I was looking for a race in Florida when I came across Gasparilla, and I'm so glad I did. This is one of the top 5 races I've done and would recommend it to everyone!

The Weekend: From the pre-race expo and vibe around the city, to the energy on race day, this race weekend was so much fun. The expo was large and filled with people and vendors. It was right downtown near all of the hotels, so it was very easy to get to. There were multiple hotels in the area (we stayed that the Marriott), which made race morning very easy; a 5 min walk to the start/finish lines.

Race Day: Be ready for some extra heat and humidity, but don't let that deter you from doing this race. Before everything started, there was a lot of space to relax, stay indoors if you wanted, bathrooms, etc. Once I made my way to the starting line the corrals were easy to manage and the vibe from the weekend stayed at the highest level up until the start. Once we began, we maneuvered through downtown and then out around an island. It was darker than I expected, which made some portions of the course hard to see where you were stepping. (Although it's a road race, you never want to step in a hole). As we left the island, you come across a bridge and race along the water for 3-4 miles. It's a beautiful scene and made the race so enjoyable! The last 8 miles are basically an out and back along the water, but on separate parallel streets. This makes the scenery great for the majority of the race.

Post Race: Coming across the finish line was great, not only for the finish, but because of the MEDAL! One of the biggest draws for me to this race was the bling at the end. The skull and cross bones medal is something they appear to use every year in some variation, and my year was no different. I love this medal! The party from the entire weekend continues on after the race, making this one of the more fun filled race weekends. If you get a chance to do Gasparilla, do it! Tampa is beautiful, the race is so much fun, and who doesn't need a skull and cross bones medal?!