Olympian, Ruben Sança, member of the Cape Verde 2012 London Olympic team.
By Marty Camacho
The early morning of February 8 saw Pensacola Beach host the 29th Pensacola Bridge Run, organized by Pensacola Sports. The race is known for its scenic route; the 15km (9.3 mi) route takes the runners from the Blue Wahoos Stadium to the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, passing both the Pensacola Bay Bridge and the Pensacola Beach Toll Bridge. The uphill slopes of the bridges and the strong, chilly wind provided a challenge to the over 4,500 runners who participated in this year’s race, and the wonderful view of Pensacola Bay offered a worthy exchange for the runners’ tired legs.
This year’s race was won in an excellent time of 46 minutes and 41 seconds (5:01 per mile/3:07 per km), courtesy of an Olympian, Ruben Sança. A member of Cape Verde’s 2012 London Olympic team, Sança, 39, is aiming to get back into fitness with the hopes of qualifying for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“It’s a really fun race; I love the bridges because they break up the race a little bit, and they provide a little bit more challenge.”
It was the Olympian’s first time to run in the Pensacola Double Bridge Run, and it was his first race in over a year, which marked the start of his journey to return to the Olympics.
“I didn’t really know what to expect as far as competition, and I went out slightly conservative and slowly able to make way to the front, right around the halfway point, near the top of the first bridge [the Pensacola Bay Bridge] is where I took the lead, and from there on I just kept pressing.”
Sança’s break from official races came out of necessity as he nursed an injury. Having been away for over a year, the Olympian came into the race with uncertainties. “I had no idea, really, of what fitness level I was at, but I knew I was confident in my training ability, and I just kept pushing as hard as I could to make sure I had a good distance between second place and myself.”
The participation of a top athlete such as Sança proves the appeal of the race. Top athletes from all over the world participate every year, as the event continues to grow bigger. Of course, our local athletes did not miss a beat, with Running Wild’s Team, a running store and run club here in Pensacola, winning the overall team category, with their member Zachary Fenton finishing 10 seconds behind Sança for the individual overall second place finish.
“I think it’s great,” said Pensacola Sports Director of Events, Amy Marquez, about the growing appeal of the race. “We usually have a group of top athletes that come out to the race; the more that they come out to the race, the bigger the race will be. We’re always happy to have them out here.”
“We know that they use this race for training. It’s a good race for their training, and we’re always excited when we have big names here to help us support.”
In turn, Pensacola Sports looks to involve the Pensacola community in making the event more fun and meaningful each year. “It’s important for us to have the local community involved, because this is a local event, and it is a tradition to Pensacola, so we try to include as many local communities and businesses as we can, but we also like to reach out past Pensacola to really grow the event.”
The event had a bustling crowd full of interactions with local businesses. Stores around the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, like Señor Frogs, Hooters, and Bounce Beach, offered free food to runners and visitors, and other local businesses put up booths, like Henry Chiropractic, which offered free massages to help the recovery of the runners.
Pensacola Sports also involves local artists in the event. Every year, the organizers collaborate with a local artist to create the awards for the top 5 winners of each category. This year, local pottery maker, Gretchen Paux, was tasked to make the awards. Paux’s work featured the Pensacola Double Bridge Run insignia on cups and dishes in vibrant colors, offering a unique and memorable souvenir for the winners to remember their success.
Despite the chilly morning, the race delivered top performances and a lot of fun for the crowd that enjoyed every bit of what the event offered. This year’s iteration proved the allure of the event, not just to athletes but to visitors alike, with another big success, and thus began the preparation for next year’s competition.