HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Before the sun came up Sunday morning, the runners took off.
The mission was 13.1 miles, starting down Bayshore Boulevard.
Whether you are a pro or just running for fun, the pirate-themed medals await everyone.
As the sun rose, the fog was thick over downtown.
But out of that fog came a familiar overall winner.
Lakeland's Jonathan Mott gets his 2nd first-place finish in the Gasparilla half marathon.
Finishing in one hour, nine minutes, and 20 seconds.
He averaged 5 minutes and 17 seconds a mile.
Mott also won the 15 K four times, including Saturday.
Next up for him is a pretty well-known marathon.
"Now we have Boston, then Berlin again, and then the Olympics trials in February, where I qualify for my third time."
Hunter Dobbs recently moved to Tampa and finished 2nd in his first Gasparilla half.
"I've been training for it. I thought it was going to go a little faster. But I kind of slowed down. I was a little tired. Got sick this week before coming in. But I'm pretty happy with it."
The women's winner is St. Pete's Christiana Welsh in one hour and 21 minutes.
She won both the half and the 15K this weekend—just like last year.
"The weather was a lot better than yesterday. The sunrise was beautiful. It was a great day," said Welsh.
The most famous athlete at the race was just there to watch.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge cheered on his wife, Samantha.
All this running has an even greater purpose.
The Gasparilla Distance Classic Association says it's raised six million dollars for local charities and running programs since it started in 1978.
