I ran this race in 2013. As noted, the course is flat; it's coastal Florida, you could almost play…read morebilliards on the course (if there's a total gain of 40 feet I'd be surprised). It's a series of out-and-back loops, basically, which means that you get to see the elite runners several times, and can cheer on those behind you if you wish. The scenery is nice enough (most of the race is through Port Royal, a fairly tony neighborhood in Naples), and it's the only race I can think of where a priest is blessing the passing runners with holy water (at Trinity-by-the-Cove church, mile 8 and 9). Prize money attracts a number of elite runners (in 2013 we ran with an Olympian and several NCAA champions), but there's still a nice, local feel to the race, probably helped by the finish at Cambier Park -- after the race, it's just a bunch of happy, sweaty, tired people eating bagels and bananas in the park and swapping war stories. One other interesting touch is the National Anthem -- before the starting gun, they begin playing the Star Spangled Banner on a loudspeaker. This year, there was a hitch, and it cut out after a couple bars. So the runners all chimed in for a heartfelt, if potentially out-of-tune (we're runners, not singers!) rendition. That was a surprisingly cool part of the experience. Registration is quick and painless, as is early packet-pick-up. If you do early pickup, you literally only have to show up on race day with your bib. The tech shirt is now in my regular rotation for running gear, and the medal is awesome -- bright and colorful. Alas, this year I missed the pasta party the night before the race (also included in registration), but I've been told that it's a blast too. If you're looking for a midwinter race, who doesn't want to come to Florida for a weekend and a half-marathon?

Attention all runners who live in the more frigid parts of the country. If you are a distance…read morerunner then this is your race. It falls on the 3rd Sunday of January. If you are like me and are doing 14 mile runs on ice and through ankle deep snow and single digit temps this race will cure all of your ills. It is flat, fast, and shaded. The race director puts his heart into this race and it shows. Registration is a breeze, the course is beautiful and well marked, the aid stations are convenient and well stocked, and the medals are great and change every year (although they always feature a pelican.....precious). The perfect race at the perfect time if you are doing a spring marathon (Pittsburgh for me this year). This is a race that people do year after year. The masters field is STACKED. Some of the best names in running show up. Two years ago I ran into a couple of Olympic hopefuls using this race as a qualifier. As an added bonus you get to spend two or three days in Naples. One of the most beautiful cities I have ever been. Put it on your calendar today.

Longtime golf fans know the QBE Shootout as the Franklin Templeton Shootout. Congratulations to the…read moreShootout's latest winners, Harris English and Matt Kuchar, for capturing this event's trophy for the third time. English and Kuchar are the only duo to win this event three times together: 2013, 2016, 2020. Brad Faxon and Scott McCarron are both three-time winners as well, but they each had different teammates in their maiden victories: Faxon and Fred Couples in 1994 and McCarron and Bruce Lietzke in 1997. As a Kuch fan and fellow Georgia Tech alum, what's interesting about the team of English and Kuchar is they're from rival schools. English (age 31) played collegiately at Georgia and turned pro in 2011. Kuch (age 42) played collegiately at Georgia Tech and turned pro in 2000. This UGA-Tech pairing has proved to be quite formidable. Not only has this unusual Bulldog-Yellow Jacket combo won this event three times, but they also just set the tournament record for margin of victory with their *nine*-shot win last month. The QBE Shootout is an unofficial event on the PGA Tour meaning it doesn't award any FedEx Cup points nor official money. That said, its purse in 2020 was $3.6 million and English and Kuchar each took home $447,500 in prize money. The field was small, consisting only of 12 two-player teams. Other pairings of note included Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson, Cameron Champ and Tony Finau, and Daniel Berger and Steve Stricker. It's not the most star-studded event, but it's still fun to watch on a lazy Saturday or Sunday nonetheless (NBC). This "offseason" event is also more casual as the players will opt to give their regular caddies a break and have someone unconventional on the bag. Examples in 2020 included Kuchar's 13-year-old son, Cameron, as his caddie and Stricker's wife, Nicki, as his. Obviously, with two-player teams, the tournament format is unconventional too. There are three rounds and the formats are mixed. First round is scramble, second round is modified alternate shot (both players tee off on every hole, alternate shot from there), and third round is fourball a.k.a. best ball (both players play their own ball and the lower score of the two is recorded as the team score). The QBE Shootout is hosted by Greg Norman and is currently played on the Gold Course that he designed at Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples (Florida). It's been held annually since 1989, most recently every December.