
Every year athletic Gulfportians celebrate the first weekend of the new year with the J. West Prostate Run, which this year extended its course from 5K to 8K. Also for the first time, former organizer Mike Calamari had the chance to run the race. Calamari, a cancer survivor, played an integral role in getting the Gulfport 5K up and running, but this year took a backseat as the city of Gulfport assumed responsibility for the run.
The new racecourse, which went only as far east as 49th Street in previous years, included a run to Clam Bayou, which local runners like Amy Pitzen, who ran with other Gulfport Montessori Elementary staff, said they liked.