Donald Piercy

Donald Piercy has "done Boston."So he knows a little bit about the mecca of running, having run in the Boston Marathon a year ago and qualifying in his age group again this spring after breaking 3 hours, 7 minutes in the Jacksonville Marathon.

But there's nowhere Piercy would rather be when the sun is coming up each day than pounding the miles along the sandy beaches near his Indian Harbour Beach home.

"I love running on the beach," said Piercy, who moved to Brevard County from Baltimore in 1988 largely because of the weather."Especially early in the morning, when the sun's coming up and you're running on the beach.There's nothing better than that.That's the place to do it."

Piercy and his wife, Denise, own the Running Zone in Melbourne.A runner in his younger days, Piercy has developed into one of the top marathoners in the area and part of his training schedule includes those early mornings by the Atlantic Ocean.

Beach running has a lot of positives, in addition to the view of a sunrise.

"If you're recovering from shin splints or whatever, a softer surface like grass or sand is better," Piercy said.
...
"It's more of a workout," Piercy said.
...
"I like it early morning or late in the evening," Piercy said.