Gasparilla Time

Posted Feb 22, 2006 by Bill Ward

Updated Feb 22, 2006 at 04:34 PM

1 p.m., River Po, Turin

As I go out for only my second run in two weeks here, I can’t help thinking about the Bank of America Gasparilla Distance Classic races coming up this weekend. The last time I missed these races, I was in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games. No, I wasn’t planning on running any of them, including Sunday’s marathon. That in itself is pretty sad considering the kind of miles I used to log before I turned 39 and the lug nuts fell off my wheels. Now, I’m happy to run with nothing sore or strained.

I’ve only done a couple of Gasparillas because I’m always covering the race for the paper. One year I did both but that’s when I could do Gasparilla in 52 minutes and have plenty of time to track down the winners. Still, even though I’m slow now, Gasparilla is one of my favorite events to cover. It’s so awesome to see thousands of people in Tampa getting off their backsides and exercising and having a great time doing it. After you finish Gasparilla this weekend, thank race director Susan Harmeling, her staff, all the volunteers and the city for doing a great job of pulling it together again.

What I really miss is running Bayshore Boulevard and Davis Islands. I don’t miss the cars going 70 mph down Bayshore or the exhaust they produce, but I miss that 4 miles of sidewalk, grass and water—along with the occasional manatee or dolphin—along the side of Bayshore.

Here in Turin, I’ve found a pretty good substitute for Bayshore. It’s the jogging path along the River Po, which also goes for miles and miles through the city. They’ve even got it marked off every 100 meters. And the best thing is, the weather here tends to be a lot better than Tampa for running. I’ll take 40 degrees and overcast over 85, muggy and the sun blazing down on you any day. The running path here seems just as popular with runners and joggers (yes, there is a difference) and walkers as Bayshore. Best part is, there are loads of new sights along the River Po for me to see. I swear, I’ve done so many miles on Bayshore I think I could run down the grass path blindfolded and know where every divet and sprinkler head is.