The race takes place down Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa, which makes for an extremely scenic route! It starts at 9 am, which, depending on the weather makes for a very HOT Florida morning. So, I was definitely warm during the run. They had plenty of hydration stations throughout the route and they even had a water sprinkler at one part during the run- so that was a nice way to cool off. There was music strategically placed throughout the route, a pirate mime and great fans with signs.

I do wish that you didn't have to go to a tent to get post-race goodies. I think they could have very well set that up in the holding area after the race was done- at the same spot that they gave out water and gatorade there could've been bananas, etc. The line to get to the tent was so long that I just skipped it. After running 5 miles in the heat, I didn't feel like standing on line for 30-40 minutes for a free beer- it just wasn't worth it to me.

Parking in downtown Tampa is a nightmare, especially on race day. Traffic is everywhere, the Tampa PD are high angst so they're shouting at people and herding you like cattle. Getting to the expo just to get my bib was a nightmare as well. I registered in store so to have to go to the expo hall and pay parking just to get my bib was ridiculous to me.

Great race, great scenery, amazing medals- hated the hassle of getting my bib in Tampa traffic and hated the line for the post-race beer, goodies, etc.

I'd definitely do it again, though, because the pros outweighed the cons.