Newly-minted Miamian Luis Orta wins Life Time Tropical 5K race for fourth consecutive time
Luis Orta won his fourth consecutive Life Time Tropical 5K race on Miami Beach on Saturday, but this one was very different than the first three.
Orta had previously traveled to Miami for this Life Time Miami Marathon weekend kickoff race as a Boulder, Colorado-based coach. But this time his win in a time of 15:04 came as a “local” since he moved to the Magic City six months ago.
“It was good. It was not as competitive as last year so it was mostly fun,” Orta said. “Still hard work, still tired, but very good. This is the first time winning this race as a Miami resident.”
Orta’s fourth win broke a record tie with former local running star Bryan Huberty, who won three Tropical 5K titles between 2014 and 2017. Diego Moreno Panesso of Puerto Rico (16:18) and Colombian Jaime Alejandro Zuluaga Duque (16:37) were the second and third runners to cross the finish line.
More than 3,300 runners were at the start line of the early-morning point-to-point race that annually serves as a warmup to Sunday’s Life Time Miami Marathon and Half Marathon.
While Orta has moved permanently to a warmer climate, women’s race winner Abby Levene, 33, arrived from Boulder on Wednesday and was feeling the heat of South Beach in all her glory. She won with a time of 17:50 on her first Miami visit and the former Princeton athlete pointed to a long bruise on her leg as a reminder of the ice she slipped on back home in Colorado earlier in the week.
“This is quite a shock to the system coming from zero degree temperatures and snow,“ she said. “I would argue that the wind, humidity and heat make it harder than the altitude. I felt like I was going to throw up two miles in. You hit that hill on the (MacArthur) Causeway, which doesn’t feel like much when you’re driving, but when you’re running, it feels like a mountain.
“This is the perfect nugget of a race experience (5K) coming from winter. Just when you’re starting to melt from the inside out, you’re done.”
A journalist for Outside Magazine, Levene found herself in the race testing out a new Tracksmith racing shoe that hits the market in March.
“It held up great,” she said. “The ground was wet, so I was happy to have shoes with good traction.”
Levene easily beat Mallon Ashlin of Santa Rosa, CA (18:46) and Miami resident Liz Turner (18:53).
Saturday’s race started at the Children’s Museum at Watson Island Park and finished near South Pointe Park at the southern tip of South Beach. The course’s 3.1 miles of waterfront views on the scenic MacArthur Causeway included a line of gleaming cruise ships awaiting passengers at the Port of Miami.
Runners then followed the course through the tree-lined streets of South Beach before arriving at the finish line just north of the iconic Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant.
With the 74-degree temperature rising as the race got underway, the 2025 edition of the Tropical 5K proved to be a typical Miami race.
“Hot and humid, just like I like it in Miami,” said Orta, 35, who moved to the Westchester area near Tropical Park where he trains his athletes. “We’re in Miami, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s what you have to expect and that’s what it was.”
Despite his move south, Orta still heads his “My Olympic Coach” company that offers personalized training and camps. He participated in Life Time’s Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center and many of his athletes are scheduled to run in Sunday’s races.
‘I have a camp going on right now. We have 20 campers from all over the world,” he said. “We have a group that we’re growing that has 100+ people (based) here.”
But the former Venezuelan national record holder and University of Kentucky distance runner still laces up his own shoes from time-to-time.
“Four wins in a row, let’s see if I can do a fifth in Miami if I can have help next year to do it,” Orta said.
Levene seemed to be equally smitten by Miami.
”I love it,” she said. “I like the architecture and the pastels. It’s such a whimsical and romantic city. A splash of color and warmth coming from a dark cold winter. The migration south has been a success after being frozen for two months.”
RESULTS
▪ Men’s race: 1. Luis Orta, Miami, 15:04; 2. Diego Moreno Panesso, San Juan, PR, 16:18; 3. Jaime Alejandro Zuluaga Duque, Manizales, COL 16:37; 4. Luis Kock, Oranjesta, Aruba, 16:57; 5. Camilo Acosta Cifuentes, Bogota, COL, 17:03; 6. Matteo Carvajal, Medellin, COL, 17:08; 7. Alec Torricella, Miami, 17:16; 8. Nelson Henderson, Hollywood, 18:07; 9. Jose Julio Gadelha, Limoeiro Do Norte, BRA, 18:21; 10. Jaydrick Geerman, Paradera, Aruba, 18:26; 11. Diego Leon, Medellín, COL, 18:35; 12. Eric Castaing, Dania, 18:42; 13. Tanner Bowden, Boston, 18:54; 14. Ludwig Dirksz, Aruba, 18:57; 15. Jonathan Cuellar, Miami, 18:59.
▪ Women’s race: 1. Abby Levene, Boulder, CO, 17:50; 2. Mallon Ashlin, Santa Rosa, CA, 18:46; 3. Liz Turner, Miami, 18:53; 4. Eloïse Combe, Puteaux, FRA, 19:10; 5. Aurelie Tronou, Bordeaux, FRA, 20:17; 6. Amanda Furrer, Boston, 20:20; 7, Camille Kohtala, Miami, 20:30; 8. Heather Mayer Irvine, Boston, 20:34; 9. Teresita Granados Solís, Guápiles, Costa Rica, 20:54; 10. Irina Abramova, Coral Gables, 21:07; 11. Sarah Gómez, Envigado, COL, 21:10; 12. Crisiene Flanegin, Oranjestad, Aruba, 21:37; 13. Sydney Herrera, Hialeah, 21:43; 14. Karla Lee Ricardez Cervantes, Queretaro, MEX, 22:08; 15. Jackie Grasinger, Pembroke Pines, 22:34.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 3:24 PM.