Registering for the Life Time Miami Marathon isn't like registering for a lot of destination races, where you can decide on a whim in the fall and still get a bib. This race has developed a reputation for selling out fast, sometimes within days of opening, so understanding how registration actually works - and moving quickly when it opens - matters more here than the exact price tag. Here's the process, step by step, without the numbers that change year to year (those live in the race details above).

How registration opens

Registration happens online through the race's official registration partner, and there's no race-day or walk-up registration option - you need a confirmed bib before you travel. General registration opens on a set date each year (check the race details above for this year's), and given how quickly the race has sold out in recent editions, the safest approach is to register the moment the window opens rather than waiting to decide.

Life Time member early access

Because the race is owned and produced by Life Time, active members of Life Time's athletic clubs get a documented perk: early access to registration, typically about a week before the general public window opens, provided they've held an active membership for a minimum stretch of time. If you're already a Life Time member, this is worth checking before general registration opens, since it can be the difference between getting a bib and facing a sold-out field.

What you'll need to register

Registration requires basic identifying information, an estimated finish time (which determines your starting corral), and payment. There are typically multiple distance options on the same registration platform - the full marathon, the half marathon, and a shorter tune-up race held earlier in race weekend - so make sure you're selecting the distance you actually intend to run.

Deferrals, transfers, and refunds

Entry fees for this race are generally non-refundable, but the race does offer both a deferral option, moving your registration to the following year only rather than further out, and a bib transfer option to another runner. Both are typically requested ahead of a cutoff date in January, though the two work differently: a deferral means completing a whole new registration at the following year's entry fee, since your original payment isn't refunded or carried over, while a transfer carries a smaller administrative fee instead. If your plans change, don't assume you're automatically out of options - check the official registration-changes policy before writing off your entry.

After you register

Once you're registered, plan on picking up your bib in person at the race expo during race week - the race does offer a paid bib-mailing add-on for those who register early enough, and otherwise no race-day bib pickup, so unless you've added mailing, build the expo visit into your travel schedule. Bring a government-issued photo ID, and if someone else is picking up your bib on your behalf, they'll typically need a copy of yours.

If registration is already closed

This race has sold out well before race day in recent years, sometimes within days of opening. If you've missed the window, you're not necessarily out of luck - RaceRove's companion guides to this race's waitlist and to what to do if it's sold out cover the realistic paths back in.