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Last year, I ran the Inaugural St Pete Run Fest half marathon. I loved it. The race was shiny and new, but the race directors were experienced pros.
The Best Damn Race Booth at the ExpoI kinda love a good expo as much as a good race. It's fun to talk to runners. We compare notes and talk about their race goals. I got to show them all the great medals for the 2019 Best Damn Race Series. It's fun to meet people in real life that I know from online or racing. Plus, at the Expo there are discount codes and extra goodies when you register there. The music, people, and excitement all takes place in beautiful downtown St. Pete on the waterfront. It's a fun weekend from start to finish line.  Nick setting up online registration at the expo. Medals for the 2019 Best Damn Race series were revealed at the St Pete Run Fest Expo. (Photo: ThisOldRunner) Save $5 on Any Best Damn Race with CodeIf you weren't at the expo you can still SAVE $5 on any Best Damn Race in the 2019 series. Just enter my code THISOLDRUNNER at registration. Share the discount with your running friends so they save money, too!  I'll do another post that showcases each medal and city in the series in 2019. (Photo credit: ThisOldRunner)
Sunday's Finish Line FunI was back at the starting line at 5:30 Sunday morning. Our first task was to fill all the Tervis tumblers with water.
Finish Line FunI loved this reverse finish line experience. Perhaps being a runner made it extra special. I worked the half marathon side of the finish line. It was fun to greet and congratulate the runners. Some of the people who volunteered were squeamish about getting transfer sweat on them. That made me laugh. At the end, one volunteer asked everyone if they were hugged by a sweaty runner. Turns out everyone was. Finish lines are emotional. I gave a hug to every runner who wanted or needed one. There were some tearful moments with runners I didn't know. I laughed, clapped, shouted, and cheered for everyone who crossed that line. Here are my favorite things in no particular order:
If you get a chance, give back to your favorite race by volunteering. As I runner, I can tell you we love seeing a cheerful, encouraging face on course and at the finish line.
Kudos to everyone at St. Pete Run Fest for another successful race weekend! Challenge Yourself with 3 Local Half MarathonsWant a challenge that shows you the best sights around Tampa Bay? Here you go! It's the Inaugural Burg to Beach to Bayshore Challenge! Run a half marathon at each of these three awesome events to complete the Challenge.
How to: Burg to Beach to Bayshore ChallengeThis Challenge is unique because it involves 3 different organizations. That means you must register for each separate half marathon. Pay special attention when signing up for the St Pete Beach Classic and Gasparilla Half Marathons.
Sign up early to get the best pricing. The St Pete Run Fest and St Pete Beach Classic races have price increases on November 1st. Gasparilla Distance Classic prices go up on January 12, 2019. Better Hurry! The First Half is Nov. 18th
Here's Another Option: Enter to Win a St Pete Beach Classic 5K, 10K or Beach Race
Enter Giveaways on InstagramI'm having 3 (YEP 3!) race giveaways for the St. Pete Beach Distance Classic. The giveaway prize is your choice of the 5K, 10K or Beach Run. The October giveaway will post late today (Oct. 24). HOWEVER...if you want to run in the Burg to Beach to Bay Challenge, you can upgrade your free entry to the half by paying the difference in the registration fee. Follow This Old Runner on Instagram so you can enter the giveaway contests. I'll give away an entry in October, another in November, and the last one in December. Hint: Race entries make excellent holiday gifts for your favorite runner! #RunSPBClassic #SPBClassic #RunSPB #RunStPete #RunTampa #RunSarasota #RunTampaBay #RunLikeaPirate #B2B2B #StPeteRunFest #GasparillaDistanceClassic #GasparillaRun #PGDC19 #HealthySP #SPRF #ThisOldRunner #BibChat #StPeteBeach #TampaBay #DTSP #StPete #FloridaHalf #FloridaRunner #MRTT #RaceDiscount #RaceGiveaway
Set Your 2018 Running Goals
If you're like me, you spent time over the holidays researching upcoming races. (Look for my links to race discounts at the end of this post.)
I'm using a beautiful BELIEVE training journal I received as a gift to stay on track with my running. I can plan upcoming races and record my efforts all in one place. After filling in the pages, I set my personal running goals for 2018. Here they are: Run Two Challenge Races
1. St Pete Beach Classic Duo Challenge 10K + 5K on January 13, 2018.
2. Best Damn Race Safety Harbor Challenge 10K + 5K on February 3, 2018.
As you can see, the Challenges are early in the year. I feel ready, but I've never run two races in one day.
My plan is to use the St. Pete Beach Classic as a baseline, then look for improvement at the Best Damn Race Challenge. We'll see what happens!
Run a Personal Best in Two Half Marathons
I have three race options for my new half marathon personal records.
