Watching others run a marathon is nuts. You see all body types, varieties in running form, shoes or no shoes, clothes or barely clothes. You see runners caught up in a high and runners pushing through the deep darkness. The steady rush of runners that pass by can make you dizzy. At least, that’s my excuse for why I MISSED many of the runners I was looking out for at mile 15 of the LA Marathon last Sunday!
At any rate, you usually see some amazing and funny stuff on a marathon course. Sometimes you catch it in a photograph! Here are a few of my grainy photos. Some are inspirational, some funny, and some are the backs of my friends who saw me first, yelled my name, and then kept running on as I scrambled to take a bad photo. π
Running Bloggers spotted on the course:
There were many more but these are the few I managed to photograph.
Running Rachel’s 2nd Marathon
She is far too happy to be 15 miles into a marathon!
Shane (calf sleeves) and the chafing guy (behind him).
Not sure if Chafing Guy was really chafing but I’m just going with that.
Speaking of uncomfortable looking runners…
This man demonstrates good runner etiquette. If you’re feeling gassy, wait until no one is directly behind you to relieve the pressure.
I saw Shane and missed Rachel at the finish…
I heard Rachel call my name as I took this picture and realized she was already past me! So I sprinted up as far as I could go and barely caught a video of her running away. See instagram for that awesome footage.
3 friends who don’t know each run the same pace….
Brian aside, the other three were so close to each other the entire race. This made it more difficult to look for them all at once.
Some runners just float by…
I think this guy is the last airbender.
I love seeing different fuel techniques:
It’s hard to tell but this man is noshing a full sized peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yes he is.
White Tank Top: This tiny lady was all business.
I’m guessing this was not her first rodeo.
The determination on this guy’s face:
Could be a pain face too but…isn’t that the same thing?
Flag runners are always a crowd favorite.
Extra cheers for the lack of t-shirt.
Then there are the awe-inspiring.
I hope she wasn’t on her phone the entire time.
I absolutely adore this kid! Gloves, goggles, sparkly skirt! Of course major props to matchy-matchy mom back there doing the hard work.
While watching all the runners go by is surely a fun experience that motivates and inspires you, I still firmly believe I would much rather be running the marathon than spectating!
Marathon Watching
- Have you gone to see runners at a marathon? Fun? Hectic?
- What is the best/worst thing you’ve seen on a race course?
Fun! I love seeing the race from a spectator’s perspective alongside the runner recaps.
why don’t I look like I”m flying!!! I look like I’m race walking π great recap and you got some crazy fun photos
Thanks, Amanda! I know…I too want to have someone catch me in the perfect flying-running pose!
This is great. So fun with Rachel and Brian and the blogger crew this weekend, and the ALS runner/team finished right ahead of me. Thanks for posting!
Mark aka @marathoner
http://marathonomy.blogspot.com
Hi Mark! Excited to check out your blog. Congrats on your finish!
I LOVE THIS POST!!! I LOVE THIS POST!!!! I could say this 1 million times over! I have never really watched a race before, I am just always stuck in the traffic surrounding the event, LOL! THANK YOU for this LOVER! Why were YOU not running?
Gigi, you are so adorbs! I am not quite up to marathon mileage in terms of foot recovery yet but I may very well sign up for next year! And hopefully you’ll come cheer for me!?
OH HECK YES I WILL! And then treat you to a crazy sushi feast π
Awesome! I went and spectated at NYC this year it was definitely an adventure! Cool to see it from the sidelines (although I prefer running). Definitely saw some crazy costumes, and weird things, but also many many many incredibly inspirational runners.
Crazy costumes are fun! Yes, much prefer running. π
LOVE it! Thank you SO much for being my coach and cheerleader! <3
Of course! You are a very inspiring runner and I love “seeing” you tackle those long miles!
OH MY!!!! Thank you for that slice of life & fun to see it from all views!
Great pics, definitely a lot of motivation and inspiration.