Sam Crenshaw:
How was attending the event?
Jennifer La Macchia:
Attending the event was fun and sad at the same time. I missed being a part of the energy and excitement before the race and the feeling of accomplishment at the end. But it was certainly fun to people watch!
There are lots of fun costumes, signs and interesting people. I saw at least two pregnant women, Wonder Woman, Superwoman and a flurry of tutus. I wish I had been a bit better organized or had some kind of guidance on how to get to vantage points.
I was rooting for a friend and we were hoping to pop up along the course every now and again to cheer her on, but the live tracking was bad. We couldn’t figure out where she was and if we’d missed her or not. Then with the traffic adjustments, we weren’t sure how to navigate from place to place, where there would be parking, etc. We ended up only stopping once, cheering her on as she ran down Ranier Avenue, then went for breakfast and met at the finish line.
SC: How did it differ from running?
JL: I was jealous. When I’m running, I’m excited and nervous: will I finish, will I beat my time, etc. But as a spectator, you miss everything that’s cool: the bands, the quiet breathing and patter of running shoes, the lovely views along the way, the nice people who randomly cheer for complete strangers, the goodies at the end.
SC: What did you dislike about the end of it?
JL: The end of the race was ridiculously painful to figure your way around. I was supposed to run in the race so I had firsthand knowledge about the course, but I had no idea how to get from the finish line to where we were supposed to meet the racers.
We couldn’t come up and hug or help move our runner to the recovery area; we had to wait until after she left the recovery area to even say hi or good job.
When I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon a couple of years ago I was mobbed by my family between the finish line and the recovery area, and I have to tell you, I really needed to see them then. I felt bad for my friend that it took so long to get that hug, especially when she was exhausted.
SC: Would you go back to see a runner again? Would you run it again? Why?
JL: I would absolutely go to see a runner again for any race, not just the Rock ‘n’ Roll, because I’m supportive of my friends and family and enjoy cheering for their success.
Running a race that long takes a lot of training and dedication. It’s nice to celebrate with good people after such an accomplishment.
I would absolutely run it again, but I probably wouldn’t invite a lot of people or ask anyone to go out of their way to see me because it’s just too difficult to be a spectator. I might start offering/requesting spectator shuttle services though.