<h2>Sometimes life throws us a curveball...</h2>
This past weekend, it was in the form of an extra 1/2 mile on the Maine Coast Marathon course. That might not seem like a big deal to some - indeed, it's probably only an extra 3 - 8 minutes added to most peoples' day. For the exceptionally fast, though... that extra few minutes could be the difference between earning a coveted, and often elusive, BQ... or walking away heartbroken after months of effort seemingy wasted.
<h3>Needless to say, the pitchforks and torches are out.</h3>
People are raging on social media, railing against the race, and demanding their pound of flesh. In this situation, as often happens, not everyone knows what, exactly, happened... but they know they're angry and upset. They know they want answers and a resolution. While nothing I can say today is going to award anyone a BQ... hopefully I can help give a little insight into things...<!--more-->
<h2>As runners, we can be a needy bunch.</h2>
I say it because I am one and I know it. I'm also (often) a paid race timer and (sometimes) a volunteer. Seeing races from all sides of the event allows me to see runners (including myself) at our best and at our worst. I think we can all be honest and agree... many runners damned-near expect perfection when we roll up to a race. We expect fast, easy parking, and a lightning-fast bib-pickup. We want short bathroom lines and an ideal race-course experience. If we get bottlenecked at any point on-course we're complainey and if our photos aren't cover-worthy we whine. God forbid our official time doesn't match what our Garmin says... I mean, what the heck! We paid good money for this!
<h3><strong>Race Directors, it seems, have a much shorter list of race-day "needs".</strong></h3>
As a Race Director... you know there are SO many variables... and you just hope you can control as many as possible (and those you CAN'T control go your way). Things like... it would be GREAT if nobody got injured or, God forbid, carted off to the nearest hospital. Hopefully vendors show up on-time with enough stuff. Having good weather is always a bonus. Of course, you want your volunteers and paid support staff to do their jobs correctly. Ultimately though, the most important thing is that your runners have fun and enjoy themselves.
<h2><strong>When catastrophe strikes... it's the RD's head on the block.</strong></h2>