This was my 1st year completing the half marathon distance for this race. This year I did it as part of the Gasparilla Amber Challenge. The challenge consists of the 15k & 5 K on Saturday and the 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

Travel to Tampa is easy in and out. The airport is one of my favorites to travel through and is very kid friendly. There are many hotels you can stay at in the area within walking distance but you have to reserve them early. I previously lived in Tampa and stay a bit out from the race area to take advantage of the local sites.
The expo has easy parking either on the street or nearby garages. I always pick up my packet on Friday as you can pick up for both days on Friday. The expo is always amazing very large with so much free swag. There are games kids can play, a wall with all the runners names, great pirate themed merchandise as well.
There is typically a charity based dinner on Friday night you can pay for when you register for the race. Race day parking is plentiful but you have to arrive early for the best spots. The race itself is an easy course very flat and scenic along Bayshore. This portion of the race includes Davis Island which has beautiful views of the morning sunrise around all the water. It is a nice change since the course is so repetitive over the two days of multiple race distances. It can be cool at the start but don't let that fool you the race really warms up by the end.
It was great to cheer for the professional athletes (Joan Benoit Samuelson, Meb, & Stephanie Bruce to name a few) and locals with the out and back course set up. There was a fire juggler, rough riders handing out beads and doughnuts, pirates and other costumes along the way.
This course also has the best race announcer Bart Yasso (the mayor of running) to call you in at the end.
I will do this race again next year as I already signed up for the Ultra challenge for next year.