Carter Park Fort Lauderdale: Running Venue Guide

Carter Park is the track Fort Lauderdale's youth and high school athletes race on. The city's own championship meet is held here every spring, local clubs run invitational series on its eight lanes, and elementary leagues use it all winter. This guide covers where it is, what the stadium has, which meets are held here, and what to know before you go.

Location and Getting There

The park is at 1450 West Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311, on the south side of Sunrise Boulevard just east of I-95. Use the full street address in your maps app. The City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department runs the park, which covers about 21.6 acres.

It was once called Sunland Park and was renamed for Joseph C. Carter, a longtime Fort Lauderdale and Broward County parks and recreation director. The athletic stadium is a newer addition: the city and the Orange Bowl Committee unveiled the new football and track facility on January 5, 2013, a $3 million project.

Track and Facilities

The stadium has an eight-lane track with field events around an artificial turf football field. The project also added covered bleachers on two sides, a scoreboard, lighting, fencing and parking, and renovated the concession stand and press box.

• Track: eight lanes, built for sprints, relays and distance races.
• Field events: the track was built with field events included.
• Infield: artificial turf football field.
• Stands: two covered bleacher areas.
• Lights: the stadium is lit, so evening meets are possible.

The rest of the park has a pool and water playground, tennis, basketball and racquetball courts, a baseball field, playgrounds, pavilions with grills, and a recreation center.

Is There a Cross Country Course at Carter Park?

We did not find one. MileSplit's Carter Park page carries a course-rating tool, but none of the meets it lists here from 2024 through 2026 is a cross country meet: they are track invitationals, the city championship and elementary track meets. If a cross country meet is ever listed here, we will add the course details. For this season's cross country calendar, see our Florida cross country meet schedule.

Meets Held at Carter Park

The track season here runs from January into May. The regulars:

• Fort Lauderdale City Championship: held in early April in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
• Fort Lauderdale Track Club Invitational Series: a spring series, with Series V on April 11 and Series VI on May 16, 2026.
• Coach Johnny Alexander Invitational: a March series, with Series III on March 21, 2026.
• Elementary meets: the Keno Kids Elementary Series and the Bethany Christian Elementary conference meets run on winter Saturdays.
• Youth: the Roger Morris and Ziegler Annual Youth Track Invitational (April 19, 2025).

The table above links each meet to its MileSplit results page. For all-time marks and older meets, MileSplit's Carter Park venue page keeps the full list.

Race-Day Tips for Athletes and Families

• Heat: Fort Lauderdale is hot and humid by April. Hydrate the day before, keep a cooler at the tent and wear a hat between events.
• Shade: the bleachers are covered, but the infield and the area around the track are open. Bring a pop-up tent if your team has one.
• Arrive early: allow extra time for parking and check-in on city championship and invitational days.
• Know the schedule: check the meet's MileSplit page for the entry list and timetable before you leave.
• Results: meets here post results on MileSplit, and some also appear on Athletic.net.

More Places to Run Nearby

Looking for another South Florida track? Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar is the area's championship stadium. For road races, browse Fort Lauderdale races, and for more stadiums and courses see all Florida running venue guides.