Halloween is on a Saturday this year, which puts it on the same day as the Great West Chase. From 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, most of the villages north and south of Linebaugh Avenue can only turn right onto it, and a few have to leave by a different road altogether. If you have a tee time, a flight or a Saturday shift that morning, the gate you use matters more than the clock.
The race starts at Montague Street and Brompton Drive in West Park Village. It heads west on Linebaugh Avenue and finishes near where it started. Runners stay in the southern lanes of Linebaugh, and all car traffic shifts into the northern lanes so cars and runners stay separate the whole time. That lane split explains most of the turn restrictions below.
What Your Exit Looks Like Between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m.
Westchase WOW, which organizes the race, posted these traffic patterns on Sept. 28 for anyone leaving home during race hours. The notice has "2025" in its heading, but it gives the race date as Saturday, Oct. 31, which matches this year's calendar and the race's 2026 registration page. WOW may still update the patterns before race day, so check its closure page that week:
| If you live in | You exit by | What's allowed on race morning |
|---|---|---|
| The Bridges, Tree Tops | Montague | Right turn only onto Linebaugh, heading west |
| The Fords | Gretna Green | Right turn only onto Linebaugh, heading west |
| Radcliffe | Radcliffe Drive | Right turn only onto Linebaugh, heading west |
| The Greens | Gretna Green | Cars held until no runners are passing, then a right turn only from the inside north lane, heading east |
| Harbor Links, The Estates, the Golf Course | Harbor Links entrance off Countryway Boulevard | Radcliffe Drive south of Linebaugh is closed during the race |
| West Park Village | Tate Lane to Cavendish | Reach Linebaugh by that route only |
Those rules decide how your morning goes. Households in The Bridges, Tree Tops, The Fords and Radcliffe can still get out, but only heading west. If you're headed east, plan on a turnaround somewhere west of the course. The Greens is the only village with a hold. The waiting time depends on runners clearing the intersection, so leaving at 7:45 a.m. carries more uncertainty there than anywhere else in the table. Westbound drivers on Linebaugh can still turn south onto Gretna Green, so getting home to The Greens is simpler than leaving it.
If you live in Harbor Links or The Estates, or you're going to the golf course, Radcliffe Drive south of Linebaugh isn't an option that morning. Countryway Boulevard is the way in and out. In West Park Village, the Montague Street entrance on the south side of Linebaugh is blocked off starting at 6 a.m. That's why the official route sends everyone along Tate Lane to Cavendish.
Why the Window Runs Until 9:30
The restrictions last four hours because the race goes out in three waves. The 10K starts at 7 a.m., the 5K at 8 a.m. and the Kids' Fun Run at 9 a.m. The 10K is the 5K course run twice. That means the slower 10K runners are still on Linebaugh after the 5K field joins them at 8 a.m.
The 9 a.m. start doesn't add Linebaugh traffic, though. The Kids' Fun Run stays on the internal Montague Street loop in West Park Village. By then the main road is mostly carrying 5K finishers. For an errand that can wait until mid-morning, leaving after 9:30 a.m. avoids every restriction in the table.
Westchase WOW also lists a timeline that starts before most people are awake:
- 4:30 a.m. The first race-day volunteer shifts begin.
- 5:30 a.m. The traffic patterns take effect, and walk-up registration opens.
- 6 a.m. The Montague Street entrance on the south side of Linebaugh closes.
- 7 a.m. The 10K and the 10K-and-5K Challenge start.
- 8 a.m. The 5K starts.
- 9 a.m. The Kids' Fun Run starts on the Montague Street loop.
- 9:30 a.m. The resident traffic window ends.
Joining the Morning Instead of Waiting It Out
If you'd rather be part of the morning, you have three ways in: run, volunteer, or walk over for the party.
