running the NY marathon

amtc
Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:50:42 +0000

Wow - great but sad story.

My Girl Scout troop used to volunteer at the Marathon and Pasta Dinner the night before every year. It was so much fun (and such hard work)! They began when they were around 13 and continued until they were Seniors in high school.

The dinner was like being at an Olympic event - foreigners all over the place. Everyone was so friendly. They had bands playing and the girls would get up on stage and dance during their breaks. They preferred checking tickets at the door and serving dessert mostly, oh and bussing tables. It was totally exhausting. We would then walk uptown to a friends apartment, sleep in their floor, and get up around 6:30 to walk cross town to their water/Gatorade station. They would set up the station and then hang with whatever radio station and DJ was there at that hour until it was time for the runners. The elite runners rarely asked for water but once they passed it was hard to keep up with the demand! The were often drenched in water and Gatorade by the end of the very long day.

The only requirement I had of them was that no one miss school the next day - or even be late or we wouldn’t be able to go the next year. They loved it and cherish the t-shirts and rain ponchos they received.

Good luck to those who run - it’s WAY out of my league!