This was my 4th year running at the St Pete Beach Classic. This time I ran the Duo Challenge: a 10K and 5K on Saturday. The other years I ran the half marathon on Sunday.

WEATHER: 60 degrees, and cloudy. There was a tricky NW wind that made it feel colder. Both courses were out and backs. The wind was in our faces for the first half, but at our backs for the second half. This was probably the warmest year I can remember. You never know what temps you'll get in Florida in January.

EXPO: The expo is held at the Sirata Beach Resort, which is the host hotel. The start/finish lines and post race party are on the Sirata property. The expo was quick and efficient. I was able to park at the Sirata, pick up my bib and peruse the expo vendors in about 15 mins. There were lots of deals on merchandise and local races.

SWAG: I've loved every long sleeve tech shirt from this race. This year was another good one — loved the blue color. There were dark gray shirts, too. Along with the shirt, each racer received a nice drawstring backpack sponsored by St Pete Running Company. They were the 5K race sponsor.

PARKING: Parking is always the biggest concern in a beach town. Selene Restaurant offered free parking. I'd guess there were 80+ spots there. I arrived early and found a great spot. There is paid parking available throughout the town. Don't ever park illegally at the beach. They will tow you.

RACE COURSE: This is a flat, fast course. Great for PRs. St Pete Beach is a charming tourist town. You get a good street level tour on both the 10K and 5K courses. There are pretty water views, and lots of cheerful volunteers. I didn't run with water during the 10K and found plenty on course. I carried water for the 5K because I wanted to save time by not stopping at aid stations. The half marathon course is more diverse with more beach views and hidden neighborhoods.

FINISH LINE: The finish line is a sharp right from Gulf Blvd. onto the Sirata property. There was a finish line video feed this year. It was fun to watch later, and it was live during the races for spectators to view. The finish flows nicely to receive your medal, water, and get a pro photo at the official backdrop. From there you walk a short distance to the food tent.

POST RACE PARTY: The food tent had heaters in it, which felt good! There was a nice spread of grapes, bananas, cut oranges, mini muffins, rice, beans, coffee, water, soft drinks, and Gatorade Endurance. The beer was something from a keg, or a can from Crooked Thumb Brewery. You could sit in the tent, or outside on the beach.

MEDALS: The Challenge finishers went home with 3 medals. Each one was a turtle — really cute! The 5k and 10k medals were the same size with different hanging tags. The Challenge turtle was bigger.

This is a well planned race that never disappoints. It falls on MLK Jr. weekend each year.