The staff of the 19th Annual Health First Florida Marathon Weekend is excited to announce that two of America’s greatest all time distance runners, Ryan Hall and Sara Hall, will be joining us February 7, 2027 in Melbourne, Florida and running our half marathon race.
Fresh off an overall Masters Championship win at this year’s Boston Marathon, Sara is a former USA half marathon record holder and the fourth fastest American woman marathoner ever. She is not only an accomplished distance runner but also has excelled in the mile, 5k and 10k distances.
Sara has been a fixture atop American distance running for more than two decades: first as a national high school champion, then as an NCAA star at Stanford University, and later, as the only pro runner to ever win U.S. titles in the mile and the marathon. She’s held the American record in the half marathon, clocked the fastest marathon in the U.S. by a woman aged 40 or older, and represented her country in multiple World Championships.
Her memoir, For the Love of the Grind, came out this past April and became an instant running classic. Sara will host a book signing during our February 6 expo and packet pick up, with advance copies available now through this link:
https://runsignup.com/Race/Store/FL/Melbourne/FloridaMarathonWeekend
Sara’s husband, Ryan Hall is also one of the greatest American distance runners of all time. A two-time Olympian and USA Olympic Trials winner, Ryan held the U.S. record in the half marathon from 2007 to 2025. He is the first American to break the one-hour barrier in that distance, and he is also the first American to run a sub-2:05 marathon.
The Health First Florida Marathon Weekend encompasses a 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon. The half marathon and marathon are both USATF certified courses, with the marathon being a Boston Marathon qualifier and Abbott World Major recognized race.
All race distances are almost entirely waterfront, with the half marathon being named by Runner’s World Magazine as “One of America’s Top 10 Bucket List Race Courses.”
The races are held in Melbourne on Florida’s Space Coast with entry now open via www.thefloridamarathon.com