the race had started and finished in the Orange Bowl stadium but after issues with the course the start and finish moved to the Crandon Park.^[4] The marathon was never as popular as other races in the racing calendar and had trouble attracting athletes.^[5] Eventually, financial problems caused the event to fold.^[6]

The last Orange Bowl Marathon that the Association of Road Racing Statisticians has record of was held in 1988.^[7]

Current era

The inaugural race was held on February 2, 2003 with about 3,400 participants.^[8]

The race has been growing over the years. In 2010,18,321 runners took part in the combined races. For the 10 year anniversary in 2012 the race sold out at 25,000 runners and has continued to reach that number of participants since.^{[citation needed]}

The 2021 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. with all registrants given the option of running the race virtually, transferring their entry to 2022, or obtaining a refund (less any processing fees).^[9][10]

The race had begun to decline in size and popularity since its peak in the mid 2010s. However, when it returned from COVID in 2022, it did so with a sold out field that included 15,000 runners across the entire weekend of events. The following year, the total field size increased to about 18,000 runners, and the race was sold out by October. Since then, the race has sold out increasingly quickly. The 2026 Miami Marathon opened registration on August 1, 2025, and general registration for the marathon was sold out by August 11.^[11]

Orange Bowl era

Source: Biscayne, Ken (January 9, 1987). "Race on the Rise: New Sponsor Puts Orange Bowl Marathon on the Road to New Life". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved June 26, 2024.

Current era