5 Things Your Fellow Marathoners Won’t Tell You at the End of the Race
There are many things your fellow marathoners won’t tell you at the end of the race, just as there are things they won’t tell you at the start of the race or during the race.
That is the focus of this third and final installment of what you might call “Public Service Announcement” articles for marathoners.
These “PSA” articles may be controversial to some of my fellow endurance runners and walkers, but I don’t care. We’re all in this together.
After all, when is the last time that you competed in a marathon by yourself? How could you call that a competition, anyway?
No, there is a LOT of cooperation when you run or walk a marathon. The things listed below cover that spirit of cooperation at the end of the race.
1. Please acknowledge the spectators at the finish line.
No, most of them did not come out to see YOU in particular. But, many of them ARE cheering for you and want to see you inspired by their cheers. Thank them for being there by giving a smile, a high-five, a wave, an airplane move with your arms, or some other acknowledgement that you see and hear them and are boosted by their presence.
2. Please race me at the end.
Seriously. Although the spectators know that I’m not very fast at the end, I like to think that I am. And, although I like to “take down” an unwitting fellow marathoner right before the finish line without warning him or her, I also know that some spirited competition to reach the finish line helps you and me to shave a few seconds off our chip times — perhaps enough to put them in an earlier hour (or at least in an earlier minute).
3. Please don’t zig-zag across the finish line.
Given that I like to fly (in my mind, anyway) across the finish line, please “stay in your lane” as you cross with me.
4. Please don’t stop immediately after the finish line.
Unless you know that you’re the final marathoner to finish, please keep moving after you cross the finish line. Otherwise, I may run right into you — an inglorious way for both of us to finish the race.
5. Please take only the finish-area food that you need.
A lot of marathons run out of food for the final finishers, often because the earlier finishers took more food than they should have taken. Please don’t be that guy or gal. Those of us finishing after you will be just as hungry, if not more so.
The Final Installment
As noted earlier, this is the third of three articles about things your fellow marathoners won’t tell you. What would you add to this article about what they won’t tell you at the end of the race? Please post your comment below. Thanks!
