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St. Pete marathon organizers entering 'new territory'
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Runners will get up-close looks at the Snell Isle and Old Northeast neighborhoods, as well as downtown St. Petersburg.
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Published: November 12, 2009
Updated: 11/12/2009 10:00 am
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It's not every day Dave McGillivray gets to birth a new baby.
The longtime director for the 114-year-old Boston Marathon, McGillivray and his race management team are preparing for the Nov. 22 arrival of the inaugural Women's Running Magazine Women's Half Marathon and 5K in St. Petersburg.
They've spent months drafting the 13.1-mile race route and all the necessary logistics for a race open to 4,000 half-marathoners and 1,000 5K racers. But no matter how much they plan, McGillivray admits, they won't know how well it works until runners cross the finish line along the city's waterfront.
"Though some other events, like the St. Anthony's Triathlon, utilize part of our course, we are still entering into new territory," he said of the first long-distance race to be held in downtown St. Petersburg in a decade.
McGillivray and operations manager Ron Kramer recently spoke with 4you about the world of road race management and some of the unique aspects of this predominately female race.
4you: Women's Running publisher Dawna Stone and her husband created the race and suggested part of the race route, but tapped you to put this inaugural race together. How important is it to run the first event right?
Dave McGillivray: It's always difficult to push a new idea out the door. You have to first come up with a plan, and you have to communicate that plan to the world. You have to earn (the community's) trust that you're going to put on a good event. ... You are selling something that doesn't exist.
4you: The race route involves road closures in downtown St. Petersburg, and in the Snell Isle and Old Northeast neighborhoods. You've met with neighborhood association groups ahead of time, and even enlisted the groups to volunteer on race day. Why is that?
DM: Shutting down roadways for triathlons or cycling events or running events or walks could be deemed, by some on the outside looking in, as an inconvenience. So we have to minimize that, if not eliminate that. ... You just have to make the community aware and hopefully engage them in the process rather than have them think that this is something that is going to get in their way.
4you: Locals will be familiar with many of the venues on the half-marathon route, such as the waterfront and pier, as well as a jaunt through Tropicana Field. Will out-of-town runners learn anything about the Tampa Bay area?
DM: Every race has its own character, and a lot of them build that character off that location, whether it's in the desert or the Rocky Mountains, or in California on the beach. ... That's the whole point of this: to be different, to be unique. I think every race strives for that. There's a lot of competition out there.
4you: Some runners love races in flat Florida to improve their times. But is speed the only consideration you use when planning a route?
DM: We have to think about the runners themselves, the experience for them, the degree of difficulty, the convenience or lack of convenience. Obviously when we design a course, we have the runner's interest in mind. ... But that being said, it's not just all about the runners. We can't land-lock the community or gridlock people or, if we have to, we try to minimize it. ... It's all about balance.
4you: You both have run in hundreds of marathons and organized many more. How is the road-racing community different from when you were racing in the 1970s?
DM: Years ago, when Ron and I were very competitive, it was just about that: being competitive. It wasn't about whether I can cross the finish line, it was about how fast can I get to the finish line? And how many people next to me can I drill into the ground? We were very aggressive out there.
The walls of intimidation, over the late '80s and up to the mid-to-early '90s, began crumbling down, and people began believing in themselves. Now it's an industry, and it's an activity as well as a sport that really is all about self-esteem and self-confidence. Now mass-participatory athletic events are for health and fitness aspects, sure, but they're more for mental reasons, building self-confidence and esteem. Years ago, when you had a new event, you typically drew 200 to 300 people. It wasn't overly complex. ... Now imagine, here's a brand new event with 5,000 people, and it's never been tested before.
4you: Women-only races are a growing industry unto themselves. From your perspective, what makes them different from races that target both men and women?
Ron Kramer: The whole sponsorship is geared toward women's products. And Dawna Stone created an absolutely beautiful medal, where the center becomes a charm. That's pretty cool. And the expo vendors are geared toward women. ... It's opened up a whole new avenue with the number of women participating in these kinds of events these days.
4you: Many races have a limited length of time they can keep roads closed, meaning very slow runners often are moved to sidewalks or picked up. The Women's Half Marathon intentionally mentions that it welcomes walkers and will keep roads closed for 41/2 hours. Why allow walkers with mile paces close to 20 minutes?
RK: Dawna's vision was to engage as many persons as possible in this first-time event ... and we were able to gain permission. This is obviously a slow walker's pace. Hopefully, we won't have a situation where ... walkers have to get on the sidewalk. It is very walker-friendly for this exact reason.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Women's Running Magazine Women's Half Marathon and 5K
WHEN: Nov. 22. The races begin at 7:30 a.m.
WHERE: Downtown St. Petersburg. Both races start and finish in front of the Mahaffey Theatre.
HOW MUCH: The half-marathon is $95; the 5K is $35.
CONTACT: Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Visit www.womenshalfmarathon.com.
SO MUCH TO SEE
The half-marathon course will highlight a number of well-known Tampa Bay area locales.
The Mahaffey Theatre: The start and finish line are in front of the performing arts center, as well as the under-construction Salvador Dali Museum.
St. Petersburg Pier: The inverted-pyramid landmark that juts into Tampa Bay will be on the race's first mile.
Renaissance Vinoy Hotel and Golf Resort: The historic hotel and its links are miles apart, but runners will pass both on race day.
Tropicana Field: Runners will dash along the outfield at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays as they enter the final two miles of the race.
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