Things I learned about Marathons

This past weekend I volunteered with some friends at the Third Annual P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon (click on the title for the link) in Phoenix. Having considered doing the half marathon (you have to finish 13 miles in 6 hours - a feat I could hopefully do without having to ever run) and then deciding not to due to my 'delicate' condition, I thought the least I could do was hand out water to those more motivated than I.

So I got up at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning and met my friends to drive downtown and be there by 5:30. The streets were not yet closed when we got there, so that kind of hampered the putting tables up in the street effort. After filling the cups (more on that in the list of things I learned), we waited for the first runners to come through. Since we were at the first water station, we got both the marathon and half marathon runners (luckily, not at the same time). There were 10,000+ of the former, and 22,000+ of the latter. It was an interesting and fun experience, and here are the things I learned:

1. Runners are nice when you hand them water...most of them said "thanks" as they ran by.
2. Runners are litterers. They take one sip of the water and then throw the rest on the ground, with the cup.
3. The water came from a hydrant, was put in big, lined garbage cans, and then put into the cups. I would have thrown it on the ground after one sip, too.
4. Runners shed clothing as they run the race.
5. The aforementioned clothing gets picked up by the Salvation Army after the runners have disappeared.
6. Watching thousands of runners coming at you in a pack - and knowing you have something they think they want - can be a rather frightening experience for a 5'1" non-athletic, female introvert.

So that was my experience. It should be noted that these things may be specific to my experience at the RNR Marathon Water Station 1, and not necessarily representative of other marathons or even other water stations at this marathon.

Congrats to Cousin Jen who ran and finished in the top 1/3 overall and in her division!! Way to go!!