Exotic event
My girlfriend ran the Mayor's Midnight Marathon as part of a large charity group called Team in Training (TnT for short). People sign up and pledge to raise a minimum amount of money (Kelly had to raise $3,900 US) in exchange they are given free training, large weekend event runs to help get people into shape, fitness coaching and free airfare and hotel accommodation for the marathon they choose to take. It is a noble cause and I have had the pleasure of meeting many of the people involved in Kelly's group who helped her cross the finish line after 5 months of training. Before the Mayor's Midnight Marathon they had a special spaghetti dinner for all the TnT runners to help get them motivated and prepared for the big run they were going to be doing the next day. This would be a nice little affair if it wasn't for one small catch... of the 3000 people who were going to do the Mayor's Marathon 2000 were flown in by TnT.
The event was held at the Anchorage convention centre. We are all driven in on school buses (nostalgia ride!) and dropped off in front of the building to be greeted by a cacophony of cow bells and cheering. Inside all the coaches form a gauntlet that everyone entering must pass through, being cheered and encouraged with great enthusiasm and volume. Since I was not actually running I found the gauntlet to be somewhat intimidating due to the sheer intensity these coaches exude in cheering. Some of these people were no doubt part of high school pep squads in their day.
After passing through the gauntlet, we form single lines to grab our grub. Then all sit at round tables of about 10-12 people. It was very reminiscent of a wedding reception just on a larger scale. We ate and talked among ourselves while on large screens images of those who were suffering from Leukemia & Lymphoma (including some who had lost the fight) and were in some way involved with TnT members played on a loop. A tastefully grim reminder of what we were all doing in the land of the midnight sun.
After a suitable time to eat and talk amongst our table mates the main event began. The vice-president of the company gave a rousing speech about how TnT and the people who ran these marathons had raised millions of dollars this year to help Leukemia & Lymphoma research. Each chapter from across the U.S. had their total donations read allowed to commend them on their work. Individual runners were applauded for exceptional charity drives, (one man in new Jersey actually raised $170,00, how he did it remains a secret).
Runners were then encouraged to stand up to be acknowledged, with those who had run more marathons getting to stand up and receive the longest ovation. Then the honorary members of TnT were asked to stand up, these people were people close to the runners who themselves suffered with Leukemia or Lymphoma, of which Kelly's brother was one of them.
The night consisted of many occasions where people were acknowledged which I think was an important role of encouraging many of the new runners to feel pride in what they were about to do. But the people of TnT knew how to work a crowd and set up a good order of speakers to give different perspectives on what this marathon meant. A man who had survived Leukemia after losing his 5 month old son several years prior came out and gave an inspiring speech that put a face to the emotional and financial suffering that many patients go through. He ended his speech by bringing up his young son who was born after he had made it through treatment. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after his speech.
Thankfully, after that emotional speech they brought on a famous running magazine writer John Bingham to liven the place up a bit with some humour about what to do on the course, how to think about the course, and really to just encourage people not to treat it like a race and more like a personal challenge to be met and overcome. He was the final major speaker and ended the night well with all the runners feeling good and smiling but also still holding onto the memory of the story of survivor of Leukemia to keep them motivated.
For me it was a unique experience to see members of a culture of fitness getting ready to perform the ritual they mentally and physically prepare themselves for over months. Many of them like, like Kelly, have never run a marathon before and after witnessing the impact the dinner had on her I can see the value in these events in motivating and encouraging runners.
The event was held at the Anchorage convention centre. We are all driven in on school buses (nostalgia ride!) and dropped off in front of the building to be greeted by a cacophony of cow bells and cheering. Inside all the coaches form a gauntlet that everyone entering must pass through, being cheered and encouraged with great enthusiasm and volume. Since I was not actually running I found the gauntlet to be somewhat intimidating due to the sheer intensity these coaches exude in cheering. Some of these people were no doubt part of high school pep squads in their day.
After passing through the gauntlet, we form single lines to grab our grub. Then all sit at round tables of about 10-12 people. It was very reminiscent of a wedding reception just on a larger scale. We ate and talked among ourselves while on large screens images of those who were suffering from Leukemia & Lymphoma (including some who had lost the fight) and were in some way involved with TnT members played on a loop. A tastefully grim reminder of what we were all doing in the land of the midnight sun.
After a suitable time to eat and talk amongst our table mates the main event began. The vice-president of the company gave a rousing speech about how TnT and the people who ran these marathons had raised millions of dollars this year to help Leukemia & Lymphoma research. Each chapter from across the U.S. had their total donations read allowed to commend them on their work. Individual runners were applauded for exceptional charity drives, (one man in new Jersey actually raised $170,00, how he did it remains a secret).
Runners were then encouraged to stand up to be acknowledged, with those who had run more marathons getting to stand up and receive the longest ovation. Then the honorary members of TnT were asked to stand up, these people were people close to the runners who themselves suffered with Leukemia or Lymphoma, of which Kelly's brother was one of them.
The night consisted of many occasions where people were acknowledged which I think was an important role of encouraging many of the new runners to feel pride in what they were about to do. But the people of TnT knew how to work a crowd and set up a good order of speakers to give different perspectives on what this marathon meant. A man who had survived Leukemia after losing his 5 month old son several years prior came out and gave an inspiring speech that put a face to the emotional and financial suffering that many patients go through. He ended his speech by bringing up his young son who was born after he had made it through treatment. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after his speech.
Thankfully, after that emotional speech they brought on a famous running magazine writer John Bingham to liven the place up a bit with some humour about what to do on the course, how to think about the course, and really to just encourage people not to treat it like a race and more like a personal challenge to be met and overcome. He was the final major speaker and ended the night well with all the runners feeling good and smiling but also still holding onto the memory of the story of survivor of Leukemia to keep them motivated.
For me it was a unique experience to see members of a culture of fitness getting ready to perform the ritual they mentally and physically prepare themselves for over months. Many of them like, like Kelly, have never run a marathon before and after witnessing the impact the dinner had on her I can see the value in these events in motivating and encouraging runners.