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Paul Long: Marathon runners are energized by spectators and fans and high-fives


The crowded start of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (Photo by Paul Long)

The crowded start of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (Photo by Paul Long)

The starting line at a late fall urban marathon, such as the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, which I attended this past weekend, is usually pretty crowded. Thousands — in the case of Indianapolis, more than 11,000 — of runners are jammed onto a downtown avenue.

Lined up along the sidewalks and down the side streets are nearly as many spectators — the resting or injured running mates, bundled up in hoodies and warm jackets, along with the family and friends of those shivering in the streets in their shorts and t-shirts.

Then the starting gun goes off, and the runners walk shoulder-to-shoulder through the narrow starting chute before picking up speed and high-tailing it down the block and along the city streets. And the spectators?
Well, after waving frantically and shouting encouragement before realizing they missed seeing their friend pass the starting line, they wait. Even with the speediest of friends, they wait more than two hours, sometimes three, or four, or five.

Oh sure, they can try to catch the runners at other points in the race, but unless they’re a fast runner themselves or have other means of transportation, a looped course isn’t amenable to that. The main streets, where the race is run, are closed to cars, and parking along the side streets isn’t easy to find.

So they wait at or near the finish line, hoping to pick out their friends as they come through. Some do head out to the neighborhoods — or if they live nearby, are already out there — to cheer on the middle miles. And rest assured, even if the runners fly through or stagger through the finish oblivious to what’s going on around them, they appreciate your attendance.

For the most part.

Just don’t be the guy who shouts out “you’re almost there” when there are miles to go. And forget the encouraging, “this is the last hill.” It usually isn’t.

Encouragement appreciated

But calling out a name is appreciated.

“Hearing someone say, ‘You can do it Luke,’ is awesome,” said Luke Smith, who runs with the group Run NKy. “They don’t know me, but my name is on my bib so they cheer for me. It helps.”

Those corny signs spectators hold up can bring a moments of levity to alleviate the pain runners feels during a race.

“I love reading all the signs, especially the funny ones,” said Toni Anderson, who runs with the Tri State Running Company in Edgewood. “I like it when a random person reads my name off my bib and cheers me on. This was honestly what got me through the last several marathon miles. It’s awesome to have friends and family there, but they can’t be present at every mile, and who knows when that one ‘Come on Toni; you got this’ is going to be needed most.”

Putting out your hand for a palm slap can be invigorating.

“I really love the little kids who are giving the high fives,” said Joseph Salyer, a runner from Cincinnati. “I always try to give them one.”

Cheering loudly could help that runner dig deeper for an extra boost.

“The volunteers really helped make this race great, and got me through some hard moments,” said my daughter, Corey Long, who ran the Indianapolis marathon as she successfully sought to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

“In particular, I’d like to give a shout out to a group of five or six girls, somewhere around mile 18 or 19, near the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Anyone who has run a marathon knows that miles 18 to 23 are the hardest. Your body has been through a lot and still has a lot more to go. My body hurt, and I felt a bit isolated. Then, off in the distance, I heard this huge roar of cheering and support, and I pushed a bit harder to see where it was coming from. To my surprise, this outburst was coming from just a handful of volunteers, who were jumping and cheering and giving it all to motivate us runners on. Their enthusiasm helped pull me back to reality, and I even managed to give them a smile and a wave back. Sure, running may be an individual sport, but strong crowd support sure does go a long way.”

A fan reaches out to high-five Northern Kentuckians Suzanne Peters and Melissa Mann as they near the finish line of the Monumental Marathon. (Photo by Kim Sogar Tunnacliffe)

A fan reaches out to high-five Northern Kentuckians Suzanne Peters and Melissa Mann as they near the finish line of the Monumental Marathon. (Photo by Kim Sogar Tunnacliffe)

The runners love to show their appreciation. I fondly recall a Flying Pig Marathon a few years back when Joe Brinkman, who now runs the Queen City Running Club, came down the finishing chute with a glowing smile on his face, running from sidewalk to sidewalk, throwing his hands in the air, encouraging spectators to make more noise. They did. I have tried to emulate his routine in some of my longer races, and it never fails to get people screaming.

And sometimes, the spectators bring out the ego of the runner.

Fans help

“I need spectators,” said Katie Dusing of Taylor Mill. “I try not to look like I feel as crappy as I do when I know people are watching.”

“It is a motivator,” said Steve Schwalbach of Fort Thomas. “I was saying to myself in the New York Marathon: ‘These people did not coming out to see you walk through Central Park. Keep on moving those legs.’”

And while fans near the end of a race can give one a needed boost, those in the middle miles can be a windfall when you’re at a low peak.

“I love seeing people on the course,” said Marisa Himmler of Independence. “I was sad about the (low) turnout of spectators outside of downtown Indy. Especially in the neighborhoods, I kept wondering where everyone was. It was a beautiful course and a gorgeous day, so I had those distractions to help me power through.”

Julia Meister, a runner from Fort Thomas, said every runner should volunteer at a race, if only to get a feel for what it takes to watch and cheer — or to hand out water at a water stop.

“It provides great insight into the mental aspects of running, and it’s important to give back,” she said.

Paul Long, on the road (Photo by Kris Payler Staverman)

Paul Long, on the road (Photo by Kris Payler Staverman)

Paul Long writes weekly for the NKyTribune about running and runners. For his daily running stories, follow him at dailymile.com or on Twitter @Pogue57


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