Fourth Annual MTI Owners Fun Run Approaching With Record Numbers

Departing Miami Thursday morning, the fourth annual MTI Owners Fun Run to the Florida Keys currently has a mix of 49 catamarans and center consoles registered. Approximately 300 people will take part in the three-day happening, which will, as in years past, be based out of the Faro Blanco Resort and Yacht Club in Marathon.

A celebration of brand, the fourth annual MTI Owners Fun Run to the Florida Key will be the company’s largest gathering to date. Photos from the 2018 MTI event courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Most participants will leave from Haulover Marine Center in North Miami Beach, though some will be leaving from relatively nearby TNT Custom Marine.

“There are a bunch of boats already here and more are rolling in right now,” said Tim Gallagher, the Wentzville, Mo., high-performance powerboat company’s director of sales and marketing. “We have MTIs coming from all over the country—all the way from out West with boats from Lake Powell and Lake Havasu, from the Midwest and East Coast, from everywhere.

“This is our biggest event of the year,” he continued. “Last year, we had 28 boats. This year, we’re at 49 boats. So in one year, we’ve almost doubled in size.”

During the run to Marathon on Thursday, the group will stop for lunch at Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar. To accommodate the size of the fleet, the organizers have created a two-group format for short and long lunch/fun runs on Friday and Saturday.

“We are splitting into two groups so places can handle a smaller number boats,” said MTI’s Taylor Scism. “We have a Key West run planned for one group on Friday and a Key West run planned for another group on Saturday. On both days, we have planned shorter lunch runs to Islamorada for the group that isn’t heading to Key West.”

All participants will reunite Saturday night for a banquet and celebration at the Faro Blanco Resort.

Said Tim MTI’s Gallagher, “People who did it the year before go home and tell their MTI buddies how great it was.”

In addition to speedonthwater.com chief photographer Pete Boden, MTI is supplying a videographer and a drone photographer for the entire event.

Gallagher said that word of mouth continues to fuel the event’s growth. “People who did it the year before go home and tell their MTI buddies how great it was,” he said. “So it keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

Editor’s Note: Speedonthewater.com will be on scene to cover and report from the 2019 MTI Owners Fun Run.

Fourth Annual MTI Owners Fun Run Approaching With Record Numbers

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