Welcome to Marathon!

Marathon is a city on Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,626. As of 2000, English as a first language accounted for 78.10%, while Spanish as a mother tongue made up 20.95% of the population.

Marathon Hotels and Resorts

History

Though the area has been settled for some time, Marathon is a relatively new city, incorporated in 1999. The city set its boundaries "from the east end of the Seven Mile Bridge to the west end of Tom's Harbor Bridge".

Among the islands found within the city limits Marathon are Boot Key, Knight Key, Hog Key, Vaca Key, Stirrup Key, Crawl Key, Little Crawl Key, East and West Sister’s Island, Deer Key, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, and Grassy Key.

The name Marathon dates back to the origin of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The name came about by the railroad workers who were working night and day to complete the railway – due to the unrelenting pace and struggle to complete the project, many of the workers complained that "this is getting to be a real Marathon", and was later used to name the local station along the railroad.

Notable former residents
  * Gary Burghoff (Radar from the TV series MASH)
  * Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys member)

The city of Marathon calls itself "A progressive family oriented community that enjoys a beautiful natural environment."

Gainesville Volunteer - Gainesville, FL is up in north-central Florida and home to the University of Florida Gators. Students are known to volunteer around the city and this website has a detailed directory of volunteer opportunities in Gainesville, FL.