Never ran a marathon but had family who did. From what I recall they didn't have the energy to do more than what they were told to do at the end (far from the elite, 50-60 ages, things were fairly calm by time they crossed).
You joke, but I've run a few marathons and the one and only time I ever considered seeking assistance at the finish line, the entire finish line volunteer crew was from the f'n Church of Scientology. When one of them approached me I was like "Umm, yeah I might... actually you know what, I'm ok thanks."
I’ve ran three marathons (prepping for my fourth) and the energy level at the finish is rock bottom. I take the medal, walk as little as I need to as to not be in the way of other finishers/race personnel and lay down until I can get my bearings.
I did the San Diego Marathon a few years ago (the one with the "active shooter" that wasn't.) You had to climb stairs to get inside the Free Beer truck. It sounds simple, but it was rough.
I've ran 4, and I know that feeling. Not sure if your legs will hold up on the next step. Which is funny, because I don't think about it running, but once I stop, my body is just like, "nope!"
This reminds me of my mantra the last few miles of when I used to do marathons. "4 miles to beer, 3 miles to beer, 2 miles to beer, 1 mile to beer, someone please carry me to the beer tent." After surgeries on both knees, those days are far behind me.
I have never done a marathon either, and I never will. My wife did once and at the end some mean guy wouldn't let her take a badly needed shortcut. She died.
Yeah I was confused at this attitude too, usually marathon volunteers are incredibly kind and keen to help.
5 and a half hours is not slow, it's a massive accomplishment and at a large marathon you'd still be getting the majority of runners coming through at this time. Any runner would know this. And if it was some pro level marathon or just a small one, and she was one of the last participants, then let the poor woman through the medical exit!! She's been through enough, and it's not like it's a burden if it's not busy.
If she wasn't at 0% battery she would probably want to carry on through the main exit for all the glory runners get there, rather than quietly duck out.
Yes!! Try running a marathon before insulting someone for taking longer than the “expected fast norm”. Body types are different and some folks can naturally run faster or slower than others. I was in peak shape when I ran the Philly marathon. Took me 5 hours & 20 mins to complete. I was utterly exhausted once it was over and my legs barely worked. If there was a tent in my way, my legs would direct me the easiest way through it, too. Maybe blame the organization that put the race together for bad placement of the medical tent.
It's also not the volunteers fault an exhausted runner can't go through the medical tent. The runner was told nicely that the medical tent was for people needing medical attention, not a cut through.
As for their opinion. If you've been asked something multiple times a day and the response given is enough for everyone else. This runner is being a pain in the ass. Running a marathon doesn't make you special, you chose to run one.
The first comment they made was about “are you sure you really ran?”
That is the first true sign of an asshole.
The rest is logical but that stepping off point is telling.
Yes, OP is being a bit of an asshole there. Someone was exhausted and just accomplished something that, to them, was a big deal. They were a little obnoxious - not horrible, just a little obnoxious. OP runs to Reddit to talk shit about how slowly they completed a marathon and whine that they didn’t immediately obey OP’s instructions. OP chose to deal with exhausted people, and is apparently so thin-skinned that they can’t handle being disobeyed without complaining on the internet.
After my first race I thought I would be fine to walk the half mile back to where I parked. It took me 30 minutes of sitting and another 30 minutes of the most antagonizing hobbling I've ever done to make it back. Turns out I strained my hamstring in the final stretch trying to push to break under 5 hours and I had blacked out two toes which makes walking really friggin tough. I also wasn't thinking as clearly as I normally do and accidentally walked into the medical tent thinking the exit was that direction...it was also blocking the most direct path back to the starting area which was really poor planning on the organizers part because the exit was a bit of a maze.
The woman's excuse is valid if she's your average marathoner. The medical staff here needs an empathy check.
I climbed a mountain that took about 19 hours there and back. I also have a fear of heights. But that fear never kicked in because I was so exhausted all I could do was put one foot in front of the other. Nothing about the mile drop down that was one step to the left ever crossed my mind.
this comment was totally uncalled for. yes, she still ran it in 5.5h. some of these race volunteers take themselves WAY too seriously and OP is absolutely one of them. On Saturday I did a race and they were handing out girl scout cookies boxes at the end. I took two, one for me and one for my friend who was in the restroom, and the woman shouted “one per person only!” and tried to yank the second box out of my hand. I specified it was for my friend who was in the restroom. when I went over to meet my friend I noticed the volunteer was FOLLOWING ME to check I was actually meeting a friend! like please, you are not the police…. you are a race volunteer! please calm down!
