DONNA Marathon Weekend: FIS 5k Race Report 2026

What a roller coaster ride it was to even get to the start line for this race! I signed up for it months ago because I’d heard from a lot of other people that running the Donna was a big deal. When I signed up, I {of course} had to pay an extra $7 to get a shirt in my size. But more specifically, there was no mention of packet picket not being available on race day. There was nowhere to pay extra (like with Gate River Run). So, silly me, I assumed that I’d be able to pick up my swag on Saturday morning.

Fast forward to about a month before the race, and I get some pre-race emails from The Donna Foundation, and they specifically said that there would be NO race day pickup, and that all racers MUST pick up their packets on Friday.

Yah, that won’t work… I live about 90 minutes away from the race location, and it makes no sense to drive there and back, or drive there and stay the night, for a simple 5k race. So I replied to that email on January 13^th, asking if there would be any concessions for out of town people, or if I could swap to the Virtual Option (they were the same cost). I got no reply. About a week later, I reached out via The Donna Foundation’s website contact form, with the same questions. Still no response.

At this point, I was so frustrated with the lack of communication, and the supposed “bait & switch” with having to do pickup on Friday that I began to entertain the idea of saying fuck it all and just not going… I can afford to lose $50, but I didn’t really WANT to, ya know? So in a last ditch effort, I messaged them via their website one more time, and I finally got a response (apparently they had disabled the contact form because it was glitching). The person who responded (let’s call them MM) offered to swap me to the Virtual Option or race day pick up for $10. I told her that I would be fine with race-day pick up (though I was still ticked off about all this), and requested specifically that a W3XL shirt was set aside for me (since I seem to keep getting screwed on receiving shirts that I pay extra for!). She told me that she would personally pack my bag and bring it with her to packet pickup, and not even charge me the extra $10, since I’d had such a frustrating experience… that was very nice of her!

Now that we got that all sorted out, it was time to look forward to race day, and oh yeah… now there’s a crazy cold front on the way. I’m talking temps IN FLORIDA under freezing for race day. Oh, and some rain. I jut had to laugh… I fought so hard to get packet pickup, only to be rewarded with a cold as fuck rainy race? But at this point, I couldn’t not go!

When I went to bed Friday night, it was supposed to be about 55º when I took off, but unfortunately, when I woke up on race day, I was looking at low 40s. Hubby took the day off, so I drove up extra early, to ensure that I could get a good parking spot (so I wouldn’t get lost) – parking was at a hotel 10 miles away. When I got there, I assumed that the shuttle bus would pick up near the hotel, so I parked there. I went inside to use their potties, then asked the front desk clerk where the bus picked up – turned out that the bus picked up at an outer lot about a quarter-mile away, so I moved my car over there and got a good spot right by the bus stop (easy to find when I get back!).

I stayed in the car (toasty and warm) for about 15 minutes, but once I saw the line begin to grow, I decided I should probably get in line. I dressed in a base layer and shirt when I left the house, then tossed on a beanie and running jacket and got in line. Within five minutes, though, I realized that I needed another layer, so hopped back over to my car to get my puffer jacket and a pair of gloves, then got on the shuttle. I’d rather be too warm than too cold.

So many people still behind me (waiting for the bus)

Bus ride took about 10 minutes and it dropped us off a few blocks from the start line. The start area was quite hectic and not well organized. There were some tents on the left side of the road, some tents on the right side of the road, with the ‘corrals’ in the middle of the road – but no way to get to either tent area without having to swim upstream through the corrals. A walkway or sidewalk would have been extremely helpful!

I found the tent to get my packet, and shocker, I ran into my Race Shirt Nemesis – Blue Hair Carol. I gave her my bib number and said that she couldn’t find it. I told her that MM told me that she’d set it aside, and someone pointed to a bag on the chair behind them, which ended up being my bag. Without missing a beat, Blue Hair Carol told me that they didn’t have a shirt in my size, blah blah blah, but I could come back later and hopefully they’d have one in my size (remember, I paid $7 extra for this shirt that she says they don’t have). I opened my bag, and MM came through for me – my W3XL shirt was nicely folded inside. I may or may not have given Blue Hair Carol a smirk as I walked away. I found an empty table, folded up my bag and shirt as small as possible, and tucked them into my waist pack, just minutes before the race began.

The energy as we took off was amazing, such girl power! Lots of survivors and supporters… I almost felt like an imposter. I have no skin in this game, why was I here? But off I went at a fast walk, gaining energy from so many spectators waving and cheering all of us on.

