The upcoming Palm Beaches Marathon has yet to reach its true potential.

A marathon to promote our region and beaches in Palm Beach County. However, this marathon does not include a beach. It sounds unbelievable. But it’s true.

Shouldn’t this marathon be called “The Palm Marathon”? Runners will see a lot of palms. But no beaches.

The Lake Worth Beach needs to be part of this marathon in 2019. And it’s the public and our business leaders who can make this happen. Continue reading to learn how.

The Palm Beaches Marathon falls (pardon the pun) on Sunday, December 2nd this year.

The full marathon, the 26.2 mile race route which includes a portion of our City of Lake Worth, has been slightly improved this year. But not by much. Only a few extra blocks.

This marathon is being promoted by Discover The Palm Beaches. And it is being promoted by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County which is located in Downtown Lake Worth. In their promotional material for this race West Palm Beach gets mentioned a whole lot.

But our City of Lake Worth is ignored. Irrelevant. Not worth mentioning.

Ironic. Because our City actually has a beach. 

West Palm Beach does not have a beach. But the Town of Palm Beach has a beach. However, the Town of Palm Beach rejected the Palm Beaches Marathon this year, they said it wasn’t “town-serving”.

One would think the organizers of this marathon would actually give participants a look at the Atlantic Ocean along the Palm Beaches. Like maybe at the Lake Worth Beach. But no. The Palm Beaches Marathon does not include a beach.

This marathon does not reach our Downtown in the City of Lake Worth. It does not go over the Robert Harris Bridge to the Lake Worth Casino. What a shame.

The organizers of this race need to be put on notice. If the annual Lake Worth Tropical Triathlon uses the Robert Harris (“Lake Worth”) Bridge and the Casino as part of the course for runners then explain why the organizers of the Palm Beaches Marathon cannot find a route to include our Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex?

Really now, what’s the point of having a ‘Palm Beaches Marathon’ when the runners don’t even get a glimpse of a real ocean beach in Palm Beach County? 

For residents and business owners in this City that’s where you come in. Start lobbying now for a better presence and a better stage for our City in the race next year and years beyond. Our City deserves an equal seat at the table.

Remember, the Town of Palm Beach rejected the Palm Beaches Marathon this year. They said it wasn’t “town-serving”. That’s right. Rejected. Get out of town.

Our City needs to demand this annual race serve our City better than it has in the past. How many in the public and those in the running community even know part of the full 26.2 mile marathon goes through this little City?

The City neighborhoods included in the race are listed below. All areas east of Dixie Hwy. and the runners will not even get one single glimpse of the Lake Worth Lagoon off the shores of our City of Lake Worth. Runners will see a lot of the Intracoastal in West Palm Beach though. Ironic. It’s not called the West Palm Beach Lagoon for a reason.

So what are residents, business and restaurant owners to do? Here are several ideas:

Start contacting the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, your elected leaders here in the City of Lake Worth, and the good folks at LULA Lake Worth Arts and tell them you want the 2019 Palm Beaches Marathon to be more “town-serving” for our City.

Once again. The upcoming full Palm Beaches Marathon race next month will not make it to Lake Ave. or over the Robert Harris Bridge to the Lake Worth Casino either. But this year’s race will make it to just a few blocks north of Lake Ave. into the Parrot Cove neighborhood before the turnaround.

Other Neighborhood Assoc. Presidents’ Council (NAPC) neighborhoods included in the course this year:

• College Park neighborhood is first, just south of WPB.
• Next is Eden Place.
• Then Mango Groves (Parrot Cove abuts the Lake Worth municipal golf course; Mango Groves is to the west).

Briefly, more about the NAPC. There are a total of sixteen (16) neighborhoods in the Council. For the color-coded geographic information system (GIS) map of all neighborhoods click on this link. The NAPC is also on Facebook; to contact the NAPC send an email: napcinfo@gmail.com

And, of course, the motto of the NAPC is:

“Our Neighborhoods Have Boundaries.

Our Commitment To Each Other Does Not.”

And get this. Last August organizers of this marathon had a glimmer of hope the Town of Palm Beach would allow the race to enter “The Town” according to journalist William Kelly at the Shiny Sheet. But those hopes were dashed on August 15th.


 “It’s not in the interest, I think, of our residents,” Lindsay [Councilwoman Bobbie Lindsay] said. “It’s a small town, it’s quiet, they’re here to have peace and quiet … it’s a drain on our police and also the rest of our staff.”


Here is more news from reporter Ian Cohen at the Shiny Sheet, more excerpts:


“It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving. The president [U.S. President Donald Trump] will be in town,” Moore [Council President Danielle Moore] said. “This would just be another piece of a very complicated weekend in Palm Beach. It causes me great consternation to think about the things that could possibly go wrong.”


The City of Lake Worth in December 2017 was used as part of the full 26.2 mile Palm Beaches Marathon with runners racing through neighborhoods. But there were complaints.

Why not come up with better route to show off our Downtown and attract more visitors and tourists? Fill up our restaurants and shops?

Below is the Lake Worth leg of the
2017 full marathon race.

Click on image to enlarge:

Full marathon runners in 2017 entered the City, headed east on Duke Dr., then south on Lakeside Drive to 10th Ave. North. and then at the turn exiting the City on Federal Hwy.

In this year’s race runners will head seven blocks further south prior to the turnaround.

The Palm Beaches Marathon in 2019?

Make your voice heard! Further on over the bridge to the Lake Worth Casino!