This is one of my new favorite races in the Bay Area- with as much as it has expanded and as awesome as it's becoming, I see it becoming a new favorite for many runners in the Tampa Bay area for years to come!

The packet pick up/expo is really well organized, with multiple volunteers helping so there weren't really long lines to wait in. They had many vendors for a race downtown...many races don't have that many options for shopping locally, but this one had plenty to choose from. And they had specific race gear to purchase from St. Pete Running Company which was awesome! I bought the Goodr sunglasses, Bondi Band and a medal hanger plaque.

The expo being outdoors is nice except when its cold. Eventually I think I'd like to see them bring the expo inside the Mahaffey in order to have people enjoy it and the post race party if the weather isn't good. This year the weather was great for running, but not so much for enjoying the afterparty. I know the race isn't in control of the weather. But it would have been nice to be able to enjoy the post race party more because they had a lot to offer.

Elevation wise this course is mostly flat except a few very small bridges. One such bridge at mile 10 of the half which was challenging on tired legs. It does have a lot of turns, which I'm not entirely a fan of but overall the course is a beautiful mostly waterfront and downtown course with a lot to see. Aid stations were plentiful and had lots of options for runners.

Parking is in the downtown garages which can get crowded quickly. I think next year I'd pay in advance for parking at the Mahaffey and save myself the time and walk. I ended up parking in the furthest garage on the first day (the 5k) because I couldn't get to the closer parking areas by the time I arrived on site. The second day I managed to get to the closer garage. Definitely arrive early though because roads close and close fast.

The SWAG and afterparty is where this race nails it! The medals are GORGEOUS and BIG. The swag is amazing- in addition to the t shirts, we got plenty of samples from the race sponsors, my team got the biggest team, so we had extra beer glasses, tervis tumblers, water bottles, towels and more for us! It was so cool to get so much FREE stuff! For that alone I'd definitely do this race again next year.

I definitely recommend this race. It was an excellent experience, start to finish, and I already am looking forward to being able to do this one again next year!