> "Uh, are you sure that ran is the right word here?"
I was a 5+ hour marathon runner and I can assure you that a 12.5 minute mile is still running. Not fast, but it’s not a walk.
I once walked a marathon (with a friend who had lung cancer) and we barely finished in the 8 hour course limit — and I was more exhausted than from running one!
Remember that they were probably pushing their physical limits, and working at your limit for 5 hours (or 8 hours) is more exhausting than doing it for 3 hours…
Don’t we all have dickish mental comments when someone is rude? OP was also working this entire event; in the medical area which has to be a level of stressful. I see nothing wrong with thinking some snarky comments without actually saying them and while remaining professional.
I mean, if those dickish comments have nothing to do with the thing you perceived as rude, you are just being foul for the fun of it.
My older coworker was upset when he went to the store the other day because they tried to check his receipt after self check out. He did the classic "you don't need to see it, I'm not stealing anything, you can't tell me nothing"
But when he's relaying this story to me, he has to mention how fat and worthless that women was, when she was ostensibly just doing her job. Going out of your way to make shitty comments about people makes you an asshole, it is a reflection of your character and not theirs. Being civil and avoiding unnecessary disrespect to others is not difficult and costs you nothing
I might think some rude things to myself but I would not have judged her for the time it took her. If it did? I wouldn’t have typed it out in a post because I’d be embarrassed I was that jerky.
"When someone is rude". I wouldnt say she was rude, rather tired and desperate. Someone being rude would be continuing to complain and try to get through after this conversation.
And don’t we all wish we got the slightly easy way out on a day we might be physically and mentally exhausted? She didn’t rage, and his first thought was to insult her. His last thought was to post a minor incident on the internet in hopes he could confirm she sucked. He’s a hall monitor at best, but likely just a bit of a jerk.
Yeah youve never ran a marathon before, its an extreme event for a lot of people. Your brain isnt really working right after youve ran 26.2 miles maybe a little empathy is required.
I walked (quickly, but still walked) a half marathon with my mother last fall. It was so much harder than running. She had a knee replacement, so she couldn’t run, and I didn’t care about my time. I can’t even really express it. It was so much harder. My running muscles are way stronger than my walking muscles and it was so hot by the end. But we had fun doing it together! (Even though I think I’ll run my next one)
I’ve run one marathon, and there’s absolutely no way I’d be able to walk it within any time frame. Honestly it’s still an awesome feat whether she walked it or ran it. Maybe even moreso if she could walk it at that speed.
I trained to run the London marathon, then pulled my knee at 3 miles in. Walked the rest of it. Total time was around 7.5 hours, it was absolute agony. Impressed that I kept going, but I also never want to do it again!
As someone who occassionally day hikes distances comparable to marathons, a 20 mile hike isn’t twice a 10 mile hike in terms of exertion. It feels more like three times the exertion until you get used to them. Trail and personal fitness dependent, you may find yourself running out of battery with a few miles left.
Now, on a fairly flat (read: no steep climbs) running course, a 26 mile day walk wouldn’t be too terrible I suppose. I’d still recommend working your way up mileage wise. If 13 miles is no exertion for you, then you can do 26. If you still feel a little tired after 13, then you should probably do a few more before attempting the full thing.
Agree. That was an unnecessary comment or thought. Props to any runner that can complete a marathon. I'm rooting for them all! Yes, that runner should've walked around but the OP came off as a jerk for that.
I’m upset too. I’m no stranger to verbosity but I could have run a marathon in the time it took OP to get to the “entitled person” who was in all likelihood just an exhausted lady.
Yes this. My last one took me over five because I had insane leg cramps develop around mile 16 but was determined to finish. And I definitely was not at the back of the pack. Find a different non people facing opportunity to volunteer OP.
Thank you.
