ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thousands of people crossed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Sunday for the seventh annual Skyway 10K.
The race started around 6:20 a.m. just before the morning's sudden burst of rainfall left runners drenched but cooled off.
More than 8,000 runners of different ages — some participating as a group of family, friends or part of a running club — hit the pavement. The participants were first bussed to the bridge to line up at the starting line and were allowed to run, trot briskly, or walk the 6.2-mile race at their own pace. The race's route spanned three counties; Manatee, Pinellas and Hillsborough.
The runners committed to the race all in support of veterans.
The first runner to cross the finish line clocked in at 35 minutes and 7 seconds.
"The race was great. The weather held out for us, thankfully. It was a big hill for sure, but I was able to just run a steady pace," said David Proudfoot, 39, of Lakewood Ranch.
Jeremy Richardson, 34, of New Port Richey came in second with a finishing time of 36 minutes and 59 seconds. Nicholas Svihra, 36, also of New Port Richey, took third position at 37 minutes 29 seconds.
The runners who completed the Skyway 10K are all considered winners in the eyes of the organizers, however. All of them got to walk away with medals and bragging rights for running across the iconic bridge.
"I joined because I wanted to run over the Skyway and boy, howdy, did we do that. Running over the Skyway, over the sunrise is great," said Ella Melzer, a Tampa runner.
"I try to do this race every year to support the military families. It's always fun, it's always challenging, but it's just something you've got to kind of do," said Jeffrey Turner, a runner from Lutz.
"It was very dark last year, so there was quite a nice upgrade besides the rain today," said Amy Thornton of the RunFit Run Club of Lutz.
"Not a personal best but I did a really good time — 56 minutes — that incline was a little tough, but I just kept going," said Ken Walsh, a retired naval officer.
One group of female runners has run the race every year since it started seven years ago in 2018.
"Our dad is a veteran, so we are here doing that for him. Grandmother and other family members are, as well. I've never served personally, but it is important to be out here to represent families of people who are served for this nation," Amy Schwartz said.
At the Tropicana Field staging area, bused-back runners received their medals and returned to cheers and warm embraces from volunteers. They also got some delightfully nutritious bananas.
"They just feel overjoyed they feel more proud of themselves. Someone greeting them at the end and cheering for them, knowing that you've been waiting for them all excited to see them come through and hand them their medals," said Marta Portillo, a volunteer.
For many other runners, today's race held special sentiments. Rhonda Dittmar did a 'throw-back' when she wore a T-shirt from the inaugural bridge run which was held in 1987. Dittmar was just 18 years old then. Based in San Diego, she has been a military spouse for the past 31 years.
The Skyway 10K run has raised more than $2.6 million for the Armed Forces Families Foundation. The organization provides vital support to military families. To make your contribution toward their efforts, you can visit the organization's donation page.