One of the first things Charlie Strong will do when he settles in Tampa is find places to run. He’ll carve out five- and a six-mile routes, and he’ll rise before the sun and plan his day as he pounds pavement. If he chooses to live where many of the people in his tax bracket live, he’ll have one of America’s most beautiful runs steps away from home.
On the south side of Bayshore Boulevard sits a stretch that is believed to be the world’s longest continuous sidewalk. For more than four miles from downtown to Gandy Boulevard, a runner seeking peace or inspiration or an escape can coast uninterrupted in a graceful arc along the edge of Hillsborough Bay.