Running. The prices after Sept. 15 are $60 for the 10K, $50 for the 5K, $70 for the 10K-and-5K Challenge and $30 for the Kids' Run. RunSignup adds a service fee of a few dollars to each. The two official sources disagree on the registration deadline. The Westchase WOW FAQ says online registration closes Oct. 28, while RunSignup shows each race open until its start time. The WOW FAQ also lists walk-up registration during packet pickup and on race morning starting at 5:30 a.m., so a late decision is still possible. If you're counting on registering online at the last minute, check with the organizer first.
Packet pickup is Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Westchase Recreation Center, 9791 Westchase Drive. The hours are listed two ways. The WOW FAQ gives 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., and RunSignup shows a continuous 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. window. Arriving after 3 p.m. works under either schedule. RunSignup also lists race-day pickup from 5:30 to 9 a.m. near the start line at 9902 Brompton Drive.
Both the 10K and 5K are chip-timed and nationally certified. Strollers are welcome, there's a PR bell to ring, and awards go to the top two male and female finishers in five-year age groups. Costumes are encouraged. WOW staff hand out Starbucks gift cards to runners in costume, and WOW photographers will be looking for costumed runners to put on next year's cover.
Parking. If you're driving in from elsewhere in Westchase, the recommended lots are the front and back lots at Westchase Elementary School, the Westchase Recreation Center and Westchase Early Learning lots, and the Westchase Town Center lot. Get into the Town Center lot by the entrance between Fifth Third Bank and The Grind.
The post-race party. You don't need to run to go. The vendor list reads like a directory of the neighborhood's own businesses: Saucy Lady, Signature Popcorn, Grain and Berry, Baygulls Bakery, Carrabba's, Outback, Blind Tiger, World of Beer/Blend, Irish 31, Doodle Noodle, Rezzi Performance Coffee, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and a Pepin beer truck staffed by volunteers from the Westchase Freebooters Krewe. Rockatar is the DJ, and local sponsor booths will have games and giveaways. No start or end time has been published, so plan to show up while the later races are finishing.
Where the money goes. This year's proceeds go to Davis Elementary in nearby Town 'n Country, a Title 1 school that also serves residents of The Children's Home. Principal Jackie Isajar told WOW the school has a one-person PTA, so outside donations make a big difference. She hopes to update the school's 22-year-old media center.
Volunteering. Shifts include bag stuffing on Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., packet pickup on Oct. 29, and race-day shifts from 4:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. High school students can count the hours toward Bright Futures. Sign up by emailing [email protected].
The Rest of October Around the Race
Most of the month's other events come before Halloween weekend:
- Upper Tampa Bay Oktoberfest, Oct. 16 to 18, at Tampa Bay Downs, 11225 Race Track Road. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, and children 12 and under get in free.
- West Park Village Spooktacular, Thursday, Oct. 22, 5 to 8 p.m., at West Park Village Plaza and Shops. West Park Village by Arium hosts it, it's free and open to the public, and it includes trick-or-treating, games and a DJ. Costumes are encouraged. Because it's on a weeknight, younger kids get a costume outing nine days before the race-morning crowd takes over the same streets.
- HorsePower for Kids Fall Festival, weekends from Oct. 3 through Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 8005 Racetrack Road. Admission is $15 plus $1 for parking. Its last Saturday is Oct. 31, so on Halloween it can come after the race, once the 9:30 a.m. window has passed.
One regular fall event won't happen until December. Westchase WOW's food-truck rally on the Montague Street greenspace was set for Oct. 2 but was canceled because of the weather. The next one is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Until then, the Great West Chase post-race party on Oct. 31 is the West Park Village event on WOW's calendar with a list of local food vendors.
Our neighbors moving out in late October deal with these same road patterns, along with packers, cleaners and closing dates. If a move or a listing falls during race week, Cyndi Olmstead and our team can schedule movers, deliveries and showings around the race-morning closures, and our services are paid at closing. Schedule your complimentary concierge consultation, and we'll plan the dates with you.