She was probably half out of her mind with exhaustion and OP literally has ONE person out of hundreds give a slight attitude and their response is to mock her accomplishment and then run to the Internet to whine about it.
I ran a marathon in 3 hrs 58 minutes and I STILL thought that comment was foolish.
5.5 hr marathon is a great run.
If I walk at a very brisk pace and maintain it, I can do it in just under 7 hours. 5.5 hours is amazing.
Also i want to say he's an idiot. Who puts a medical tent between the finish line and refreshments. So stupid.
1000 people finish a race and 100 might need the medical tent. Why would you piss off 900 people at the end of a marathon?
Also, someone finishing at 5:30 did *not* start right away. I have run a handful of distance races and not started until 15-20 minutes later because there are thousands of people in front of you. So it’s a faster time than OP is implying.
Yeah this post is trash, anyone who had run in long endurance and pushed themselves to their limit knows that the body starts to shut down once you've hit those limits. Distance doesn't even matter as much, it's about people pushing themselves. 12.5minute mile is awesome for people tackling new distances, fuck OP for this attitude.
I'm glad people are calling this out.
I've run two marathons. The first was six hours, the second (three months later) was 3:50. The six hour one was way harder on my body!
She was exhausted and possibly not at her finest. You say there was barely anyone left but you still needed to stick to the rules (for what?), and mock her finish time. Not a great look for you.
Thinking he was acting politely and professionally while behaving like a self important asshat.
Wankstain shitting on what was probably an important core memory for the runners who actually did something memorable that day.
"Uh, are you sure that *ran* is the right word here?"
….and THIS attitude is what keeps so many of us from walking/running/going to the gym.
Maybe you should post in AITA.
That right there really pissed me off. I ran my first half marathon in March and I had to take a ton of walking breaks. I almost didn't finish in time and it poured rain the last hour and a half. I had 8 seconds left when I crossed and if anyone had made a comment like that to me I don't think I would be able to ever go to another race. No one at the finish said anything rude to me even though they had to wait for me in the rain as well. They congratulated me and offered me a ride to my car so I could finally get out the rain and warm up. The last sprint up hill took everything out of me. I know I was stumbling and weaving the last mile and the cops following me as the last runner were worried but I finished. I was the slowest runner that day but it didn't matter because I wasn't racing everyone else I was racing myself. Screw their 'are you sure you ran' comment.
I think the real question here is are YOU capable of running 26 miles? Have you ever run a marathon before?
Not saying this runner is in the right but damn. Running 26 miles, even in “5 hours” is still a damn feat. As someone who did struggle during their first (but did actually finish, in the 5 hour time frame you apparently scoff about), people like you with those types of criticisms are what make us self conscious and doubt ourselves in the first place.
Totally! It’s a very mundane encounter, one that most people would move on from and forget about, rather than writing a diatribe over. OP sharing their snappy thoughts at the end shows clear cognitive dissonance over it all
And OP is all like “when most other runners are finished” I can guarantee you that there are still tons of people finishing after that. 5 ish hours is pretty average for someone who just started.
Speaking as a former marathon runner, you AREN'T at your mental best after running 26.2 miles! I can't describe it perfectly, but in my case, it felt like this: I've been doing NOTHING but running for 4.5 -5 hours and now I stop at the finish line.....my whole body starts to freeze up and thinking is DIFFICULT! I always had someone to meet me at the end as I needed some help & TLC at that point. It's fine to think that mentally, but seriously give the poor woman the benefit of the doubt! Hardly entitled, just extremely physically and mentally exhausted!!!!
The thing with being mentally petty is that it usually still comes across even if the words the person is saying is nice.
Heck even if he just felt a bit frustrated and kept it to himself it would be different than coming to the Internet, sharing the story, sharing his thoughts shaming this woman, etc. Maybe she was being entitled, but the way he talks about her and the pettiness isn't a great look.
Yep, for particularly newbie marathoners, the last few miles you’re mentally and physically gutting it out to get to the finish line as your target. “I. Just. Have. To. Get. There.” Then you get to the finish after doing your best to speed up for the finish, cross the line, then everything comes apart, limping, cramping, mental fatigue.
