Air, Land & Sea Poker Run to Draw Adventurers to Florida Keys May 16-18

FLORIDA KEYS -- Adrenaline enthusiasts can explore the Florida Keys in three ways during the inaugural Key West Air, Land & Sea Poker Run. Scheduled Friday through Sunday, May 16-18, the high-energy motorsports event features motoring, boating and flying group rallies from Miami to Key West with several stops along the route through the Florida Keys. Motorists can drive the 113-mile Florida Keys Overseas Highway, featuring 42 bridges over water and extensive vistas of sea and sky, while powerboaters travel Atlantic Ocean waters just off the island chain paralleled by the world's third-largest coral barrier reef. Meanwhile, participating pilots can get a bird's-eye view of the necklace of Keys and the multicolored waters and marine life of the Atlantic, Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Presented by the Florida Powerboat Club, the event also provides opportunities for fans to watch the action, meet the poker run teams and check out their high-speed machines in the Keys. At 10 a.m. Friday, May 16, air, land and sea "poker runners" are to begin their journeys from the mainland through the Florida Keys to Key West. Stopover checkpoints are planned in Key Largo, Islamorada and Marathon. By 4 p.m., all participants should be in Key West for the Key West Poker Run Village parties and events. The village is to be set up at Conch Republic Seafood Co., 631 Greene St., and the surrounding Historic Seaport area. Enthusiasts can visit the village 2-10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday to mingle with participants and view displays of vehicles and vessels. Admission is free. Other attractions include a Saturday night dinner and awards ceremony for poker run participants and a free day Sunday to explore Key West. According to organizers, the entire event is to be filmed for a feature-length Fox Sports television special. Registration is $295 for a motorbike with one rider, $495 per car or coach and $695 per boat, yacht or airplane. The Florida Powerboat Club has staged November's popular Key West Offshore Poker Run for more than two decades. Organizers report that the event draws more than 160 powerboat teams and about 1,000 attendees from around the globe each year.