128th Boston Marathon

Apr 15,

This morning was the 128th Boston Marathon, and I was a volunteer. I hadn't even considered it as a possibility until someone at the Gillette running club suggested that we volunteered together and I thought it was a great idea. I can not run a full marathon, and even if I could I would not be fast enough for this one. So I figured that volunteering is one way to be part of it. 

I was supposed to volunteer with a co-worker who unfortunately got strep throat and could not go, but alone or not I was committed to going. Luckily I did a good job reading and following instructions, and got there on time and without issues. As volunteers we also got extremely lucky, as the weather was warm and beautiful. That was not the best for the runners though, as warm weather is not the best especially for a full marathon. 

We were Start Area Marshalls, which means that after the last wave of runners left, we were free to go. That gave me enough time to drive back to Newton, meet Lionel, and see the runners at about mile 17. Our Cincinnati real estate agent was running, and we got to see him and cheer him on. With the heat, he looked like he needed it. I also saw some people who I saw at the starting line, and one guy who I chatted with for a few minutes even recognized me and was happy to see me. I also got to cheer on people from several countries, including mine. And not to brag, but looked like Mexican runners were handling the heat just fine.

After the race we went to the neighbors house since they were having family and some friends over. I had originally thought that I would take a half a day off and work in the afternoon, but hanging out was much better - even if the work accumulated. And luckly I had set my out of office message to indicate I was out all day, so nobody was expecting me to be online anyway.

I don't know if I will volunteer again, because I am not sure I will get this lucky with the weather again, but I am glad I did it this year. While this was not part of my bucket list per se, it feels like being part of the Boston Marathon is a bucket list-type experience.