Mote’s 37th Annual Run for the Turtles a huge success
Mote Marine Laboratory’s 37th Annual Run for the Turtles hosted 1,000 runners, both on Siesta Key Beach for the 1-mile fun run and Manasota Track Club-sanctioned 5k, and across the globe with the virtual run.
All three run types brought a variety of participants. Ages ranged from one to 92 years old. Participants spanned the globe from 27 states plus Canada.
The 37th Annual Run for the Turtles was one of the most successful in the history of the event. While the final amount is still being tallied, over $55,000 was raised for Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program (STCRP)! This annual event provides major support for STCRP, which conducts daily surveys of 35-mile of beach during turtle nesting season, as well as tags and satellite-tracks turtles.
“Run for the Turtles is the longest-standing fundraiser for Mote; we have been monitoring and protecting endangered sea turtles along local beaches for 41 years, and the Run raises thousands of dollars each year for this important service,” said Dr. Jake Lasala, Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program Manager.
In 2022, STCRP had their fourth best nesting year in the history of the program, with 4,483 nests in the 35-mile stretch of beach that the program monitors. In the past 41 years of the program’s history, STCRP has monitored over 136,784 turtle crawls, tagged over 10,000 sea turtles and protected more than 3.5 million sea turtle hatchlings. Learn more about the program at mote.org/research/program/sea-turtle-conservation-research.
"Conservation and research are at the core of Mote’s mission. As an independent, nonprofit research institution, we can not continue to do the vital work we do without the support of each and every one of you. Thank you for your support," said Lasala.
Sea turtle nesting season kicks off in southwest Florida May 1 and runs through October 31. On nesting beaches, light from waterfront properties can disorient nesting female turtles and their young, which emerge at night and use dim natural light to find the sea. Also, beach furniture, trash and other obstacles can impede sea turtles and their young.
Thanks to this years partners and sponsors: Whiting - Turner/Willis A Smith Construction; Herald - Tribune / LOCALiQ; GB International; Shutts & Bowen LLP; Holland Law; Blue Water Insurance Group; Koala Tee; Manasota Track Club; Fit2Run; Trader Joe's; Pete's Place Cafe at Dakin Dairy; Peak Performance Catering - Zildjian Catering; Morton's Gourmet Market; Rise and Nye's; and Run with Purpose Nutrition.
Results
1 mile fun run:
Top Overall Male – Ohia Baldwin
Top Overall Female – Avery Fernandez
Manasota Track Club sanctioned 5k:
See the full results at https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/38154#resultSetId-372145;perpage:100.
Top Overall:
Male – Alex Milne
Female – Kimber Meyer
Top Master:
Male – Eric Meyer
Female – Heather Butcher
Top Grandmaster:
Male – Jason Sharples
Female – Rachel Chambers
Top Senior Grandmaster:
Male – Danny Withers
Female – Jinx Howe
Top Vet Grandmaster:
Male – Karl Peter Haas
Female – Sandy Meneley
Mark your calendars for the 38th Annual Run for the Turtles on April 6, 2024.