4772 runners showed up in an early morning downpour after warnings of uncertain weather for this race.
I was no exception.
The Gasparilla Half Marathon had a start time this year of 6 AM (previous year was 7 AM). At 4:30 AM the ground was dry, temps were perfect so I got ready to head over. Shortly after 5 AM, the bottom fell out. I drove to the race expecting to be told it was cancelled due to high winds and rain. At 5:45 AM the rain stopped. The wind didn't but the rain did. RACE ON!!
This year's Half Marathon should have had a theme song... Bob Seger's "Against The Wind". Seriously. If any of us caught a tailwind it was short-lived. I loved every minute of it!
♫ Against the wind
♫ We were runnin' against the wind
♫ We were young and strong, we were runnin' against the wind
♫ We were young and strong, we were runnin' against the wind
This half has very few hills, the first of which is right at the start line as we head up a bridge in the dark. The remainder is truly flat and beautiful. Lots of cheering on this course as friends, family members and volunteers spread out over the route to cheer for their favorite runner. A local school group came out in full force to cheer also, best cheerleaders on the course!
All of the water / gatorade stops are well operated and friendly and we lacked for nothing. The gel stop was not at the halfway point but nonetheless, very much appreciated. Course directions were very clear, completely impossible to make a wrong turn or get misdirected on this route. Lots of friendly police officers present also. Definitely a 5 Star route for a half marathon.
The Sunday crowd for Gasparilla is quite different from the Saturday crowd. The Expo is closed on Sunday. There were no hockey games or early morning activities to overload the downtown Tampa area traffic. Makes for a much less congested event. Something I really appreciated as compared to all the traffic of Friday and Saturday.
This year's race shirts were a crowd favorite also and are available for sale via the website til supplies run out.
My favorite is the 5K neon green short sleeve shirt but admittedly the Half Marathon front design is a winner! I participated in two races and can brag about the quality and design of both shirts. Definitely keepers!
I walked this event. My training during 2012 was unexpectedly interrupted and I did not resume it in time for this race. I have no regrets whatsoever over walking though. The 5 + 3K started at 9 AM and we were constantly surrounded by runners and walkers until we crossed the Finish Line. I met two wonderful walkers, both in my age group and we connected from about mile 3 all the way to the Finish Line. Lots of laughs Sunday morning and I am thrilled to have made new friends in the Tampa / St Pete area! I'm sure I'll be seeing them again!
Since the second race began AFTER the Half, none of the post race amenities were lacking and since the turnout for these two races is lower (4957 + 2167) the number of people present is about one third of Saturday's crowd making for a much smoother experience. I would highly recommend either of the Sunday races to anyone - absolute grand time to be had by all who attend.
Really looking forward to 2013!
CHIP TIME: 3:33:18 (Walk)
(Stats provided by Active.com)