Start Corrals on the left, Tents on the right, and past the corrals on the left

I didn’t warm up very much at all during the entire race, maybe unzipped my exterior jacket by the end of the race. Coming in to the finish line, everyone was so energetic and amped, but then the race announcer Fitz turned off the music so she could relay something she was just told – a finisher told her that she did this race every year, but she’d just gotten terrible news and expected that she wouldn’t be here next year. Or any year after that. Fitz was in tears, repeating fuck cancer, man. FUCK cancer. Someone next to me said “There’s no quit ‘til you’re cold.” I took this to mean that you don’t quit ‘til you’re dead. And I completely agree. You absolutely never know when something can change or improve.

Never give up; you never know what is in front of you

This sounds selfish, I know that, but… this announcement sucked all of the energy out of my own finish, but this woman (the one with the cancer) got SO MUCH SUPPORT from everyone around here that I didn’t even care. I wish I knew who she was, so I could check to see if she comes back in 2027.

I finished under an hour, at 56:29, and was 1761/2262 total runners, and 118/149 in my age group. Anyway, I got my medal, and well… It kind of looks like a vagina with dick arms. It’s a pretty medal, like a suncatcher, all glistening and pink (but, um, aren’t all vaginas glistening and pink?)

It's cold and getting colder!

I wandered around the after party, but there wasn’t much there – there were some places selling food or coffee, but not a lot of fun swag. I picked up a bottle of Electrolit (tasty) and a few Strawberry Watermelon Bloom drinks (also tasty). I headed back to the bus, riding in the cool kid single seat in the back, back to the nearly empty parking lot (being slow makes it easy to find my car!).

Same seat I sat in when I was in high school

I took the car over to the hotel again so I could change clothes and visit the expo (there’s a half and full marathon tomorrow). Then I went to Shake Shack for lunch (not impressed), hit up Trader Joe’s and Dollar Tree, then grabbed a soda and headed home.

Shake Shack Bacon Cheeseburger, Fries, Coke Zero, Vanilla Milkshake - $25!

ETA – A few days later, I found out some cool stuff:

• There were participants from all 50 states, and 11 countries
• They raised a quarter-million dollars for The Donna Foundation
• Fitz (the race announcer) is from Gainesville (possibly still lives there?). Also, she beat cancer herself, which explains why she is so powerfully emotional about this race. Who doesn’t love a confident, healthy, hilarious, kick-ass, conservative woman? Instant follow on X! 

Race Notes                                                          

Location: Jacksonville Beach

Host: The DONNA Foundation

Race Fee: $30 (Plus extra $7 for Women’s 3X Shirt)

Packet Pickup: Near start line; chaotic

Parking: Miles away, at Host Hotel

Support: One water stop (accessible twice), lots of cheers near start/finish line
After Party: Big, but mostly food trucks and concession tents ($$)

Results: https://my.raceresult.com/380156/results#1_979DAD

Give Me What I Paid For! - IQ Fiber Winter Beach Run 5k Race Report 2026

I’ve done the summer version of this race a few times, back in the mid 2010s, and the last time I did it (in 2016), I got heat exhaustion! So I’d decided to not do this race anymore, at least until I was in better shape (i.e. not fat). I haven’t done it since… But there’s also a winter version that I’ve wanted to try but never remembered to sign up for… until this year!

I left home around 6am and had an easy drive to Jacksonville Beach. I got there around 7:45am (for a 9am race), scoring a great parking spot in the lot right by the park. I went up to get my packet, and I was told that they didn’t have any Women’s XXL shirts, and that I could check back afterward to “see if any showed up.” I asked to get a different size, and the volunteer kept telling me that they couldn’t swap or substitute before the race. BUT… I wasn’t trying to swap or substitute – I was just trying to get a shirt that was owed to me for signing up for the race. I was getting pissed off, because I specifically paid $5 EXTRA for a shirt in my size, and somehow ended up with NO SHIRT?!?

After a few minutes of trying to be rational with this woman, I gave up and went back to the car. Where I decided to tweet about it. Like, I didn’t expect any sort of outcome, but I was just so damn ticked off, that I needed to name and shame the company at this point.

I headed back to the park around 8:40 and as I was walking I heard my bib number being called over the speaker, telling me to come to the Info Tent. When I got there, I was told that they just randomly had someone turn in an WXXL shirt (yeah, sure) so I was able to get the shirt that I paid extra for. Was it the twitter bitching? Did they find an extra one in a box? Did someone actually turn one in? Who knows, got mine. I wasn’t happy, per se, but satisfied. Like, I don’t take pleasure in having to shame someone publicly to get what I deserve. I took it back to the car, then back to the park to finally line up and walk this race.

