"It holds a lot of meaning for the community." That's how Siesta Beach manager Jonathan Poyner described the Sandy Claws Beach Run in a 2023 Siesta Sand feature on the race's history. Three years later, the county is putting a number on that meaning. The 50th Sandy Claws Beach Run is Saturday, Dec. 12, at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road.
This year's costume contest has a category for the oldest Sandy Claws shirt. A race turning 50 is giving a prize for proof that you were there years ago. The shirt that makes this year's runners eligible for that prize in a future year is guaranteed only to people who register by Friday, Nov. 20.
A race that kept counting through 2020
Sarasota County says the run has been an annual tradition since 1977. The numbering adds up. The county's 2017 announcement called that December's race the 41st, which puts 2026 at No. 50.
The streak survived 2020. Nobody gathered on the sand that year. Sarasota Magazine's holiday listings promoted the 44th edition as a virtual run, with a drive-through packet pickup and a photo stop with "Sandy the Crab." The next December, WTSP reported the 45th edition back on Siesta Beach, starting near the green lifeguard stand. The 1-mile course that year was a hot-cocoa scavenger route where runners collected ingredients along the way.
Because 2020 still counted, a shirt from any December since 1977 is part of an unbroken run of editions. The contest is set up to reward exactly that.
The costume contest is built around the anniversary
The 2026 race page lists five holiday-themed costume categories:
- Oldest Sandy Claws Shirt
- Best '70s Costume
- Most Festive Holiday Outfit
- Best Duo Costume
- Best Family/Group Costume
The first two point back to 1977. Anyone with a shirt from an early edition in a closet has a real shot at a prize. Everyone else can still enter the '70s category with a thrift-store find. The last three are standard for a December race, and they're where families with matching outfits tend to land.
The race has grown to the point where that history has an audience. Siesta Sand reported ahead of the 2025 race that more than 750 runners, joggers and walkers registered for the 2024 edition, and that some ran barefoot.
Why Friday, Nov. 20 matters more than race day
Prices go up after 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 20, and that cutoff also decides the shirt. People who register by then get a long-sleeve performance event shirt and runner goodies. People who register on Nov. 21 or later, including race morning, get a shirt and goodies only while supplies last. At a race where the oldest shirt wins a prize, registering late can cost you your copy of the 50th-anniversary shirt.
The early price is also lower than last year's. Siesta Sand listed the 2025 adult 5K at $45 plus a $3.70 sign-up fee. For 2026, the race page lists the adult 5K at $40, with $45 shown struck through.
| Event | Start time | Price through Nov. 20 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk, all ages | 8:00 a.m. | $25 |
| 5K, ages 18 and up | 8:20 a.m. | $40 |
| 5K, ages 17 and under | 8:20 a.m. | $35 |
| Virtual 5K, walk or run | On your own schedule | $40 |
A few more discounts are available. A 5K Family 4-Pack applies when you choose multi-person pricing at registration. Youth groups of 10 or more can get a discount code by calling 311. Manasota Track Club members get $5 off, since Sandy Claws is one of the club's member-discount events. Every finisher in the 5K, the 1-mile and the virtual race gets a medal. The top six finishers in each 5K age group get custom awards.
Your entry fee stays local. The race's donation page says proceeds go to "Summer in the Parks" summer camp programs and Friends of Sarasota County Parks, with a $2,500 donation goal.
Who puts it on after five decades
Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources hosts the race, and New Balance University is the presenting sponsor. The 5K is chip-timed and sanctioned by the Manasota Track Club as part of the MTC Race Series. The club is two years older than the race. According to MTC's own history, it held its first formal meeting on May 6, 1975, and Bill O'Brien and Jewel and John "JC" Shenk were among its founders. MTC calls itself a nonprofit running club serving Sarasota and Manatee counties. A club that has run local races for half a century is a good place to find people who still have the oldest shirts.
Race morning lines up with low tide
The race page promises the "hard-packed, world-renowned sand of Siesta Beach," and the tide timing on Dec. 12 works in runners' favor. NOAA's predictions for its Siesta Key, Big Sarasota Pass station call for a low of minus 0.30 feet at 8:12 a.m. That's eight minutes before the 5K starts and right in the middle of the 1-mile. The water doesn't reach its next high, 1.23 feet, until 3:31 p.m. That station sits at the north end of the key, so timing at Siesta Beach may differ by a few minutes, and a prediction isn't a guarantee. Still, the tide should be near its lowest point of the morning while runners are on the sand.
Sunrise in Sarasota is at 7:10 a.m. that day, according to timeanddate, so the sun is up by the time you reach the beach. Here's how race week lays out:
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 3 to 6 p.m. Early packet pickup at Molly's! (New Balance Sarasota), 1872 Stickney Point Road, for in-person and virtual runners.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, before 7:45 a.m. Race-day packet pickup at the beach. Park in the Siesta Beach lot, which has more than 950 free spaces.
- 8:00 a.m. The 1-mile fun run/walk starts. 8:20 a.m. The 5K starts. After the races, there's music, food, raffle prizes and the costume contest.
- Dec. 14 to 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Virtual runners who missed both earlier pickups can collect packets at Parks & Rec, 5883 Hummingbird Ave.
Questions go to the race director at [email protected] or to the county's 311 line.
Santa's other Siesta Key stop comes two weeks earlier
Before Sandy Claws, there's the Siesta Key Chamber's 2026 Holiday Parade on Saturday, Nov. 28. Santa takes free photos at the Historic Siesta Key Village Gazebo, at Ocean Boulevard, Avenida Messina and Canal Road, from 3 to 5 p.m. The first 250 children get a holiday gift bag, and the line closes at 4:30 p.m. so Santa can leave for the parade on time. The parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. from Avenida del Mare and Beach Road and heads north on Beach Road onto Ocean Boulevard and into the Village. Afterward, Santa takes more photos at The Big Tiki Lounge, 5311 Ocean Blvd. If you have a '70s costume picked out for Sandy Claws, the parade is an early chance to wear it.
Most of us who grew up on this island have a Sandy Claws shirt somewhere, and the 50th is a good excuse to go find yours. If you're looking at the place you'd want to wake up on race morning, or wondering what your home near Siesta Beach is worth this December, Shane Lewis is happy to talk it over. Start with an instant home valuation.
