Jolly Elf 30A Half Marathon + 5K
Established in 2022, the Jolly Elf 30A Half Marathon + 5K is 30A’s newest half-marathon and 5K! Officially, the Jolly Elf is a “virtual” race, offering both a traditional virtual race, which can be ran literally anywhere in the world; and then a “common course" virtual race, where runners must run a specific half-marathon or specific 5K course, which, hence the name of the race, will be on a designated stretch of 30A. Both courses must be run during a specific timeframe, which is explained below. One of the many cools things about this race is that both courses for the “common course” virtual will change from year-to-year, meaning a new stretch of 30A will be selected from one year to the next. So...where are the courses for the 2022 "common course" virtual race you ask?
For the 2022 JOLLY ELF 30A HALF MARATHON + 5K, the start for both the half marathon and 5K ("common course," obviously) will be at the corner of CR-30A and CR-283S in Grayton Beach. The half marathon course will be an out-and-back to Butler Elementary. The 5K course will be an out-and-back to the Sanctuary at Redfish Village. The exact start and finish “points” will be clearly marked on the multi-purpose path with chalk. GPX and TCX data will also be available for download (half marathon only). It's located at the bottom of this page.
Runners will officially have a 25-hour window to run their respective course. Specifically, runners may start their respective race any time after 10:00a CST on Friday and MUST BE COMPLETE NO LATER THAN 11:00a CST on Saturday. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY. For example, if you finish at 11:01a CST on Saturday your finish will NOT count. Sorry to be harsh, but there must be a “line in the sand.” Everyone will have the link to upload their results into Its Your Race, so once complete, simply upload your time. Simple as that. Again, please plan accordingly to ensure that you complete on time.
What do you get for your money? If you’re taking part in the “common course" virtual, rest assured, you’ll be running an incredibly scenic half marathon or 5K race route through multiple picturesque communities along the 30A multi-purpose path. If you’re running a half or 5K course in the “traditional" virtual category, obviously the course will only be as pretty as you make it ALL registered runners will receive an awesome Christmas-themed long-sleeve race shirt. In terms of awards, runners who successfully complete the race in which they registered will receive a cool finisher’s award. The men’s and women’s winner and runner up from both courses will receive a suitably nifty award.
Post-race party you ask? Duh, yes. Beach Camp Brew Pub in Grayton will be hosting the inaugural Jolly Elf 30A Half and 5K post-race shindig. The shindig kicks off at 11:00a on Saturday...hence the deadline for all times to be submitted! The post-race shindig will serve multiple purposes, actually. First, the shindig at Beach Camp is where you’ll receive your race shirt + finisher’s medal. It’s also where we’ll be holding the awards ceremony. Again, the men’s and women’s winners and runner ups from both courses will receive a suitably nifty award. I’ll be prepared to present awards to the “common course’ virtual winners and runner ups, obviously; but I’ll also be standing by to present the “traditional” virtual winners and runner ups as well.
AND, last but not least, Beach Camp will also serve as the host of the actual party! That said, each registered runner will receive TWO complimentary draft beers (or non-alcoholic drinks) + a bowl or three of their delicious gumbo! And hopefully we can swing some sort of entertainment on their outside patio. More to follow on that one.
NOTE: If you’re taking part in the “traditional" virtual race and reside outside of the local area, or you’re just unable to make it to the post-race social, regardless of which race you competed in, your shirt + awards (as applicable) will be mailed to you (if mailing internationally, there may be an additional charge).
A portion of the proceeds from registration for the Jolly Elf 30A Half Marathon + 5K, will go to Caring & Sharing of South Walton. Caring & Sharing does incredible things in our county all year long. At Christmas time it just seems particularly pressing that folks get the help that they need, so it’s our pleasure to make them the beneficiary of this race. Check them out at: https://caringandsharingsowal.org
This should be a fantastic time at a fantastic time of year!!! Selfishly, race management is pretty pumped about this one...because they can finally partake in one of their races!