A tiny bit of the race was along the Seawalk sidewalks, but the majority of it was on the beach. Trudging through the soft sand always sucks, but then you get to the harder-packed sand at the water’s edge and it’s easier to walk. I didn’t do any running, but I did want to run, so that’s a win, I suppose (I feel like my body is fighting back from a year or so of not training).

I finished under an hour – 58:54 – and was 445^th out of 486 total participants. I was last in my age group, and ironically, I could have beat the 22^nd lady if I was just 20 seconds faster!    

I wandered around the ‘after party’ which was sad as hell. A perk of this race is hot cocoa after the race, and even though it was already in the high 60s, I got some anyway, and y’all… I kid you not, there were cases of individually packaged cocoa mix under the table, with the cocoa being kept in those large Igloo cooler dispensers. Someone had to sit there and open thousands of Swiss Miss packets and mix them all together! As you can imagine, the cocoa wasn’t all that hot, and not super-tasty. The only other thing there was some rando handing out almond granola. Not an almond fan, so I didn’t get any. The after party was very sad!

I walked around the adjacent Jax Beach Arts Market, which was as sad as you’d imagine, then headed back to the car. I changed at a local gas station then headed north to treat myself to a platter of fried deliciousness at Safe Harbor Seafood. There were about 30 Navy men in their fatigues, waiting in line. As I stood there looking at them, they all looked so YOUNG! I’ve reached an age where I can look at new soldiers and realize that they could all be young enough to be my child. Bless you all, my dudes, and stay safe as you make your way through the world.

Anyway, I got the Fried Shrimp and Scallop basket, and took it outside to the patio. I forgot how much I hated these stupid, hipster, aluminum seats (they aren’t meant for big butts). Sadly, the scallops weren’t cooked all the way through (I guess?) because they felt kind of mushy inside. The shrimp was delicious, nice and plump. I need to remember to skip the scallops and just get shrimp! Although I’m beginning to wonder if the product is worth the hype anymore? This meal cost me about $25, and I only ate about half of it.

With a full belly, I decided to check out the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. Everyone raves about St. Vinnies, but this one wasn’t impressive. It was very small, and felt bougie. Good for them for marketing their wares in a great way, though! I felt like I was shopping at a boutique that caters to 60-year old women who like to lunch. I ended up getting a small fleece blanket for a buck, that I use at work (our building is 200 years old and not well insulated).

Next, I headed to Hope’s Closet Thrift Shop  and HOLY MOLY, what a store! I didn’t know what to expect, only that the store looked like it would be big, but wow. It was probably 75% clothing, so at first I wasn’t all that thrilled – it’s hard to find Plus Size clothing at thrift stores. This store was weird, though. They had some items that looked brand new with tags, like they got it from a warehouse or outlet, but then they also had racks of typical thrift clothing. Racks were very well organized, by type, then size – including Plus Size! This made me so happy, because it meant that I wouldn’t have to dig through racks and racks of clothing just hoping to find my size! I could simply go to the Shirt rack, and look at the small selection of Plus Size, and then move on if I don’t find anything. I ended up wandering this store for three hours, immersed in the hunt! I scored a few pair of nice (like really nice) work pants and some little tchotchkes for Valentine’s day décor.

I thought about hitting up another thrift store, but it was late in the day, so I grabbed a soda and just headed home, exhausted! 

Race Notes                                                          
Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Host: 1^st Place Sports
Race Fee: $25 at time of registration (Plus extra $5 for Women’s 2X shirt)
Packet Pickup: Easy to find, unsatisfactory interaction
Parking: Across the street, but I got there early
Support: One water table (accessible up and back), beach was not closed to tourists
After Party: Pretty much nothing! Some rando with granola, an Igloo cooler with Hot Cocoa
Results: https://my.raceresult.com/378077/results#2_EB48B6

The Universe Told Me I Could Do This - Gate River Run 2025

After doing Gasparilla last week (after a completely shitty 2024 of no training, no gym, no nothing really), I honestly didn't know if I should - or could - do another 15k just six days later. I thought on it for a few days, vacillating between let's do this! and fuck it, stay in bed!, and finally decided to just follow my heart and do whatever it told me to do. 

On Friday, I didn't even want to go, but I got all my stuff together anyway - my plan was to go and at least pick up my bib and swag. And if I didn't want to do it, I remembered that, last year, there was an option to turn in my bib and have my medal mailed to me a week later. Either way (doing it or not), I'd have my medal. 

