provided to The Santiva Chronicle
With race day approaching, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel is encouraging runners and walkers to secure their spot in its second annual National Yucatán Shrimp Day 7K run and walk. The race, a fundraiser for the island’s nonprofit J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, is Saturday, May 23 at 7 a.m.
Participants can register here. Online donations are also being accepted with the goal of raising $10,000 for the society.
The race starts and finishes at Doc Ford’s Sanibel location at 2500 Island Inn Road. New this year is a virtual run and walk. Registration is $45 plus a $5.80 sign-up fee for participants 11 years and older. All participants are automatically entered for a chance to win a Doc Ford’s customized YETI cooler with restaurant swag and a $100 gift card.
Race packet pickup is available from 4 to 7 p.m. on the following days:
Wednesday, May 20, at the Doc Ford’s on Sanibel, 2500 Island Inn Road
Thursday, May 21, at the Doc Ford’s on Fort Myers Beach, 708 Fisherman’s Wharf
Friday, May 22, at the Fleet Feet Fort Myers in Bell Tower Shops, 13499 S Cleveland Avenue, Suite 209
Packets will also be available on race day at 5:30 a.m.
Awards will be presented to the top three male and female runners and by age groups. Timer Lin-Mark Sports will text results live and posts videos of each runner and walker crossing the finish line.
Guests are invited to continue the experience at Doc Ford’s, which opens early at 10 a.m. for post-run festivities. Race-day perks include a complimentary mojito for 7K participants, live chef demonstrations of the restaurant’s iconic Yucatán shrimp fresh off the grill, a photobooth and free drink stations sponsored by RNDC featuring Captains For Clean Water cocktails. Guests can also visit local community sponsors’ booths.
Started by Doc Ford’s employees, the 7K recognizes National Yucatán Shrimp Day, a nationwide holiday celebrated every May 24 since 2020. The run breaks from the traditional 5K format in honor of the seven ingredients in Doc Ford’s signature Yucatán shrimp, crafted with steamed peel-and-eat shrimp tossed in a savory spicy sauce made from butter, fresh lime juice, garlic, cilantro, sambal, salt and pepper.
Last year’s inaugural event attracted 350 runners and walkers and raised $7,500 for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Sea School, an immersive environmental camp for high school students.
The Doc Ford’s National Yucatán Shrimp 7K is sponsored by Asteria Wellness, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Fleet Feet Fort Myers, Lee County Electric Cooperative, Lin-Mark Sports, Finnimore’s Bike & Beach Rentals, Sanibel Carts, Cheney Brothers, On Island, Bailey’s General Store, Sanibel Sea School, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife and Captains For Clean Water.
Doc Ford’s four locations in Southwest Florida and St. Petersburg are celebrating National Yucatán Shrimp Day on Sunday, May 24. The Fort Myers Beach restaurant, plus neighboring Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company, are hosting a waterfront block party along Fisherman’s Wharf. The event includes live music and a “one-bite” contest with the three restaurants’ top chefs competing against each other. Each chef is creating a new Yucatán sauce-inspired dish with the public tasting and voting on their favorite. Each vote also enters guests into a raffle to win a YETI cooler.
Now through May 24, customers who purchase a Yucatán menu item or a bottle of Yucatán sauce at Doc Ford’s, Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company will receive an entry to the grand-prize drawing and the chance to win the YETI cooler filled with T-shirts, koozies, a bottle of Yucatán sauce and the $100 gift card. Each restaurant will draw a winner on May 24.
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Doc Ford’s is renowned for delivering a legendary guest experience. The award-winning restaurant offers food with a unique balance of flavors inspired by the Caribbean Rim. Known for its sauces, spices and passion, Doc Ford’s is beloved by locals and visitors alike as a spectacular seafood restaurant and is a perennial Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice winner. The St. Petersburg Pier was named the No. 1 Best of the Best Restaurants for Everyday Eats in 2023.
The St. Petersburg Pier restaurant is sponsoring an inaugural 7K fun run with help from employees of the Jungle Terrace location, also in St. Petersburg.
Conservation and environmental initiatives are at the core of HM Restaurant Group’s philanthropic philosophy and support of homegrown nonprofit organizations throughout Southwest Florida. The company sponsors the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Wines in the Wild and The Cause for Conservation gala. Employees recently participated in a beach cleanup, which also benefited the organization.
HM Restaurant Group also donates $1 from specialty cocktail sales at Doc Ford’s to Captains For Clean Water’s mission of improving the health of the Florida Everglades and Florida Bay. The program has raised $11,072 since its inception two years ago.
The “Ding” Darling Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament, founded in 2012, has donated over $1.57 million for conservation and water-quality research at Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The 14th annual tournament is May 15, 2026.
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