(OK, so this is a few days late). <\/span>We This
\nhad another great time at the Boston Marathon this year — it was
\ngreat
\nweather for spectating, but it really was a bit too warm for hard
\nrunning. (Over to the right you can see Rachel shouting herself
\nhoarse).<\/p>\n
\nyear I
\nnoticed some pretty poor behavior on the part of some spectators, and
\nas someone who’s run a marathon (albeit, only one), I thought it would
\nbe a good thing to post the following:<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/anderkoo\/boston2004rachel.jpg\")
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nMarathon
\nSpectator’s
\nEtiquette Guide<\/h2>\n\n- Don’t
\n<\/span>occupy the runners’ lane, even if it is wicked crowded and
\nyou
\ncan’t get a great view. Runners do not appreciate spectators as
\nobstacles.<\/li>\n- Don’t<\/span>
\nhand out inappropriate food or drinks (I saw some little girls giving
\nout Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups two years ago, maybe because it was funny
\nseeing duped
\nrunners spitting them out?)<\/li>\n- \n
![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/anderkoo\/boston2004spectator.jpg\")
<\/a>
There’s a
\nfine line between
\nencouragement and heckling<\/div>\nDon’t
\n<\/span>tell people “Just two miles more!”, as helpful as that may
\nseem.
\nYou’re probably wrong (I remember hearing “Just two more miles” for
\nabout a mile), and that’s pretty discouraging when you’re
\nnear the end of the race.<\/li>\n- Don’t<\/span> urge walkers to start
\nrunning again. There’s probably a good reason
\nwhy they have stopped to take a breather. The runners aren’t there for
\nyour amusement — if they need to take a break, let them. Try saying
\nsomething like “Great race!” or “You’re looking great!”
\ninstead.<\/li>\n- Despite all this, DO <\/span>come
\nout and support the runners! Even in a race like Boston there are
\nstill first-time marathoners who really could use the encouragement.
\nEspecially come after the front-runners have already gone by, because
\nit’s the folks near the middle to end of the pack who need the
\nencouragement — plus you’ll get a better view after the crowds thin
\nout.\n <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nOh — and two tips for
\nrunners:<\/p>\n
\n- If you’re going to put your
\nname on your jersey,
\nDON’T <\/span>wear
\nheadphones so you can’t hear us cheer for you. What’s the
\npoint?<\/li>\n- Men… wear those Band-aids<\/span>. You know what I’m talking
\nabout.\n <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(OK, so this is a few days late). We had another great time at the Boston Marathon this year — it was great weather for spectating, but it really was a bit too warm for hard running. (Over to the … Continue reading
\n<\/span>occupy the runners’ lane, even if it is wicked crowded and
\nyou
\ncan’t get a great view. Runners do not appreciate spectators as
\nobstacles.<\/li>\n
\nhand out inappropriate food or drinks (I saw some little girls giving
\nout Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups two years ago, maybe because it was funny
\nseeing duped
\nrunners spitting them out?)<\/li>\n
<\/a>There’s a
\nfine line between
\nencouragement and heckling<\/div>\n
Don’t Oh — and two tips for (OK, so this is a few days late). We had another great time at the Boston Marathon this year — it was great weather for spectating, but it really was a bit too warm for hard running. (Over to the … Continue reading
\n<\/span>tell people “Just two miles more!”, as helpful as that may
\nseem.
\nYou’re probably wrong (I remember hearing “Just two more miles” for
\nabout a mile), and that’s pretty discouraging when you’re
\nnear the end of the race.<\/li>\n
\nrunning again. There’s probably a good reason
\nwhy they have stopped to take a breather. The runners aren’t there for
\nyour amusement — if they need to take a break, let them. Try saying
\nsomething like “Great race!” or “You’re looking great!”
\ninstead.<\/li>\n
\nout and support the runners! Even in a race like Boston there are
\nstill first-time marathoners who really could use the encouragement.
\nEspecially come after the front-runners have already gone by, because
\nit’s the folks near the middle to end of the pack who need the
\nencouragement — plus you’ll get a better view after the crowds thin
\nout.\n <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nrunners:<\/p>\n\n
\nname on your jersey,
\nDON’T <\/span>wear
\nheadphones so you can’t hear us cheer for you. What’s the
\npoint?<\/li>\n
\nabout.\n <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"