The Craziest Things I’ve Seen as a Runners Wife
Over my career as a runner’s wife, I’ve had the opportunity to go to more than sixty marathons, half-marathons, 10ks and 5ks. From what I’ve been told, it’s unusual that a spouse would attend so many races. Here are some things those “stay-at-home” spouses might not think about:
- Showing up to a race is a good way to show support for your partner and acknowledge all the work they’ve done to get there.
- Racing can take you to some amazing destinations. We’ve been to Berlin, London, Boston, Big Sur and New York just to name a few.
- You can see some AMAZINGLY CRAZY things by going.
Join me for a journey through the craziest things I’ve seen as a runners wife!
Here are my Top 5:
5. It’s not raining – The Cleveland Marathon, 2022
Stephen and three of our friends ran the Cleveland Marathon in May of 2022. The forecast for the race was calling for cloudy skies and temperatures that would fall throughout the morning. Their job was to run 26.2 miles. My job was three fold:
- take pictures of the runners as they finished
- meet the runners with their backpacks of warm clothes
- bring umbrellas if the forecast called for any rain.
I had about three hours to myself before leaving our rental apartment to walk the quarter mile to the finish line. Double checking the forecast before I left, I decided to leave the umbrellas behind because there was still no chance of rain. I walked up and down the sidewalks near the finish line to find the absolute best spot to take photos of my runners as they crossed.
Once I had all of the backpacks neatly tucked under my feet, all I had left to do watch the race app to see how close they were to the 26.2 mile finish. It was challenging to get my smart phone to work as the temperature in my fingers was hovering somewhere around a Nordic lake. I cursed myself for not bringing gloves but felt I could probably work things out in time for pictures.
I couldn’t, however, work anything out once it began to rain. It started with just a drop, then two, then literally soaking, pouring, nearly freezing rain. I found a dry spot near a building to check on my runner’s progress when I discovered that somehow they finished without my seeing them! As I was sprinting to our pre-arranged meeting area, I heard my runners’ names announced over the loud speaker. The app was wrong. Had a waited maybe three minutes more, I would have been able to get their pictures as they finished their 26.2 mile feat.
So let’s recap, no gloves, no umbrellas, and no photos of my runners. Needless to say, I was just a bit surly by the time we were all reunited. As we huddled under a tent to stave off hypothermia, the weather forecast still said “Chance of rain – 0%”. Maybe it was some sort of mass hallucination. Or maybe the weather team took the day off.
Click here to read more about our adventures in Cleveland.
4. The Wrong Train Debacle – The Boston Marathon 2022
Stephen left to catch the VIP bus to the start line around 6am, so I decided I would go out and do a seven mile run by the Charles River. It was the longest run I had done in almost a year and although it was fun, by the time I got back to our room, I was ready for a nap!
Instead, I showered, put the marathon coverage on the TV and laid down… in the fetal position… staring at the start line sideways as I fought to keep my eyes open. After an hour, I realized that if I was going to meet Stephen at mile 24, I had to get moving!
Each step on my leaden legs was a sheer act of will but I kept telling myself, all you have to do is hop on the green line and then you can rest. I was so happy to get a seat where I could rest my head against the window. I was starving off a yawn after we made our third stop. Then I thought I heard the Conductor say that the next stop was Fenway.
I was immediately on high alert. How could it be Fenway? I must have misheard. I got on my feet and checked the map. Yes, it was the green line but it was the wrong train. I thought, don’t panic, I will hop off and find my way to the next train station. How hard could it be to catch the next train?
Answer: it was impossible. The train station I needed was across the road from where I was let off. Between me and train were barricades, police and an entire marathon. I remembered that somewhere before our pre-arranged meeting spot at mile 24, the barricades stopped so non-runners could cross the street. My new plan became: keep heading to the meeting spot. Eventually the barricades would end. I would cross the street and then catch the train for the rest of the distance.
It turned out that the barricades ended right AT mile 24. Fortunately, I made it to the meeting spot in time to get a kiss from my favorite runner. The moment he turned back to finish the race, the train heading back to the finish line left the station that was 3 feet behind me.
3. Footrace to the Finish Line – The Boston Marathon 2022
As happy as I was to catch Stephen at mile 24, I was equally as sad to see my train pulling away. I looked forlornly down the track and then realized it was going very slowly. I started to believe I could catch it if only I ran as fast as I could. Laden with the post-race backpacks and a purse, I gave it all I had. I could see the the next train station! It was only 3 blocks away and the train was stopping at an intersection.
Juking pedestrians and dashing by cars, I beat the train to the next stop and felt great pride as it slowed just in front of us…and then it left, without ever stopping. I turned to the woman next to me, who said “That’s the third train that’s done that!”
With no other option, I began a foot race to the finish line. About a mile down the road, I was finally able to catch a train to the Arlington station. I was very happy for the ride, even though the train was so crowded I couldn’t even reach the phone in my pocket. When I arrived, Stephen was already at the meeting spot, ready for a celebratory beer at Cheers.
Click here to read all about our adventures in Boston!
3. The Pant-less Runner – The Peach-tree Road Race 2022
One of the toughest things about a big race is negotiating road closures. For the Peach-tree Road Race, the largest 10k in the US, Stephen spent at least an hour charting a path that would allow me to drop our runners off at the start line and then get to a reserved parking spot near the finish line.
The spot was in the parking lot of a breakfast place in a rougher part of town. Now, I’m not a person who has spent all her days in the suburbs. I’ve lived in big cities, worked in big cities and volunteered my time in rougher areas. But even by my standards, things did not look great. As I was collecting the bag of dry clothes for the runners and typing in the directions to the finish line, a man and his son came up to my car and asked if they could walk with me to provide company and cover. Talk about some sweet souls.
After a few blocks we parted ways and I was again on my own. I passed lovely homes and abandoned businesses – a real mixed bag. I stopped for a moment at an IHOP to use the rest room. Moments later, at the next corner, I smelled something horrible – like, an over flowing sewer.
A man came my way holding his nose and he asked me if I saw what happened. He pointed to a man who was just up ahead, completely naked from the waist down, running down the street. Apparently he was the source of the smell, and the pants HAD to go.
1. The Time I Almost Took Out Kipchoge – The Berlin Marathon 2018
Besides carrying gear for the runners, I love to get pictures of my runners and of the top racers. This was the year Kipchoge, the Kenyan marvel, was set to mark the fastest time ever in a marathon.
We had no plan for me to catch Stephen along the route but as I was making my way toward the finish line, I found a completely empty street corner around mile 8 that I thought would provide a marvelous vantage point for some photos.
As the pacing team for Kipchoge just came into view, I got set on the curb and decided that pictures from ground level would be amazing. They came closer and closer to me, causing me to wonder why it looked like they were heading directly FOR me. Surely sitting on a curb couldn’t really be in the way of the course. But I was wrong. I quickly lurched backward onto the sidewalk as I was hit across the face by pair of arm sleeves cast off by one of the runners.
Inches from where I sat, the entire pack made a sharp right turn. Had I stayed where I was, I think they all would have tripped and fallen over like pins on a bowling alley. After the race, Stephen thanked me for my quick reflexes because had I taken out Kipchoge, we would have had to change our names and go into hiding.
So far, those are my top 5 craziest things I’ve seen at a race. How about you? I’d love to hear what you’ve seen!
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