Miami’s largest office party, the Lexus Corporate Run, expects 14,000 participants

A crowd of 14,100 workers and executives from 539 companies will descend on Bayfront Park at 6:45 p.m. Thursday for the Lexus Miami Corporate Run, otherwise known as the city’s largest office party.

The 5K (3.1-mile) race through downtown Miami and all the festivities that surround it are slowly, but surely getting back to normal after COVID put a damper on things for a few years. There are 4,000 more entrants this year than last, although the field is still just half of the 28,000 that showed up for the 2018 race.

The Top 10 largest participating teams are: Visa Inc. (260), Citi (244), Gables Engineering (202), Miami-Dade County (201), City of Miami (169), Santander Private Banking (164), Leon Medical Centers (151), Morgan Stanley (149), Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits (147), and Baptist Health South Florida (126).

Eighty-three CEOs are on the entry list, including Christopher Roberts, CEO and President of the Bean Automotive Group, which owns five South Florida Lexus and Toyota dealerships. Lexus is the new name sponsor of the race, replacing longtime sponsor Mercedes-Benz. Lexus signed a three-year deal with the 38-year-old event, with options to extend the contract.

“Health is a big deal with Lexus, we did a lot with cycling and other sports sponsorship, so with Miami as an active environment and with the Corporate Run bringing tens of thousands of people, it was a great partnership,” Roberts said. “We have a huge push with our associates to lead a healthy lifestyle, and this fits in with that message.”

For the past five years, Bean Automotive Group has been named one of the healthiest employers in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal, ranking first place among businesses with 500-1,499 employees.

Bean launched its “Tune-Up Your Health” wellness program a few years ago, which includes quarterly health screenings, wellness challenges, nutrition seminars, mental health workshops, and exercise classes. They also have a “Tune-Up Your Wealth” program, offering financial counseling. Debt is one of the biggest stress factors in the United States and that can lead to medical problems.

Roberts will lead a team of 30 runners representing the local Lexus stores. The 63-year-old Jamaica native moved to Miami in 1979 and played semi-professional soccer with the Miami Waves in the early 1980s. He was a goalkeeper, and after suffering a concussion, decided to switch sports and pick up running.

“I ran a few marathons, got bored with that, started triathlon and slowly grew with the sport up until today,” said Roberts. “I need to be doing something competitive. The car business is competitive, too.”

He does half marathons every year, has done 11 half-Ironman races, and has completed four full Ironmans in Germany, Mexico, Texas and New York. He had knee surgery eight weeks ago, and just started running again.

“I did 40 minutes on the elliptical (Tuesday), so I think I’ll be fine,” Roberts said. “I can’t wait to get out there. And if I start to feel any pain at some point, I’ll just stop. The main thing is to be out there. As the first-time sponsor, we are hoping for a great turnout.”

Among the race’s annual traditions is the T-shirt contest. Companies compete for the most creative use of their logos, city landmarks, and the event’s trademark “Hurricane Heads”. This year’s winners were Seaboard Marine (logo), Centurion Restaurant Group (city landmarks), and Intradeco Apparel (Hurricane Heads).

These are the road closures and other important details for participants:

• Biscayne Blvd northbound Traffic will be re-routed to the southbound lanes from SE 1 St to NE 4th St. Northbound lanes will return to their normal trajectory from NE 4th St. Biscayne Blvd southbound lanes will offer two-way traffic with specific attention given to all residents of the immediate area.

• Biscayne Blvd. from Chopin Plaza south to SE 3rd St. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

• SE 2nd St. from Biscayne Blvd. to North River Drive will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.

• North River Drive from SE 2nd St. to NW 5 St. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.

• NW 5th St. from North River Drive to NW 6 Ave. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 7:55 p.m.

• NW 6th Ave. from NW 5th St to NW 6th St. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• NW 6th St. from NW 6th Ave to NW 3rd Ct. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 8:10 p.m.

• NW 3rd Ct. from NW 6th St. to NW 3rd St. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

• NW 3rd St. from NW 3rd Ct. to Biscayne Blvd. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.

• Biscayne Blvd. northbound lanes from NE 4th St. to Flagler St. will be closed from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Please note: if you are north of NW / NE 4th Street, west of the Miami River or south of Biscayne Blvd., these closures will NOT affect you.