Waking up on Saturday, I felt, I don't know... optimistic? I wasn't feeling fuck yeah let's do this about it, but more like I can do this, yeah, I think I can do this. I made really good time to Jacksonville, until I hit the usual traffic jam at Arlington. All I wanted to do was park in Lot J (which would be close to the Expo, so I didn't get lost), and like a dumbass, I thought I was smarter than the other million people here, and tried to find a different way to access Lot J. I drove away from Arlington, over near the parking garage, past the parking garage, but as I got near Lot J, they waved us away from the lot because it was already full (at 7am, wow!). So I continued to follow traffic, in a big-ass circle, until they brought us back over near the garage, where I sat in stand-still traffic for probably 20 minutes! I was beginning to fume and get angry... If I wanted to actually do this race (and the anger seemed to point that way), I still needed to park, walk over to the Expo and get my bib, then get to the actual start line! 

An estimate of my route to find parking

I accepted my fate at this point, assuming that there was some reason that I wasn't going to be able to participate. Traffic began to move, but I had no idea where they were sending us, because I gave up and slipped into a random parking lot with a $10 Parking sign. I realized that my wallet was in the truck, but thankfully, I have a card stored in my Garmin Watch, so I was able to NFC pay. We live in the future, y'all, so cool. 

As I parked, I realized that I was parking in the old expo area (the Jax Fairgrounds area), which was a huge win because I knew exactly where I was, and more importantly, how to get back to my car. 

I geared up, putting on my sneakers and stuffing my pockets, but not really rushing; it was already 8am at this point, and I assumed that there was no way that I'd make it to packet pickup and back to my wave before it took off. The expo was at Daily's Place this year, on the front side of the stadium. The inside was nicely organized (and probably much busier when the Expo was actually open). I was able to pick up my shirt, bib, and bag, but they ran out of pint glasses, which ticked me off; if I paid a fee for swag, I should get all the swag. 

The National Anthem started while I was still inside the expo building, and it kind of deflated my balloon... I really didn't know if I'd make it back to my wave before the race started (though, in hindsight, I forgot that my wave takes off more than 20 minutes after the speedy folks, lol). 

Let's go!

After the anthem, the Race Announcer said that they were going to postpone the start for 10 minutes, due to a disabled vehicle on the Main Street Bridge. I think that 10 minute delay was The Universe's way of helping me out, man. The Universe held up 15,000 people so that I could make it to my wave. The Universe is awesome. So I pinned on my bib and made my way over to The Pink Wave, which was actually right outside of Daily's Place. Getting there around 8:20, there was enough time for me to pee, pack my swag into my waist pack, and still had to wait about 10 minutes before I could sneak into the back of The Purple Wave. 

Okay, so now that I'm actually starting this race... can I finish this race? Who knows! Let's find out!

The course had a few changes from last year, though I feel like I say this every single year, because of the never-ending construction around the stadium. The start went straight down Gator Bowl Boulevard, instead of the "back way" from the past few years. I didn't plan on busting my ass for a good finish time... I just wanted to go as far as I could without hurting myself, and if it turned out I could go all the way, well then good for me! But if there was any reason to quit (other than I'm tired or I don't wanna), I was going to listen to my body and quit. 

Shoofie!

Getting up and over the Main Street bridge was a little rough, but I survived. I could feel the months and months of skipping cardio, that's for sure! I did a little running on the downhill, feeling okay (the only running I did, though). I checked in with my body at the 5k mark, and I felt good - no muscle aches, no breathing troubles, no issues to be found. I peeled off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist and kept going. 

River Road was cacophonous and much more raucous than previous years. As I got on Hendricks, I saw some old geezer standing on the side of the road, waving his hand over his head, looking for someone, and I realized it was a friend of mine from parkrun! I knew that S and A were coming, but I didn't know anyone else was coming! So I walked with C and J until the corner and then they sped up and took off again (and by "took off" I mean they just walked faster than me, but I think that's because C had to pee). Knowing that I had some friends on the course with me (besides super-speedy S) gave me a little pep in my step, since I wasn't alone. 

Feeling so much better than 2024

At the 6 Mile Flag on Atlantic, I was still feeling pretty good; this is where I knew I had to quit two years ago, so I was happy to keep going. C & J passed me again (C finally got to pee, and they got behind me at some point). 

J & C kinda looking like Luigi & Mario

Mile 7 was deemed The Sober Mile by the people who were volunteering there, and The Sombrero Guy was giving out hugs, so I took him up on it. As I gave him a huge, strong hug (I really needed a hug, apparently), I thanked him for the Sober, since this is a very drunk race. He truly appreciated that thanks, so I'd wager that he is sober for a specific reason. I got an ice cold bottle of water and tucked it into my bra to drink on the bridge (though the ice in my Nathan was doing well still). 

