Now that ALMOST (holly) all the Boston reports are in I thought I'd post a little perspective from the volunteer starting line.
I LOVE this weekend - the local running group (MVS) I'm in plays a huge role both volunteering and running Boston and having so many of my virtual running friends in town makes it the best!! Our volunteer duties started when we joined the L street running club for packet stuffing the week before Boston. So much fun to hear all the Boston war stories and the anticipation of those getting ready to run!
The weekend itself started with the expo on friday afternoon - wish I didnt have to be in work that night because my friend and I could have stayed for hours (oh we did stay for about 4!) This was her 1st Boston and 3rd marathon in 6 months so I was very excited for her and at that point was really wishing I was running with her!
Saturday evening we had our annual pasta party - amazing how many runners in that room had run Boston in previous years. I was pleased to be able to stand as someone who has run it in the past but even more excited for all those runing it for the 1st time and for our past president who was about to embark on his 34th straight Boston!!
Sunday afternoon as you've already read was so much fun with the RA/KR masters!! So cool to spend time with so many of you!! I had a great time and didnt want the day to end!
The past 3 years I've volunteered on the medical team for race day, but this year decided to stick with my running group for Human Chains. Our volunteer bus took us right to the start line - intersecting with the road to Athlete's Village. We had a bus full of volunteers and a 2nd bus full of runners. If you've seen any of the pics on FB you can see the one of me on the bus -- I dont think it was possible to be anymore excited to get the day started!!
As part of Human Chains we were assigned to different corrals where we actually formed a row in front of the metal barriers so when the other volunteers took away those gates we were still in place to separate the corrals.
So much fun!! I saw so many friends out there it was great and of course i saw Bob - Mainerunnah -- somehow i see him more than anyone else and it's always a pleasure!! We cleaned up the corral a bit after wave 1 left and began preparations for wave 2 .... so many friends in this wave -- dont think i stopped smiling or hugging people ever!! After our duties were complete, the volunteer bus took us run down to prime location in Kenmore Sq and a bunch of us hopped the T out to different sections on the course. I was hoping to get to the Mile 20 water stop but the D train wasnt cooperating so we took the B train to Boston College. My friend Amy and I has SO MUCH FUN - cheering on runners and running with some of our gang then jostling our way back up -- we were mostly around the mile 22 area. I saw Robin running by and she gave me that big, beautiful smile of hers!! When close to the last 2 of our gang were approaching we jumped in and ran them in the last 3.5 miles ........ did i say this yet..........so much fun!!
After the race we went back to our post-marathon party ........ 10 of us had put together a dance routine to " I will survive" and it went off great..........good food, good friends, GREAT TIME!!
The only hard part of this weekend for me is I would love to be able to spend more time with all of our RA friends in town, but with it being such a huge part of my local group's plans it's hard not to be there. Plus this year so many of them were running their 1st Boston - I was beyond excited for them!!
Cant wait for next year - who knows maybe I'll change my mind and run another marathon after all!!
denise
Denise - great report of the other side of marathon weekend! The volunteers are outstanding, and it's great that you have such a wonderful time doing this with your club.
Thank you - thank you - thank you!
aka Mrs. WillRunForBeer, MD, USA Marathoning, the triumph of desire over reason
Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo
~Mary
"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."
~unknown
http:www.rawleypointkennel.com
I remember you posting a few times that you were looking forward to being in the "Human Chain 3", but I had no idea what that was all about. So thanks for writing this. Now I know!
It was great meeting you at Robin's. You are delightful and your report speaks volumes of the fun to be had volunteering. Thanks for helping the runners to enjoy their day!
Bill
"Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong
Be safe. Be kind.
Hi Denise,
Great report! You sure had a busy weekend, did some great volunteer work, and got to meet and hang out with lots of old and new friends - sounds about perfect!
I drove down the course through Wellsley and Natick at about 7:45 that Monday morning (before they closed the road), and was just amazed to see how many volunteers were out in their yellow and blue jackets, even at that hour. The number of people it takes to make that race happen so "seamlessly" (if only it were that easy...) is staggering. And yet every volunteer always has a big smile on their face, and is obviously glad to be there. Congrats to you and the other MVS members for doing such a good job year after year. Do you all want to come and volunteer for my race in October??
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.
"During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."
Thanks for volunteering--I DID realise it was you precisely when the crowd picked up the forward momentum! It was neat to see you, however fleetingly, and yes, do consider being in a corral next year!
grins,
A
Carolyn
I hammered down the trail, passing rocks and trees like they were standing still.
Jay - keep me posted on your race --- if i dont run it, I will definitely volunteer! Our volunteer bus was in place by 7:30am so I was probably one of those volunteers wandering around before we had to be in our assigned corrals!
Amy - I meant to add that to my report.........i was scanning the corral for you so hard and nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized it was you!! I was soooooooooo excited and do have a little glimpse of you in the pic i took!!
sooooooooooo much fun!!
I scanned the human chains for you and thought it was cool that the race announcer let us know when the human chain was in place and then moving. I imagined you out there with your ever present grin doing an excellent job.
Thanks for this perspective. The race isn't possible without the volunteers and I try and say thank you whenever I grab a cup of water or cross a traffic-less street or get wrapped in a silver blanket, or when someone asks if I am okay at the finish.
THANK YOU!
Maniac 505
Deez
I am so sorry you didn't have any fun this weekend, I hope the next marathon works out better for you.
I have only volunteered at a couple of races, I should do more. I always try to thank the volunteers, the kids, and the officers for being out there. You guys are the ones that make the race happen.
a HUGE thanks
Dave
deez, you performed a valuable service to the Boston marathoners and had a great time yourself. You can't beat that.
TomS
Marathon Maniac #957
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."