When the race is named in your honor there’s more than a little pressure to perform well.

And Serena Williams pulled out all the stops on Sunday as she cruised through the Serena Williams Ultimate Run in Miami’s glamorous South Beach.

In a pair of micro shorts, the fearsome tennis ace made easy work of the quarter marathon course and her sister Venus joined the starting line-up too.

Serena, 33, chose an all in black Nike ensemble of shorts and zip-up top to compete in, and kept her long, dark hair back from her face with a matching black headband.

The world number one in the women’s singles game showcased her long muscular legs as she pounded the pavement with a look of steely determination on her face.

Serena got the idea to host a race after running a 5k in Palm Beach, Florida last Thanksgiving, she told the Miami Herald.

All money raised from Sunday’s event will go to the Serena Williams Foundation to help underprivileged children

‘Every year, I do a run for Thanksgiving, the 5K or 10K, to kick-start my training for the year, and last year after running the 5K, I thought, ‘Wow, I really should do my charity based on running because it’s a really fun way to promote a healthy lifestyle,’ she told the Florida newspaper.

‘People love it. You can run, walk, bring your family, it’s early in the morning. I love karaoke, so at my race, afterward you can go on the beach, relax, have Gatorade and sing karaoke.

‘It definitely helps your endurance on the court,’ she said. ‘You feel you can run so many miles, you can last three hours, four hours if you need to.’

She added: ‘I like running the shorter distances, like 5K. You don’t kill your body, but you can still feel part of the race atmosphere.’

When asked by Twitter followers if she had any plans to take on a 26 miler, single Serena told her followers: ‘My ass is too big.’

Meanwhile Venus, 34, brightened up the day in a hot pink top and patterned Lycra capri pants as she came out in support of her younger sister.

Afterwards the pair had just about enough puff left to get up on stage to perform karaoke.