Soon....

And finally, it was time. I stopped to stretch before I got on the entrance ramp. I took stock of what was hurting (though at that point, I damn sure wasn't gonna quit) - my feet hurt, of course, some vague pain in my legs, mostly along the outside, from my butt to my shins. But not major system malfunctions! I can do this! I chose to stop right before the Mile 8.3 flag for a photo op and to catch my breath before tackling the most uphill part of the entire bridge, then I just put my head down and trudged on until I got to the apex of the bridge itself. Music was pumping, everyone was woo-hooing, people driving by were honking, it was a party!

It was HARD this year, y'all

And then it was all downhill. 

Let's go, let's go, let's GO!

All the race promos said that the finish line was right at the bottom of the bridge but they were full of shit… I kept looking for flags and balloons and shit, but there was nothing. Oh the finish line is way over there at the start line! (And by way over there, I meant maybe .2 miles, but STILL!) 

Did they walk the entire way like this? 

At the bottom of the exit ramp on Gator Bowl Blvd, there was a marching band, but more importantly, there were some cutie patootie kiddos handing out popsicles! Oh, you know I got a popsicle! I ate a few bites of it then chucked it in the bushes, tucked my water bottle in the waistband of my skirt and crossed the finish line with my hands held high!

This wasn't the photo I was aiming for, but I love it!

I did it, I did it!!

My official time was 3:09:34. 

My 5k time was 59:23, and my 10k time was 2:01:42.

I was the 7,184th out of 7,318 total Females, and 686th out of 698 in my age group. 

I was the 13,600th finisher out of 13,860 total finishers (so, I only finished in front of 259 other people!)

I got a bottle of water and my medal, then veered off to the side of the chute to stretch my calves. For some reason, I put my head down on the railing and I just started crying, like crying crying! Thankfully, I was right in front of a speaker, so no one heard me! I have no idea why I was crying, either. Because I did it? Because I finished? Because I didn't hurt myself? I don't know. But I gave in to it and let myself sob for a minute or so, then got my shit back together and took a finish photo. 

My shirt is all jacked up because of my waist pack and sweatshirt

I looked around for any familiar faces, but didn't see any. I'd kind of hoped to see at least C & J hanging out and cheering me on at the finish line. Not finding anyone, I headed over to where I thought the after-party was. But... Where the hell was the party? All I saw were pavilions and team tents over by the bathrooms, and then a pretty waterfront area (Jax is in the process of rebuilding or improving this entire area). I sat down on a nearby bench and transferred things from my waist pack over to my swag bag, caught my breath, then walked over to the waterfront for a few selfies. 

So, it's not quite as big as my head, but it's pretty big

As I walked over to the water, I saw another sidewalk that led past a thick tree line, but it didn't seem like there was a party over there... I just thought that people were just making their way back to their cars. When I got home, I pulled up Google Maps and saw that I fell victim to Run Brain! The party was definitely behind the tree line! I also found out later that S, C, J, and even B (who finished 30 minutes ahead of me) were all looking for me afterward - I felt so bad! 

This is the map from the GRR Website; I was over on the left side where it says Team Tents

Anyway, after walking around the not-the-party area like a zombie, I gave up and headed back to my car, thankfully parked in a place that I knew exactly how to get to! I sat on Google Maps for a while, trying to decide what I wanted to eat (while watching the traffic at a stand-still as everyone else tried to leave the area). I hurt too much to stand in line at Safe Harbor, as much as I would love some fresh seafood, so I settled on Culver's and then shopping my way out of town. I made my way to a local gas station to change and get a Pepsi. I indulged in cheese curds and buffalo chicken fingers, but was far too stuffed to indulge in a caramel sundae afterward. I also ended up skipping any shopping; my legs were stiffening up, and though walking would have been smart, it was already almost 2pm and I needed to get home. 

************************************************************************************

Race Notes

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Host: 1st Place Sports

Race Fee: $81 ($55 Race, $8 extra for 3XL shirt, $10 extra for Day of Race Packet Pickup, $6.30 Refund Protection, $6.74 Processing Fee, -$5 Early Bird Promo Code)

Packet Pickup: Hectic to get to, quiet inside

Parking: Get there EARLY! Seriously, 90 minutes early or more!

Support: This is the biggest party race I’ve ever done, with tons of neighborhood support, but no on-course Gatorade or Fuel 

After Party: Highly lacking options besides beer, water, and bananas (according to those who actually found the party!)

Results: https://my.raceresult.com/326628/results#1_600DC3