Okay, my goals are set. Now I have to get out there and run, run, and race!
I'm excited about the year ahead, and hope you are too. Get All the Race Discount Codes!
If you want to fill out your race calendar, take a look at all my Race Discount Codes and Bib Rave Pro Discount Codes.
Check back often — I update both here and on Google+ all the time.
#RaceCodes #DiscountCodes #PromoCodes #RaceDiscounts #BibChat #BibRavePro #BestDamnRace #HCTampa15K #HCTampa5K #HotChocolateRaces #HotChocolate15K #RunStPete #RunTampa #RunBradenton #RunSarasota #RunFlorida #Half #10K #5K #Challenge #BDRSafetyHarbor #BDRJax #BDROrlando #BDRNola
Ryan Jordan, one of the owners of the new #StPeteRunFest event spoke to One Million Cups #1MCSTP last week, and everything he had to say about the inaugural St. Pete Run Fest made me happy.
Year-Round Community Engagement
Jordan told the audience that his company (EndorFun Sports) wants this event to be engaged in the community 365 days a year.
The two-day festival will partner with the city, 3 Daughters Brewing, Saturday Morning Market, BigSea Design, St Pete Threads, local charities, schools and businesses to engage as much of the community as possible. Visit StPeteRunFest.org to see how you can participate as an individual runner, team member, or volunteer. The event is November 18-19, 2017 in St. Petersburg, FL. A Two-Day Run Festival with Something for Everyone
Run or Walk to Support Local Charities
Money raised by the race will stay in the community. 5K runners will support the Miles for Meals Program — a dollar for each mile run/walked (up to $3) will be donated to the St Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank. Additional donations can be made online when registering for races.
Jordan said the Half Marathon will give local charities the opportunity to be involved in the race and receive a donation with a "13 miles, 13 charities" plan. 
Photo credit: StPeteRunFest.org
Healthy Kids Challenge
I love the idea of the PeliKids Marathon Challenge. It's a one mile race for school age kids (K-8). The young runners log 25.2 miles at home or at school before the race, then complete their marathon on Saturday of race weekend by running the PeliKids One Miler for a total of 26.2 miles.
Running Tour of Downtown St. Petersburg
The half marathon is a great way to see everything new and exciting that is happening in downtown.
The race course embraces the waterfront, downtown, the arts districts, Tropicana Field and the Pinellas Trail. If you haven't been to St. Pete lately, you haven't been to St. Pete. 
Photo credit: StPeteRunFest.org
Creating an Ocean Friendly Event
Okay, I think this may be my favorite part. Jordan told the audience the race organizers were inspired by how the National Parks Race Series uses a cup free system. HydraPour uses a reusable water pouch and speedy filling stations to distribute water to runners — eliminating all the trash and tripping hazards of disposable cups. Bonus: you can sip your water as needed, rather than gulping it in time to toss your cup into the trash can.
Jordan said the inaugural year will be a combo of HydraPour and recyclable cups. He said he is working with the Suncoast Chapter Surf Rider Foundation to make this an Ocean Friendly event. Additionally, half marathon runners will receive a reusable water bottle at the finish line. Love it! Did You Want Some Bling with That Race?
Will St. Pete Get its Own Version of a Gasparilla Classic?
Jordan said the vision is to create St. Pete's version of the Gasparilla Classic — a world class event that brings people from around the country to run, stay and play in our city. For reference: the Gasparilla Distance Classic attracts 40,000 runners.
It may take a few years, but the energy and vision of the #StPeteRunFest owners, partners and the city of St. Petersburg make me believe it will happen. I'll be running, and rooting for everyone's success.
#dtsp #runstpete #runtampa #runsarasota #runbradenton #sunshineshere #runchat #raceraves #bibrave #tampabay #hc15Ktampa #HotChocolate15K #florida #LoveFL #igerstpete #instarunners #runnersofinsta #1mcstp #stpeterunfest #BigSeaDesign #StPeteThreads #HydraPour #GasparillaDistanceClassic #pgdc #medalmonday #runtampabay #half #15K #10K #5K #KidsDash #thisoldrunner
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Hey there,This is where you'll find me writing instead of running. (But, you know I'll be writing about running, right?) 
Yep, smiling's my favorite.
Another happy finish line!
Click the BRP logo to save money on your favorite races and gear. #BibRavePro
Price Blitz for the 2020 BDR Races begins on April 10th with Safety Harbor. After the blitz, SAVE $5 on ANY race in ANY city when you register w/ code: THISOLDRUNNER. Safety Harbor; Orlando; New Orleans; Savanah. Visit my Race Discounts page for more details. #BDR
Upcoming Races:June 1, 2019
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