Missing the Marathon

For several years on the Sunday before Memorial Day my wife and I ran the marathon in Burlington.  I haven't run it since 2002.  It happened this past Sunday and I keep bumping into people who were part of it.  Some ran legs of the relay, some volunteered at water stations or at the finish line, some ran the whole thing.  It is a fantastic community event and I miss it.

We would rise early and head into town.  We knew a few good spots to park, being somewhat local, and made sure to walk a good ways down the hill to get to the start.  We always ran into people we knew.  There was great energy all around.

Along the route people cheered, calling out to people they did not know.  Musicians played and those living on the route offered the Rocky theme song or lemonade or a misting house.  I felt supported and that support kept me going when it was hot or I was tired.

The thing about it is this:  the community comes out for the event.  They say it is the biggest sporting event in the state now.  I don't doubt it.  Over 7,000 people ran it this year, from all over the world, so the local event has an international component.  And all those runners are welcomed and cheered on and smiled at.  It is a pretty wonderful.

Maybe next year I will have enough training to run it.  If not, I suppose I could run a relay leg.  I volunteered one year when I was injured.  In any case, it would be nice to just see it.  At one point I thought on Sunday, "this is marathon day."  I would like to not think that but just to be there.  There is always next year, right?