Race History
IT'S A SUNDAY RACE THIS YEAR!!! Come join us for the 16th Annual Round the Bay Relay and Ultra on the beautiful Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida. The race will held on Sunday, December 27 and will begin at The Island Resort (host hotel) on Okaloosa Island (Ft. Walton Beach). The race loop will traverse the scenic towns of Destin, Niceville, Valparaiso, Shalimar and FWB before finishing at the Elks Lodge (200 yards from the host hotel) for an exciting post-race venue. Major upgrades have been made to ensure ULTRA runners an excellent course and support. The relay averages 40 teams (over 300 runners) and provides fellow runners and fan support. Tentative swag/support includes:
o Three fully stocked Aid stations at Hurricanes Grill/Bar (Mile 16), Tropical Smoothie in Niceville (mile 22) and Shalimar (Mile 30)
o Water, pretzels, candy, bag drop, and basic medical supplies, etc.
o Special Long/short Sleeve Race shirt (first 50 to register)
o Special Finisher Growler,
o Excellent post-race buffet, beverages and live music.
o Official starting times of 4:00 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30 AM (Check with RD if earlier start is needed). Goal- All runners should finish by 12:45 PM and the finish line closes at 12:55 PM.
Official times will be sent to Ultra Signup (Bill Carr)
o Special discounted hotel rates at the race’s host hotel, The Island Resort, located at the start line and will host packet pickup on Saturday, Dec. 26 from 4:00-7:00. A free 5K Bloody Mary Beach Recovery Run (or choose your distance) will be held Monday, Dec. 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM starting at The Island Resort.
Spend your recovery days at the beach!! Optimize U Destin will have a booth setup to help runners recover and rehydrate with Hydration Therapy for a cost. This information will be sent to all ultra runners.
Event's current local time: 3:51 AM ET
