Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
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Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 06:006:00 AM
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon · 15K · 5K · 8K
- Entry fee
- US$130
- For the 2027 race
The course
The half marathon starts at Platt Street and Little Bayshore, loops through Davis Islands, runs north on Bayshore Boulevard to a turnaround at Gandy Boulevard and returns south on Bayshore to the finish at Tarpon Dock.
- Davis Islands, then Bayshore Boulevard to Gandy and backA Davis Islands loop, then Bayshore Boulevard out to Gandy Boulevard and back.
- A 6:00 AM rolling start staged by finish time6:00 AM rolling start on 21 February 2027; staging closes at 5:50.
- Walker pacing: mile 5 by 7:20, Bay to Bay by 9:00Walkers: mile 5 by 7:20 and Bay to Bay Boulevard by 9:00, or move to the sidewalk.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryDavis Islands, then Bayshore Boulevard to Gandy and backA Davis Islands loop, then Bayshore Boulevard out to Gandy Boulevard and back.
The organiser’s route runs Platt Street to Plant Avenue, onto Davis Islands by the Davis Island egress bridge, through East, South and West Davis Boulevard, then off the island by an access ramp onto the northbound lanes of Bayshore. The finish is on Bayshore Boulevard between Beach Place and Hyde Park Place, at the foot of the Platt Street Bridge. Eleven aid stations stand a mile apart from the 1.5-mile mark, and the organiser calls the course flat and fast.
Sourced
Whole courseConditionsA 6:00 AM rolling start staged by finish time6:00 AM rolling start on 21 February 2027; staging closes at 5:50.
Runners are staged by the projected finish time they enter at registration, in two staging areas reached over the Platt Street Bridge, and runners cannot enter once the area has closed. Timing is by ChronoTrack B-Tag with pads at the start, finish and points on the course. The 2027 race weekend, on 20 and 21 February, is the 50th running of the Gasparilla Distance Classic.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsWalker pacing: mile 5 by 7:20, Bay to Bay by 9:00Walkers: mile 5 by 7:20 and Bay to Bay Boulevard by 9:00, or move to the sidewalk.
Walkers who miss the first checkpoint go onto the Davis Islands sidewalk until Bayshore Boulevard, and those who miss the second move to the Bayshore Boulevard sidewalk until Bay to Bay, where they rejoin the road and share it with the 8K. The organiser puts the packet pick-up at the Tampa Convention Center expo on 19 and 20 February 2027.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 19 February Expo
-
10:0010:00 AM–20:008:00 PM
Health and fitness expo and packet pick-up Tampa Convention Center, East Hall. Half marathon packets, shirts and numbers are collected at the expo; someone collecting for a runner needs a signed authorization form.
Saturday 20 February Expo
-
06:006:00 AM–15:003:00 PM
Health and fitness expo and packet pick-up Tampa Convention Center, East Hall
Sunday 21 February Race day
-
05:505:50 AM
Staging area closes Platt Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Once the half marathon staging area closes, runners cannot enter or start the race.
Cut-offs and other races (3)
-
06:006:00 AM
Half marathon start Platt Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Rolling start, staged by projected finish time. -
07:207:20 AM
Walker checkpoint at mile 5 Walkers who have not reached mile 5, on Davis Islands, by 7:20 are moved to the Davis Islands sidewalk until Bayshore Boulevard. -
09:009:00 AM
Walker checkpoint at Bay to Bay Boulevard Walkers must reach Bay to Bay Boulevard, about mile 11, by 9:00 or move to the Bayshore Boulevard sidewalk until they do.
Times as published by the organiser, in Tampa time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Tampa time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Tampa, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
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Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic.
