When is a virtual race not a virtual race? When it is put on by the Gasparilla Distance Classic.
I would say that this race weekend is my favorite, but at this point, any race weekend would be my favorite. I’ve been doing at least one virtual race per month to get to my goal of 100 (just finished #74), but they are really getting torturous and boring. I was fortunate to do Mount Dora in person back in December, but Miami was switched to virtual. Gasparilla was originally scheduled for the end of February, but was postponed until Mother’s Day weekend. Ah…a glimmer of hope. Sadly, Susan broke the news that the race weekend would be virtual. She and her staff didn’t think it would be fair to keep stringing everyone along, as the Covid numbers had not dropped enough to make the race safe for all parties concerned. On the bright side, she announced that they would be closing Bayshore Blvd. down for a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday for runners to do the race “virtually.” Since the Sandhouse Running Club is fully vaccinated, we decided to make it our first vacation in what seems like an eternity. Glenda and Rachel would make the trip with me, and Lindsey and Elaine would have to take a pass this year.
Susan sent me an email earlier in the week that Lindsey had won a contest to have dinner with Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi on Friday night. Since Lindsey would not be able to attend, Susan graciously offered the prize to us. Meb and I have literally run into each other in the elevator of our hotel for the last six years; I was looking forward to having conversation with him in some not so confined quarters.
After an easy non-eventful drive (see previous posts about Gasparilla), we went straight to the expo. The shirts and medals were outstanding, but the lack of vendors was heartbreaking. It’s understandable under the circumstances, but to see the hall so empty was very sad. With nothing to purchase, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our evening with Meb.
The dinner was at the Columbia Restaurant, but the Ybor City location. To our surprise and delight, we learned that there is a trolly that goes from downtown Tampa to Ybor City…and it’s free! That would have been good to know about seven years ago. We had a private room with the nine other lucky winners of the contest, and got to speak with Susan in a more relaxed setting. The food selections were a limited version of their full menu, so of course there was nothing for me to eat. Now I had to be “that guy” and ask Susan for an alternative option. Susan asked one of her staff members to sit at our table, and what a delight she was. Ashley was very engaging, and has quite the educational background. She explained how easy the course would be to navigate, and that there would be plenty of volunteers directing traffic as well. Meb joined us for the first course and he recognized me right away from our previous elevator rendezvous. I picked his brain about some helpful running tips, and did get to ask him the big question…Do you every have to pee when you are running (he said no…lucky guy). The weather was supposed to be unseasonably cool on Saturday morning, so Ashley recommended that I do the half marathon instead of the 15K. She was going to be out on the course, so I was looking forward to seeing her again. I thanked Susan for the evening, and apologized for being such a picky eater.
The course opened up at 5am, and I took full advantage of the early start. It was 63° when I crossed the starting line, with only about ten other runners. We would stay on Bayshore Blvd. the entire time, with strategic turns that were clearly marked. I must say that you would never know this was a virtual race by the amount of volunteers, police, water stations, and Port-O-Potties on the course (with no lines, you know I took full advantage). I saw Ashley a few times, and stopped to speak to her for a few moments. The wind on the way out was at my back, but was really working against me in the opposite direction. As time went on, there were a lot more runners; it truly felt like an in-person race. I felt great the entire time, and the temperature was still under 70° when I finished.
We grabbed breakfast at the hotel, and decided to go back to Ybor City for the day. Ashley told us during dinner that there are a lot of chickens and roosters roaming the streets, so that was all Rachel needed to hear. We took the trolly to Ybor City Saturday Market in Centennial Park. Operating since 2000, the Ybor City Saturday Market is the largest continually operating outdoor market in the Tampa Bay Area. Centered in Tampa’s Historic District, the market is one of the most popular shopping destinations for locally produced items unique to the Tampa Bay Area. As soon as we arrived, there were almost as many chickens and roosters as there were shoppers. We spent a good amount of time taking photos, but sadly not purchases. We walked around for a long time, and stopped for lunch at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company (and by lunch, I mean beer and nachos). We sat outdoors, but it did seem strange taking off our masks around other people. We took the trolly back to the hotel, and proceeded to take a four-hour power nap. None of us were really in the mood to go out for supper, so we took a stroll to Publix for some “Pub-Subs” and other goodies.
With half marathon #74 in the books, I decided to see how I felt Sunday morning as to whether or not I would run the 15K. Since it’s technically a virtual race, I could always run at home the following weekend. I set the alarm for 4am, and felt surprisingly good. I was back out on the course at 5am, with a small group of my closest friends. The temperature was a little warmer, and the wind was not quite as stiff. Knowing that I was only doing 9.3 miles was also good psychologically. I know there is probably a good reason that the longer race is always the second day (same with Disney), but I enjoyed this in “reverse order” much more. I saw Ashley again, and this race was just as enjoyable as the half marathon. I don’t think there were as many runners on Sunday as there were on Saturday, but you couldn’t deny the “real-race” feeling. We had breakfast once again at the hotel, and made our way back to the 9-5-4.
Staring in the face of adversity, Susan and her staff once again delivered a first-class event. It is a credit to their hard work and determination that this weekend was as memorable as any other year.
