A Most Incredible Weekend

Parking sign nabbed from Maple Ridge

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted anything - been a little busy hosting a number of pity parties over being unable to run because of my broken toe. However, I just had to take a few minutes to share my experiences from this weekend's Route 66 Marathon!

I had originally signed up to run the 5K on Saturday. Well, with that registration comes the prerequisite emails, and one of those mentioned volunteering. I'd never considered volunteering before, but went to the website to check out the opportunities, and one immediately jumped out at me - handing out coins to runners who made the Center Of The Universe detour.

Official Center Of The Universe
Metal Coin

Doing the detour increased the mileage of the marathon from 26.2 to 26.5, thereby making it an Ultra (which is technically anything over 26.2). On top of that, the detour was being sponsored by Michelob Ultra, which meant the runners would get a free beer beyond the two they were already anticipating at the end of their run! So, the marathoners would take this three-tenths-of-a-mile detour, receive a fine coin and a free beer, and be on their way. Sounded like fun!

Then my injury occured and my first thought was "Oh, no! I'm not going to be able to run!" followed by "OMG, this really hurts!" followed by assorted pain-induced obsenities. It wasn't until a few days later, after a visit to the doctor confiming it was broken, that I considered volunteering on Saturday as well. I figured that if I couldn't run, at least I'd be amongst "my people," i.e. runners.

5K Runners - on your mark, get set...

I arrived bright and early Saturday morning at Veteran's park to help set up for the 5K and 1-mile fun run - the first 45 minutes was spent unwrapping and hanging individually wrapped finisher's medals for the 12-and-under 5K and Fun Run runners. Then we got the runners lined up for the 5K, and they were off! It was a lot of fun watching as runners of various skill and ability crossed the finish line - some were intense, some were overjoyed, some were just relieved to have made it to the finish line!

Fun Runners!

Then it was time to get the fun runners lined up and ready to go! Despite the still-chilly morning, these kids were ready to go! Had a little fun teasing them - arguing that it was 10 miles instead of one, making them stand behind the line only to have them creep back up when my back was turned - and then the rifle went off and they were gone. And seeing them cross the finish line and the looks on their faces when we gave them their medals - some were old pros at it, but some of the younger kids were so astonished to get their medal - it was a series of pretty touching moments, and definitely the high point of the day.

Met up with Mark Cato before the race!

Sunday was an entirely different experience. I arrived early (in time to see the start of the race) and wandered around the corrals, looking at all the full and half marathoners going through their pre-race routines - it was really quite a site. Even ran into a couple of friends at the starting corrals - Twitter friend Mark Cato was getting ready to run (I think) his 20th marathon, and my co-worker Becky who ran a stellar 5K the day before and was now volunteering on this chilly Sunday morning!

 Once the race started, I headed over to the Center Of The Universe, and that's when the fun began in earnest! We spent a little time setting up the coin station on the top of the Main Street Bridge, getting the beer station ready at Main and Archer, making foil hats, hanging signs, etc.

The hardest working volunteer crew at
The Williams Route 66 Marathon!

Then about 9:45, the runners started showing up! The first wave consisted of those serious runners still trying to make time, but wanting the coin and the "Ultra" designation. Next came the not-as-serious runners who were trying to complete the course in a decent time but weren't so intense that they couldn't take the detour for the coin (and free beer!). Then finally came the marathon "fun runners," those runners that were serious about running but were there mostly for the experience! Here are just a few of the runners we saw that morning:

One of the first runners to hit the detour!

My co-volunteer Brenda handing out coins!

Taking his coin on the run!

Second female to hit the detour!

Even cowboys gotta run!

Our first costumed runner of the day!

We even had a proposal - she said "yes"!

Glen was our first detour runner!

Best of all was the opportunity to meet some of my Twitter tweeps who had come from out of town to run the marathon! If you're on Twitter and you need motivation from great runners who are also great people, follow these guys!

Met up with Darron Tytler (@datman65) Saturday at the 5K - he
PR'd his marathon by 23 minutes, on his birthday no less!

With Nicholas Norfolk (@absolut_zer0) and Mark Cato
(@supermancato) at the Center of the Universe!

I had a most incredible weekend, and you can be sure that whichever day I'm not running next November 23rd & 24th I'll be volunteering somewhere at the Williams Route 66 Marathon weekend!

-Steve