TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hundreds of people showed up to at the 8 On Your Side Health & Fitness Expo this at the Tampa Convention Center Saturday. Admission was free.
Dozens of local vendors were there to showcase all things health and fitness. There was something for everyone, including those who didn’t run in the nearby Gasparilla Distance Classic this year.
It’s Tiffany Martinez’s second year at the Expo. Martinez is the co-owner of Bliss Wellness Market, a holistic wellness boutique in North Tampa.
“There’s maybe a tenth of the people [this year], I am happy there are runners coming through,” Martinez said. “But we have a man who saved our coupon from last year, happy to see that but there’s a lot less people, vendors, everything,” Martinez said.
The Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic race got underway on Bayshore Boulevard Saturday and morning. Although the event was virtual this year due to the pandemic, runners had the option of running the race on Bayshore. The convention center was where they picked up their race packet and bib number.
Many people opted to run on Bayshore Saturday morning.
Brent Cook has run in the race for the last four years, and says he’s excited to run again as things start to return to normal.
“This is kind of surreal running on the course like this, and not having to share it with thousands of people, I’d much have the race going on but I feel like I did the next best thing by coming down here,” Cook said.