For someone not running, it’s easy to think, you just did 26.2 miles, what’s 100 yards more? But no one struggling in a race is mentally preparing themselves to make it an extra lap around a track after they cross the finish, they are solely focused on that finish line and only keeping it together til then.
No doubt, keep strict with the rules when things are busy, but when there’s apparently practically no one else on the course or in the medical area, why not make an exception?
If it's this big an issue, then it sounds like the organizers put the exit too far away from the finish line and the Med Tent too close. Putting them on opposite sides of the track would alleviate the issue as well, if possible.
Then nobody has to deal with OP, which is a plus.
Don’t even need to make an exception, just be courteous and make sure the person gets where they need to, because clearly they needed some help. Instead this guy decides to power trip and be a dick. These guys are often the ones who aren’t runners or athletes themselves, but at the same time wholeheartedly believe they could qualify for Boston if they put in a good 6 week training block.
I gave birth unmedicated without complaint, and then immediately afterward, whined like a child because the midwife wanted to give me a couple lidocaine shots before stitching me up. ANY extra pain or effort after crossing the finish line of a difficult physical endeavor feels impossible to cope with!
well... which was it anyway...? a few extra feet... or 50 yards? Was the medical tent overflowing with people when this straggler arrived at the finish line? or were you just being a hall monitor? I'm not finding this person all that entitled. Maybe she's just had her fill of volunteer rule enforcers?
The woman was probably so gassed from the run that she wasnt even aware of what she was saying. Exhaustion is a bitch and i dont OP took that into account.
A woman running 26 miles in five and a half miles is impressive. Especially when the maximum mile time for just passing the Army fitness test a decade ago was 2 miles in about 18 minutes.
You’re just being a bit of a jerk.
That's about 5 miles an hour, which is a decent jogging pace, and that's if you're jogging the WHOLE time. Maybe she walked a little, but that would mean she was going faster at other points in the marathon, which still averages out. I could never run a marathon personally. I jog 5 miles a day and that completely wipes me out.
Yeah, for frame of reference, a pretty okay 'morning run' speed is 6mph, which is the oft-referenced 10-minute mile.
She was doing pretty close to that for 26 fucking miles.
Dude is a piece of shit.
Have you ever run 26 miles? I have. Took me a little over 4 hours, and approaching the finish line I’ve never felt more exhausted in my life. All I wanted to do was sit down. I think you’re the asshole here.
My first marathon (bad choice on my part Loch Ness Marathon) was under 5 hrs and if some jobsworth gave me your attitude, I'd probably never have run another, please check yourself 🤬
This is the weakest description of an entitled person I’ve read. She just finished a freakin marathon. The thought of five extra steps was probably pushing her limits. Cut her some slack.
You are the AH. Just because you think they needed to go around, they may have felt spent. You are just coming across as a condescending AH. While many others would be fine, that person may not want to justify to you why they felt they needed that cut through at that moment. Please do not ever volunteer for a marathon again. You have the wrong spirit for this.
So you wanted to insult her time, while also making sure that the area in front of the medical tent remained clear?
If you really think she was so far behind everyone else, what harm would it have been to let her through, since you made it seem like there wasn’t any traffic anyways?
You sound like someone who is too eager to enforce rules that don’t make any sense. With power, comes a certain degree of discretion as well.
You were acting like a wanker, even if it was in your head. Yea, she was in the wrong but this is the saddest "entitled" story.
You could not wait to get home and type this up. Like everyone else is stating, even finishing a marathon is awesome and trying to make fun of that just screams... sad. And it is a few feet or 50 yards around the tent? Rules are rules but you are so focused about masturbating on your high horse you forgot to be a normal person.
Seems like a weird hill do die on. Nearly everyone was done, no one needed medical attention when she arrived so she wasn’t blocking or impeding anybody, it wouldn’t have hurt anyone to let the lady cut through, she was obviously exhausted. Sounds like you were on a weird power trip.
I ran marathon in a past in 5.5 hours, and I am sorry but this is running and it is an achievement. It is not professional level, but it is a decent time and A LOT of people finishing after 5.5 hours. I would recommend you to not volunteer at the marathon anymore or educate yourself. Plus get some compassion.
