I'm going to go ahead and get my stats out of the way for this post because I want to get right into my experience at the Tupelo Marathon. I got to run two days this week. On Wednesday afternoon I ran 5 miles in the 92 degree heat and then a few of us that weren't running the Tupelo Marathon, went to Shiloh and ran on Saturday. Jeff and I ended up with 10 miles.
On Sunday I got up early and made my way down to Tupelo to volunteer at the marathon. My friend, David Whiteside, was the race director. There wasn't much going on at first. Right before the start, I hitched a ride with a guy over to a water station between miles 11 and 12. We knew we had plenty of time to get some cups filled and waited on the runners to start showing up. Somewhere around 6:15 the first runner showed up. Then some more and then they started coming in waves. We had about eight people working at the station and we were handing out water & ade as fast as we could. I was filling cups and was scared I was going to get behind but didn't.
As runners, we know that no event could be successful without the volunteers that take time to work at various points. Even though it seems insignificant, volunteers are an important part of it all. I'm glad the runners came out but the runners were glad we were there too. A lot of the runners expressed their appreciation that we were there as we expressed ours that they came out too. It was fun being "on the other side" watching and helping.
As much as I enjoyed cheering the runners on, the best part was seeing the ones that I run with on almost weekly and yelling at them and cheering them on. I missed Tracy but I did see Koach, Joy, Jody, Angie and Janet. They were all looking strong! Angie won first place in the 29 & under with a time of 2:06:01 in the 14.2 race. Congrats Angie!
I did make it back to the finish line in time to see Jody cross it. I think one of the highlights of the finish was "the hugger". There was a lady there that was hugging everybody when they crossed the finish line. I even saw her chase a few of the runners down to hug them. It was funny. Apparently, they will take applications for that position next year.
A Personal Note
David, thanks for a great race! I appreciate you letting me be a small part of this event and letting me give back to the sport that I have come to love and enjoy. I have made some great friends and look forward to making many more. I can't wait until next year.
That's going to do me for this week. Next week, we are going to feature a blog by a fellow runner that post some great recipes and is also sharing her journey in running. Hope to see you then.
When I ran the GumTree.. I ran it alone.. and I will never forget when I crossed that finish line there was Jennifer Garrett right there and she ran up and hugged me and congratulated me. It was a wonderful feeling! And I didn't even know she was there and had ran it too! Everybody needs a hug after a long run! And a short one too!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your blog Jeremy. You're stories are so encouraging. I got my hug too at the finish line of my first Gum Tree. I also ran it alone. I began really struggling the last mile as I looked up and could see the finish line but it seemed light years away. Out of the blue a girl ran up next to me and said, "You can do it!!! We can do it!!! We'll do it together!!!!" I'll never forget it. Then at the finish line there was a girl I had grown up with who was volunteering! I finished with no walking and I got my hug!!!
ReplyDeletePamela Hill