Thousands beat cold in St. Pete half-marathon

More than 8,200 runners braved very un-Florida like conditions Sunday morning in the first Rock 'n' Roll St. Pete Half Marathon.

With a temperature of 43 degrees when the race began and a wind chill of 34, it was a shock to the system for locals but a virtual heat wave for runners from out of state.

"You'd think I'd be used to this since I'm from Canada," said women's half-marathon winner Jessica Crate of Satellite Beach, a former Florida State distance runner and defending 2011 Gasparilla half-marathon champion and record holder (1:20.06).

But harsh conditions, with much of the course hugging the windy downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, didn't hold Crate back as she posted a personal best half-marathon time of 1:19.05.

"My blood has thinned out," Crate joked, shivering against the stinging wind.

Crate beat second-place finisher Lyubov Denisov of Russia by nearly a minute and a half.

While Crate fought through the cold, Paul Neilson of Orlando embraced the conditions. He breezed past David McCollum with just more than a minute to spare in 1:08.58, also a personal best.

"The times (time clocks positioned along the course) were off so I had no idea I was anywhere close" to a personal best time, Neilson said. "I was hoping to be pushed by the competition, but there wasn't any."

For motivation, Neilson tried to keep pace with the police escorts in front of him.

Locals captured third place in both divisions. Joshua Wakeman of Tarpon Springs finished the men's race in 1:12.53, and Loni Smith of Lakeland placed third among women at 1:21.42.

Sunday marked the first time the Tampa Bay area has hosted the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, a series that began in 1998. Co-founder Frank Shorter had a connection to St. Petersburg which helped make the event possible.

"I'm a Gator; I graduated from law school at the University of Florida," said Shorter, the last American to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon (1972). "My first interview was with a small law firm here. I didn't take the job but the city impressed me then. I knew this would be a beautiful venue with the waterfront and the downtown location."

The race gets its musical name from live bands performing every mile along the 13.1-mile course. A public festival followed the race, with more live music, food and drink.