On Race Etiquette and playing by the rules

Why is it that people who RUN run (you know the really fast ones… the ones who actually GET the water at the water stop in the 5k before they run out of bottles… the ones who finish in the top three in their age group… the ones that act like they own the race course) are usually the ones who cram it down the throat of the people who are there making the elite look good by bringing up the rear that you walk on the right and run on the left… you know… unless you are too too too too too too good for words and the people on the left won’t let you run there and you have to knock the people on the right down because YOU are specialistnessnessness incarnate?

If you are going to be so wonderful that you have to point out race etiquette (walk on the right, run on the left… raise your hand when you are going to switch from running to walking in a run walk run deal… whatever) FOLLOW IT. I get how incredibly annoying we of the not incredibly speedy are to those of you who finish a 5k in 15 minutes. I get it. But I’m tired of being in your way.

I’m tired of people who put on races and don’t remind people of the etiquette.

Ran in the boys and girls club race this morning and (If you’re going to be responsible for helping raise good citizens PAY ATTENTION HERE) people were in the mile walk eight or ten across so those of us who suck so horribly at running that we didn’t cross the finish line in 15 minutes had to DEAD stop or run over your precious little cherubs playing in the water.

It’s been a totally sucky two weeks of races. Last weekend 750 ran the 5k. 230 pictures weren’t too blurry to be viable. But the people who were in the very front of the pack got really nice pictures of themselves taken. This week by the time I made it to the top of the ginormous hill in the 85% humidity (where the signs all said water stop ahead) there were dozens of half full water bottles sitting on a table where the first third of the racers were nice enough to not throw their bottles down on the ground and make someone else pick them up… but they ran out of water (they KNEW how many people had signed up for the race… they knew) so 2/3 of the racers (walkers, runners who suck so large like me) didn’t get anything to drink until the finish line.

Yes, I had fun.

Yes, two weeks in a row I PRed a 5k. Today I came in at just over 34 minutes.

Yes, I think people who race should be made to follow the rules and those people who are putting on the event should have to follow some protocols as well.

If I pay my entry fee, I kind of expect to be able to get a drink at an advertised water stop at the very very very least.

It’s like life, you know. There are certain things that you do just because you do them.

Love and Light
April