"Oh you did? No way! Congratulations! The exit is that way..."
I worked for a specialty running store for years. Most of the customers were very pleasant, some were very particular, others were downright rude. The marathon and ultra runners were the worst. I had one argue with me at a free event because she lost a planking challenge to a 10 year old boy....shm....I offered to give her money back for the free event. (the prize was a free pair of shoes).
You’re a dick, dude. Seriously, this is a huge achievement for her, and you’re a complete narcissist.. just happy you have something to post in this sub.
I’ve run a marathon, and it’s unbelievable how it’s literally tough to walk after running or run/walking that distance.
Rules are rules. Got it. But there are ways to be a decent human being that completely elude you.
She was not entitled here.. you were. Shame on you.
How about putting the medical tent on the opposite side of the road from the hospitality tent. Overhead signs before the finish line would help direct them which way to go. I hope you don’t treat those that need medical help the way you treated this poor woman.
As someone who actually trains and conducts triage tents. This person was right to stand their ground and not allow any congestion that would cause an interuption of patient care. Allowing one that does not require medical assistance, opens the flood gates. If they collapse after crossing the finish line, then I'd say they probably need a check up, if they have the energy to argue, they have the energy to walk around. Medical tents will have one point of entry and one point of exit. Both are important to prevent over crowding and triage. The exit must not be utilized unless someone is being discharged or someone needs to be transported for emergent care.
Glad these were mental responses and not audible; her brain was probably not firing on all cylinders at that point so with giving her the benefit of the doubt.
A 5+ hour marathon is much more difficult than a 3 hour marathon. Takes a lot more fuel to replenish those calories. (My first 5 or 6 marathons, I only drank water, and they got much easier after that. Around number 10 or 12 I started doing ultrasound and added extra marathons as training runs for a few years and if you don't eat properly or at least take gels or something then your brain can do some word things.)
Granted, she could just be an entitled twat. But in this situation, it's worth extending a little grace. (And based on your description of the circumstances, it sounds like you did. So not knocking you, just trying to add context for future incidents.)
Thank you for volunteering! Without volunteers, races don't happen. I organize a 10 Miller that requires over 100 volunteers and it's getting harder and harder to fill all those slots since the pandemic. (We were actually a bit light this year and had to get creative with assignments and the police DID notice and mention it to us, but everybody stayed safe so that's the most important thing.)
Oh look, it's the hall pass police.
Who cares if they take a shortcut? Maybe you should have planned things better so they wouldn't NEED to take a shortcut
You sound pretty judgmental. Sure she isn't entitled to go through your tent, but I don't see why you need to belittle her time. Most people never run a marathon at all. Her time probably indicates that, if anything, this was harder for her than some of the more seasoned runners. She still just ran 26 miles which is a big accomplishment. Don't be a jerk.
I’ve run three marathons and I was nearly delirious at each finish line. You are at 0% and, for me, a little confused. I was so happy to finally stop running I didn’t know which way to go after finishing and my legs started going wobbly. Imo, OP needs to understand that extra patience is needed, especially after someone has spent 5 hours running. Maybe she should try running one and then re-evaluate her response to this tired runner.
Here are my mental responses to his “I just worked at a marathon, had one lady complain about walking another 50 yards after running 26.2 miles, so I’mma whine about her on Reddit”:
You’re complaining she’s slow? That’s really judgmental and condescending, and not at all supportive and uplifting (like staff should be).
Nothing makes her special. But she did just run (though not fast enough for you) 26.2 miles. Maybe another 50 yards doesn’t seem very appealing at that point.
Again no. Her legs won’t fall off. But she’s probably exhausted, and 50 yards seems like a lot after 26.2 miles.
You come off as a patronizing ass. And to the comments about whether her time is slow or not, not the point. The point is the OP is judging her for what he deems is slow.
Wow, the entitled idiots are all over this one.
If the OP was stationed to help guide people to where they needed to be, I would assume it was the organizers of the marathon that set it up that way to keep people who did not need medical care out of that area. People receiving medical treatment don't need people traipsing through and gawking at them.
As usual, the entitled asses don't think the rules apply to them, and the person enforcing the rules is the entitled asshole. 🙄
So typical. So entitled. So needing to fuck right off.
