Thousands cross Tampa Bay area jewel in first Skyway 10K

It started shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday, about 7,000 people beginning a trek covering 10 kilometers — 6.2 miles — that was unlike any road race the Tampa Bay area has seen in decades.

The Skyway 10K was the first on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge since the new span opened to traffic in April 1987.

Joe Borg, with a time of 34 minutes, 43.9 seconds, and Leandra Osborne (43:01.2) were credited with the men’s and women’s fastest times, respectively, according to results posted on the Sports Stats World website. But for many participants, it was the opportunity to check off an item on the bucket list by traversing the Skyway bridge on foot.

The northbound lanes of the bridge were closed from 4 a.m. until shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday, a fact that was bothersome to many in the Tampa Bay area. For those who needed to travel north from Manatee County into Pinellas County, it meant a detour around Tampa Bay that added up to an hour to the commute.

However, the race was for a good cause, benefiting the Armed Forces Families Foundation, which got 100 percent of proceeds for projects that help military families. Some members of the military were among Sunday’s race participants.

The thousands of participants started the morning at Tropicana Field, where they were then bussed to the starting line on the Manatee County side of the bridge. They were then bussed back to the Trop after the race. Friends and family were able to watch the race on the big screen inside the Trop.

This story was originally published March 4, 2018 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Thousands cross Tampa Bay area jewel in first Skyway 10K."