Final Manasota Track Club beach run to memorialize late members

By Dana Kampa
| 8:00 a.m. July 23, 2026

Siesta Key
Neighbors

The Manasota Track Club is holding its final Siesta Key Beach run this week and will celebrate the memory of members Chris and Cindy Common.

The Commons left a legacy of always dressing to impress with elaborate costumes for any local running event, whether it was the annual Bridge A Life superhero run or holiday fun runs. They died in December 2021 when struck by a vehicle while crossing Palmer Boulevard.

The kids' run starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the yellow lifeguard stand on Siesta Key Beach, and the adult run starts at 7 p.m. Attendees who wear a costume may win one of three prizes in a contest in their honor.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.