Creativity & consistency
That was the theme for me this year. This race isn’t my favorite from a running standpoint, but I don’t sign up to PR. It’s the atmosphere and the people that suck me in.
Dress up and run contest
Lots of creativity here. The first place individual winner was Indiana Jones, and he ran with an SUV-sized boulder attached at his waist, following him for 6 miles. And he had the Indy theme song playing inside of the boulder.
I also saw the résumé man. This guy sandwich-boarded himself and handed out résumés to spectators. And I think he still finished in under an hour, despite stopping for several mini-interviews along the way.
Condo for sale
A creative couple printed a huge posterboard with images and a description of their condo, all in an attempt to sell it. They had flyers with more information in-hand. Why pay X number of dollars to advertise when you’ve got 30,000 people to market to for free? Since their place was 2 blocks from the race, they could even do a walk through.
Little drummer boy
He’s not really that little anymore, and I’m not sure how many years he’s been at it, but this kid sets up his drum set on the front lawn year after year. No amp. No guitarist. No lead singer. Just him and his drums. The 20+ bands that played this year might want to send a recruiter down to take a look at this kid. He was better than at least half of the band’s drummers.
Party on the balcony
Whether they’re college students or mid-20-somethings, you can always count on them. Small gatherings always take place on the balconies overlooking Monument Ave. Stereos blasting, spray-painted bed sheet signs that call out their friends (some borderline inappropriate), solo cups in hand. They wait for over an hour to see their 5 friends run by, each time yelling for 5 seconds, then it’s over. For some, the 10k is an excuse to start drinking at 8am.
100k club
And then there’s these folks. They have run this race for all 10 years of it’s existence. And for all the reasons above, and the many more I’m sure I missed, I know they’ll be some of the first to sign up again next year.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I finished in 48:50.