I am running the Gasparilla Marathon on Sunday (Feb 28th), just wondering if anyone else on here will be running the marathon being that it will be the last full Gasparilla Marathon. They will still have the half marathon, just canceling the full 26.2 miles.

A friend of mine is running the 15k. She's been running 8 miles a day for like a month straight training for it.

I am running the Gasparilla Marathon on Sunday (Feb 28th), just wondering if anyone else on here will be running the marathon being that it will be the last full Gasparilla Marathon. They will still have the half marathon, just canceling the full 26.2 miles.

I'm running!:banana:

I usually do the 5K but couldn't this year. Oh well...

A friend of mine is running the 15k. She's been running 8 miles a day for like a month straight training for it.

I had a friend that ran the 15K. Another friend of mine was kind of unsure cause he hurt his knee a few months back, so I don't know if he actually ended up running or not.

I ran the 5K, 32.06. Not too bad, but I could have done better. Oh well, next year. My wife ran the marathon, her best time yet at 3hr 48 min.

Steve

Why are they canceling the full marathon in the future?

I had a friend that ran the 15K. Another friend of mine was kind of unsure cause he hurt his knee a few months back, so I don't know if he actually ended up running or not.
My friend finished in the top 40% of all 15k finishers (man or woman). She was really happy, because this was her first distance race, and she actually lost several minutes pacing with a much slower friend, until that friend got gassed at about 3k. (lol)

I had a great time running the marathon. I finished the 26.2 miles in 3:23. I was on track for a 3:02 finish but then my left calf decided to have rippling spasms and cramps in between miles 22-23. I finished 13 minutes above boston qualifying time (3:10) so now will have to run a few more marathons this year.

It's too bad this was Tampa's last year hosting the full marathon. They are still hosting the half, 15k, 5k. I don't understand the reasoning as it brought in a lot of people from out of town as the hotels were full to capacity and the crowd was great. It's too bad that our leaders are letting this go and won't realize how good it was until it's gone. If it's money, charge a little more for the full marathon and people will pay. It was great to see all of the people living on Davis Island, Downtown Tampa and along Bayshore cheering us on.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2qTwzZLmWZs/S4wgiYNwpzI/AAAAAAAAHSQ/Pdz9zgApuW8/s400/DSCN1999.JPG

I believe they are not continuing it because of lack of support, and the city donates a lot of time and manpower to the race that they cannot afford next year. A lot of the hotels were full because there is a cheer-leading convention/competition going on during the same weekend - I know that in the Embassy Suites at least 60% of the guests were part of that competition. It is difficult to compete for marathons in Florida (as an organization) because there are already so many others that people compete in, such as WDW and Jacksonville (not to mention Miami, Clearwater, etc.).

Steve

Congrats, youngkg, that's a great time!

I ran the Half in about 1:50. Not too bad, but I was about 15 minutes slower than when I last ran it 9 years ago. Oh well, I guess the body slows down as you get older (I'm probably one of the older guys on this forum at 44).

Looked like a great turnout on Sunday morning, despite the chilly weather. I know there were almost 4000 people that ran the half, not sure how many in the full marathon. Sad to see it go.

About 4400 finished the 15k. Was surprising to see how many DNF! (I forget the exact number though)

Surprised? This is the US where about a third of all adults are classified as obese. So my guess is a ton of people thought they were in much better shape than they were. Most people think they are a lot fitter than they are. Its kind of like the early rounds of Ninja Warrior.

Thanks everyone. I am glad other runners on this forum had a great time as well. A lot of people showed up for the races so I am not sure who is not supporting it when you mention that it's not "supported"? I didn't notice a large decrease in people from previous in years as it seemed like more people showed up this year than the last few. It's a race on Sunday and I didn't see any large traffic jams due to the road closures.

I stayed at the Hyatt as did a lot of other runners. The Hotel even had a special runners pasta dinner buffet that was decent. The Westin and Sheraton were also full of runners. I did see some cheerleaders and rowers in the mix as well. Even though I live in North Tampa, the convenience of walking to the race was the reason I stayed at the Hotel. On a positive note, I got to meet the women's marathon winner and didn't even realize she was the person who won... she must be very humble because she only told me she was dissappointed in her time as her pace wouldn't qualify her for the olympics.

Looks like next year I have to settle for the half marathon and most likely run the Disney Marathon.

I am not saying that it is not supported, just not what they need to continue. Florida has stiff competition for marathons, and the city is just not in the position to put out the resources next year.

The Marriott also had a nice pasta buffet dinner (at $16 for dinner including salad and drink it was not too bad a price either). Great to hear you had a nice time. If you like to travel for marathons then the Marine Corps one in Washington DC is fantastic, great course and wonderful for spectators.

Steve

I heard the Marine Corps is good. My next marathon will be @ the end of May either in Burlington, VT or Fargo, ND. I have friends/family in both places so it will be a hard decision.