Warm and Fuzzy on a Cold Winter's Day
I was less than bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30 on Sunday morning when I woke up to go volunteer at the Joe Kleinerman 10K. It was freezing out. Missing out on my final requirement to qualify for the 2011 New York Marathon wasn't an option, though, so I got out of bed and put on as many layers as I could think of.
There was a lot of downtime before the race started and the runners made it to Mile 4 where I was stationed. My coffee had long since gone cold, but I clung to the cup anyway. A group of speedwalkers passed by. One of them looked right at me and my bright orange reflective vest and said, "I hate the Road Runners." Lovely.
And then, the runners started coming. I put down my coffee. Suddenly, I was smiling and clapping. I'm pretty sure I clapped for an hour straight, and I know I said, "you're doing great" at least 50 times. I high-fived on request. Despite the fact that 7,000 people were running, I managed to see two friends who I knew were running (including Jess), and several who I wasn't expecting (including Meghann and some of my sister's Tri2B teammates).
A surprising number of people thanked me as they ran by. Many more smiled. One lady even complemented my coat. My favorite runner, though, was a woman who threw her hands up in the air as she passed me and proudly proclaimed that this was her very first race. That was awesome.
Before I knew it, the race ended and I left the park ready to start my day.
-Gym Belle-
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Reader Comments (1)
Sounds like you had a great time as a volunteer. Sometimes a "you're doing great" can go a long way towards motivating someone to finish the race.