Your Guide to St. Pete Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

More than 8,000 runners — including Angela Clute, Andrea Templeton, Katherine Cernanec and Ken Huff from the Dunedin Running Club — are expected this weekend for the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in St. Petersburg. 

(Runners, don't forget to send your race-day photos to katie.dolac@patch.com for a gallery to be featured on Dunedin Patch!)

The marathon will be concluded with a . 

Residents are encouraged to browse more than 60 vendors or get healthy lifestyle tips at the Rock 'n' Roll Expo on Feb. 10-11, before supporting race participants with cheer squads and live bands, beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Following the half marathon, everyone is invited to North Straub Park for a 10 a.m. concert by Flo Rida.

The Expo

According to a news release, more than 60 exhibitors will have running apparel, footwear, health and fitness products on display, as well as fitness clinics and speakers at the free Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon's Health and Fitness Expo at Tropicana Field.

Hours

• Noon to 6 p.m. on Friday 
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. 

Admission to the Expo is free, parking at Tropicana Field is $15; guests should enter from Gate 1.

For more Expo information, including a schedule of clinics and speakers, visit http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/st-petersburg/expo. Following the Expo, guests can hop aboard the Central Avenue Trolley for just 50 cents per person and head downtown.

Also during the Expo, free, two-hour parking is available on surrounding streets; motorists are advised to follow posted parking regulations and plan accordingly. Parking is also available at alternate lots, meters and garages downtown, including BayWalk (enter from Second Street North) and South Core (enter from First Avenue South). Parking at either BayWalk or South Core will cost $5.

Parking & Transportation

On race day, parking for spectators and race participants without prepaid Tropicana parking is only available at BayWalk (enter from Second Street North) for $5. South Core garage will not be accessible due to race course closures. Race participants who have prepaid parking may park at Tropicana Field prior to 6:45 a.m. on race day for easy access to the starting line.

At the finish line, racers may return via shuttle to Tropicana Field and their vehicles. Parking and shuttle tickets will be available for purchase during the Expo's Race Day Park & Ride Booth, a news release said.

Motorists will see major street closures and traffic delays from midnight Sunday through approximately noon, with the heaviest congestion occurring between 6 a.m. and noon. Major streets impacted by the half marathon include Central Avenue, First Avenue South, Fourth Street South, Third Street South, Snell Isle Boulevard, North Shore Drive Northeast and Bayshore Drive Northeast and Southeast. 

Those wishing to avoid detours and street closures from the event should use 34th Street for unimpeded travel north and south of downtown St. Petersburg.

Riders who use PSTA or the Central Avenue Trolley will also see some service disruptions or delays due to Sunday's half marathon. Riders are advised to plan their routes carefully and allow enough time to get to their destination. For information on affected routes, visit www.psta.net orwww.stpetetrolley.com.