Escaping the Cold
As we transitioned from yellows and browns to gray and white, Northeast America was getting colder by the day. It was time to uphold our Thanksgiving getaway tradition—heading somewhere warmer, which, more often than not, meant Florida. Due to the busy hurricane season of 2024, the west/Gulf coast of Florida was ruled out, which eliminated our favorite vacation spot, Anna Maria Island. After much back-and-forth among friends, we narrowed it down to Melbourne. This city was also conveniently close to the Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa Beach.
Travel and Arrival
Flights and Airbnb were booked. We were three families—two flying out of Rochester, NY, and the other from Toronto, Canada. We landed in Orlando the night before Thanksgiving, did some last-minute grocery shopping since stores would be closed the next day, and then drove down to Melbourne to our Airbnb. The Canadian family arrived later, having had a longer drive from Fort Myers. The night did not end early—we kicked off our party right away and ended up sleeping around 5 AM. A great start to a weekend of partying, but not ideal when you have a race on Sunday.
Thanksgiving at the Beach
On Thanksgiving Day, we spent the morning at the nearest beach, Satellite Beach. The weather was pleasant, in the low 80s (°F), but the beach itself wasn’t ideal—rough waves and shells scattered everywhere. However, it was a paradise for the kids (and some adults), who collected a bag full of shells. After the beach, we spent the rest of the day cooking, lounging by the pool, and celebrating Thanksgiving and birthdays.
Rainy Friday & A Hidden Gem
Originally, our plan for Friday was to rent a boat on Merritt Island, but the weather didn’t cooperate—it rained all day. Instead, we ventured south in search of a beach and accidentally stumbled upon Turtle Crawl Beach. It was a hidden gem, and fortunately, the rain let up for a while. We had a blast battling the waves and strolling along the shore. The beach was nearly deserted, likely due to the inclement weather or perhaps because it’s not a widely known spot among tourists.
Saturday: A Tough Choice or was it
By Saturday, the weather had improved, and our group was split between visiting the Kennedy Space Center or renting a pontoon boat on the Banana River. The Canadians, flying back on Sunday, had to choose between the two, while the U.S. contingent had until Tuesday to fit in whatever was left. We opted for the boat, largely because “Mr. Canada” was a fisherman in his past life, an aspiring one in this one and was eager to catch some fish.
We rented our boat from Cape Cross Boat Rentals, a place I highly recommend—their customer service was exceptional, something you don’t see much of these days. We had lunch at Dolphin Restaurant, where the food was decent. Our two-hour boat ride started around 3 PM, and it was absolutely worth it! We spotted dolphins, manatees, a variety of birds, an incredible sunset, and, to top it all off, we even caught a couple of catfish. It was a day well spent.
Prepping for Race Day
Saturday night, the night before the race, I laid out my running gear. I debated between full sleeves, short sleeves, or no sleeves and settled on short sleeves, knowing the humidity would make full sleeves unbearable. I also decided, for the first time, not to carry water during the race and to use Huma Electrolyte+ gels instead. I like Huma gels because they go down easily and pack 250 mg of sodium.
Race Day: Space Coast Half Marathon
I woke up at 4 AM, ate a banana, and steered clear of Stinger sugary waffles this time. I’ve realized I run better on a relatively empty stomach. The Canadian was kind enough to drop us at the starting point, which was 30 minutes away. We arrived at 5:30 AM for the 6:15 AM start. It was pretty cold, and not bringing a jacket turned out to be a mistake. I had to stand in line for the restroom for about 20 minutes—the race lacked enough porta-potties for its size (over 3,000 participants across the half and full marathon).
The race started in waves—the full marathon at 6 AM, with half-marathon waves beginning at 6:15 AM. The rocket launch sound simulation and video countdown at the start line were a nice touch.
At 6:15 AM, we were off. The first mile ran through narrow roads, requiring careful navigation to avoid bumping into a fellow runner. It was still dark, and the poorly lit roads didn’t help. The sun wasn’t set to rise until around 7 AM. Once we reached the road by the sea, the runners had spread out, and it was smooth sailing from there. The course was mostly flat with a few rolling hills, nothing too challenging. Aid stations were set up approximately every two miles, offering water, electrolytes, and, at some stations, Gu energy gels.
I had hoped to beat my personal best of 1 hour 48 minutes, but that didn’t happen. A week of partying, late nights, and alcohol didn’t exactly set me up for peak performance. I finished in 1 hour 53 minutes. My friend ran a PR though. So looks like all the partying helps him with his performance. The race medal was by far the largest I’ve seen or owned—a really cool design. Finishers also received a race-themed beach towel.
Post-Race Celebrations
The post-race party was decent, and best of all, they had chocolate milk—believe me, nothing beats cold chocolate milk after a hard race, not even the free beer on offer. Unlike other races where post-race food and drinks are rationed, here they weren’t. There were two beer options, and I preferred the Kona Big Wave.
After the race, we headed to Cocoa Beach, spending an hour or so at the pier. From the beach, we could see a Kennedy Space Center launch pad with a rocket already mounted. After the beach, we returned home, and our Canadian friends left for their flight back.
Monday: Kennedy Space Center
On Monday, we visited the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). We booked tickets online in advance, having read that they sometimes sell out. Seeing the rockets up close was jaw-dropping—hard to describe in words. However, the center isn’t ideal for kids under five; it’s challenging to keep them engaged for an entire day. That said, the two five-year-olds in our group had some fun, especially with the simulated flight to Saturn’s rings. The highlight was the reveal of the Atlantis Space Shuttle—truly breathtaking.
We returned home on Tuesday, filled with great memories and with the Sunshine State checked off—stop number 8 on Kliyaras journey towards visiting and running 13.1+ miles in all 50 states.
Good post! Enjoyed reading this.
Nicely written!