Let me begin by stating, I truly love the Gasparilla races. Hands down. No questions, no complaints. Now, having said that....
The downtown Tampa area was all hustle and bustle the entire weekend. Seems a hockey game was scheduled for Friday night thus all available parking was utilized for the game. For those of us coming in from out of town, needing to pick up bibs on Friday at the Expo site, this was not a pleasant experience.
Interstate exits were semi-closed, sign but no blockage on freeway, causing several motorists to use the exit only to reach barricades at the end of the ramp and be harangued by police officers. Not an ideal situation for anyone. The incoming traffic Friday afternoon and evening was on overload and with no available packet pick up at the race, those with early start times on Saturday had no choice but to attempt to enter the Expo via the congestion.
I realize Gasparilla is not responsible for this but a little planning goes a long way.
Saturday was no different. Lots of local activities were taking advantage of the crowd size for Gasparilla thus several other events were happening in the downtown area. If you park in a lot the average cost is $15, no matter how long you stay. Several lots charged fees just for a vehicle to drive in and out of the lot. I encountered several runners that paid $20 for parking for a 5K that lasts less than an hour. The lowest lot fee I saw was $10 - the range was $10, $15, and $20. I have always used metered parking (free on weekends) but in a crowd this size, that means parking a mile away and walking the distance to the start line. It's a matter of choice, my point being, the parking situation is an aggressive market for the Gasparilla weekend. It costs less to park at Disney than it does most of these lots.
I'm not discouraging attendance by no means. The run along the Bay is well worth the effort. The road closures for these races are phenomenal - Tampa does an excellent job in providing a road course that is both safe and sizable for the growing number of attendees and they are striving to work the crowd size in a manner that allows for truer pace times within a running group / section.
This was the first year that Gasparilla attempted the "Wave" start at the 5K. I've done it at other races and it works best with the corrals, meaning separate sections for each of the timing options. There were no corrals present at Gasparilla, just a street tunnel being used as the start area, having both sides utilized, one for start, the other for finish. The start area is just a massive group of people listening to the announcer. I was "green", there was also "red", "blue" and "white". White was for the walkers, those that paid an entry fee but did not care to be timed. A few thousand of us got stuck in the White wave (last group to cross the start line) because with over 12,000 people present and no corrals, there was no way you could align yourself with your color group without pissing off a few thousand people.
I still got timed results but myself and about 3500 others watched the finishers cross the line while waiting for the announcer to release our wave (each wave had a 5 minute interval allowing that particular group to get ahead before the next group started). We literally saw hundreds cross the finish line before we made it to the start. For the non-timed walkers, this wasn't an issue, for the greens and blues.. we should have already been on the course at this point.
I know many of us aren't fans of the corrals but it is the only way to correctly divide runners by speed and keep the course evenly paced. In a corral, volunteers will check bib colors and move runners if they are not in or ahead of their designated pace group. Corrals are only necessary when crowd sizes are this large. Saturday's 5K had 11,924 finishers - TIMED finishers - that does not include the walkers present that did not purchase chips. This is humongous for a 5K, also part of what makes it so enjoyable. It's amazing to be out on a course with 12,000 others enjoying a bay view and the ocean breezes.
The Expo is the other major draw for this event. Of all the expos I have attended this and the St Pete Women's Half Marathon are my favorites. Publix is a major sponsor and the corporation never fails to bring out full support for these events. This year's giveaways (to anyone who entered the Expo) were magnets for the events commemorating the distance and Gasparilla (5K, 5 +3K, 15K, 13.1) and salad shakers. I literally saw attendees taking out 5-6 shakers at a time (free) and Publix did not hesitate to share nor did they run out. Kudos to Publix for making this a public friendly event!
Entrance to the Expo is free and there are an abundance of excellent vendors present to answer questions, provide new and innovative products or just plain "make your day". A triathalon group had a booth this year and they provided free tattoos (temporary water activated plastic) that were adorable - Team Psycho!! There was also a free blood pressure check and a few places to eat within the expo. A good time for all.
The race shirts this year were real winners! I got two based on my entries in the 5K and the Half and I must say the 5K shirt is my current favorite!
Bright green tech shirt with the Gasparilla Distance Classic 2012 logo, does not specify distance which is really nice since there were 4 different races and some combo events. The shirt also had the inner black race striping which made for a great looking shirt!
The size of the crowd and the prolonged start times also added new challenges which I am sure Gasparilla will work out next year. By the time the White Wave reached the course, the first two water stops were depleted of cups. People either drank directly from the water gallons or volunteers poured water into cupped hands for drinking. Not the most sanitary method but this is what happens with a crowd this large.
The "Pirates" were exhausted by the time we rounded back to their station. No cheering. No "booty" or "loot". Just a lot of tired, sitting, hot, pirates watching us pass by. The third water stop was prepared for the last wave which was encouraging but also indicative of what was ahead.
When a crowd this large crosses the Finish Line, even with scattered start times, the post race area becomes a virtual jungle. God Bless The Volunteers! This area is the toughest station, in my opinion, for any group of volunteers. There were bananas, bagels, beans, 5 Hr Energy, Coke, water and fruit cups at stations throughout the Finish area and volunteers were literally swamped as the crowds came through. I seriously hope they are rewarded for their efforts as I know the day's crowd was a challenge! Both the water station and the Finish Area volunteers had their work cut out for them! Kudos to them for an outstanding job!
As for the actual race and course, its a wonderful, flat race out and back on Bayshore Blvd. finishing at Gaspar's Pirate Ship. The view is phenomenal, the crowd is exciting - lots of first time runners and walkers - and some of the most friendly people you'll ever encounter throughout the entire Distance Classic. I look forward to 2013 but in all honesty I may pick races within that weekend that aren't as crowded as the 5K. The 15K runs on Saturday also with an earlier start time than the 5K and this year there were 4957 finishers in that event. Something to think about for next year!
CHIP TIME: 49:35 (Walk)
(Stats provided by Active.com)
