Gasparilla Distance Classic Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Jin N.
Chicago, IL

  (03-25-2010)

"Ran this half to be supportive of a friend who was running her first half. She totally rocked it out. All participants for the full and half started at the same time of 6am. This is before day light savings so it was still dark with a full bright moon. P

The course is clearly marked with great direction and signs at the point of separation between the full and half.

They were handing out Gator beads and candy on the course.

Fun medal - crossbone/skull pirate.

It was a nice break in temperature to head to Tampa from Chicago. Don't get me wrong. Runny nose, layering, hat, gloves, wool socks are all great. But running without all the extra fabric made me "feel" fast. I did PR, though I had no intention of doing so when I signed up. Guess outdoor running in the winter does has some advantages. =)

"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Jessica A.
Tuscaloosa, AL

  (03-23-2010)

"This was the second time I've run this race and the second time I PR'ed here. If they bring the full marathon back, I will be the first to sign up!

Great flat course and fantastic crowd support. My favorite race, hands down!"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2010

Caitlin B.
orlando, FL

  (07-20-2009)

"In 2009, I ran the Gasparilla 5K, 15K, and Half Marathon (Called the Bud Light Challenge. 3 races in two days!)

Here is my review of the races from my blog, HealthyTippingPoint.com:

The race expo was really fun and there were lots of booths to browse.

The 15K and 5K was a success! It's a beautiful day in Tampa, and I had so much fun running back-to-back races. There were over 19,000 people at the race. However, more people ran the 5K than the 15K, so the 15K was a less crowded run and a lot more fun. Which was fine by me because I was more concerned about my 15K time than my 5K time!

The 5k was a very unique experience. There were so many runners that there was literally NO elbow room.

For the Sunday Half Marathon: There were approximately 9,000 half marathon runners and 2,000 marathoners. Although that's less people than yesterday's races, the course was different and started on some one-way side streets and a narrow on-ramp and bridge. There was quite a bit of bottlenecking in the first mile, so I was very relieved to see my Mile 1.0 time was 10:00/mile. The first few miles took us over Tampa Bay (the water was soo choppy due to high wind gusts!) and through a beautiful neighborhood filled with mansions. Before I even realized it, it was Mile 4.0 and we were running back over the bridge to the other side of the bay.

We turned back onto Bayshore Drive around Mile 6.0. Bayshore Drive is a beautiful road that fronts Tampa Bay, which provided some beautiful scenery.

The finish line food wasn't impressive, but the best part about this weekend was definitely the AMAZING medals the finishers received!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009