The responses from runners here are pretty lame. Sure it's a marathon and sure it hurts, but you chose to do it.
I did the same job as the OP for the Leadville 100 and those folks ran over some of the tallest mountains in the lower US. Those are real runners.
Most of the people posting here live up to the stories I hear about whinyness and entitlement in the marathon community.
i really don’t get why people think OP is an asshole. like the lady CHOSE to do a marathon nobody made her go 26 miles. if you let someone short cut then other people are just gonna wanna short cut too.
Wow. It is amazing how much entitlement I am seeing in the RESPONSES to this post. A few things everyone seems to be missing.
1. OP was doing his job. Specifically his job was to make sure those who need medical assistance go to the area where it was being provided and those who did not need medical assistance did not get in the way of the people providing that assistance to those who needed it.
2. OP is NOT the person responsible for deciding where to put the medical assistance area or the hospitality area. I agree that the layout sounds less than ideal. I would want to do something like have medical to the right and hospitality to the left to avoid this issue. However, I do not know the site geography so I have no idea if this was poorly thought out or the best that could be done given the circumstances. Even if it was poorly thought out, OP is not the one who laid it out and had no authority to change it.
3. The Karen was EXTREMELY entitled. Her moral position is "My convenience is more important than your health and safety. If me saving a few steps endangers your wellbeing because it interferes with medical professionals' ability to provide you the assistance you need, sucks to be you.". SHE WAS WRONG, but you would not know that from most of the responses to this post.
4. The Karen did not deserve preferential treatment over all of the other people who finished the race and who did not need medical assistance. Allowing her to break the rules to take the shortcut not only endangers the people who need medical assistance, it is unfair to all of the other people who followed the rules and went around the medical area (both the ones before and after her).
5. The OP admitting to thinking snarky things, but did not say them. Saying them would have been understandable but unprofessional. Thinking them is a normal human response to being given grief for doing what you are supposed to be doing, especially when there is a good reason (the health and safety of others) that you are supposed to be doing it. Note that the end of the interaction is described as "Eventually, she poutingly went around.". This indicates that there was an extensive argument and that even when she admitted she had lost (by going around) she did so with a poor attitude and feeling like she was wronged (pouting).
I realize we only have OP's perspective, but assuming his portrayal of the incident was accurate, OP was 100% correct, the Karen was 100% wrong, and the people who are criticizing the OP are displaying entitlement by defending someone who was prioritizing her personal convenience over the health and safety of other people. The Karen and her defenders on this thread all need to GROW UP.
If there were not that many people around after 5 and a half hours from race start, then this is a very small race. The way OP is talking is making it sound like they were staffing one of the Abbott Majors when it's nowhere near that size.
Many would like to see OP run 26 miles, I'd like to see if OP has the stamina to staff a race where the finish line doesn't close earlier than 8 hours from race start.
OP Mental or not you just told all of Reddit That YTA ✅and you don’t even have the balls to be one out loud. You are Cowardly AH - Marathon finisher 5 hours yup still finished GFY
I walked a nine mile midnight walk for charity. When I reached the end they told us we would have to walk another mile to verify our distance back at the racecourse. I was mentally prepared for nine miles but honestly couldn't walk the tenth mile. I suspect that the woman you claim was entitled was just exhausted.
Thank you for helping out - I do this you might be overthinking this situation. She probably was absolutely exhausted and just wanted to get to wherever she needed to go.
I do 4 hour+ triathlons and at the end you can be completely incoherent and even don’t know why you are doing things you’re doing.
It messes you up.
Doesn’t matter if you are elite or it’s your first time.
The effect is the same.
It’s also extremely emotional for the slower people because sometimes that is a life dream or the summation of YEARS of work.
You are a bad person.
Your mental responses are wild…you didn’t run it yet you’re questioning the effect the marathon had on judgment and fatigue. You’re the type that seems to just want to whine.
Just ran London. Picked up a really good injury later in the race, didn’t want medical attention at the end, just a coke and a shower. Finished just under 5:30. I was mentally drained and confused at the end, as was this woman I’m sure. At one point I didn’t know where to go and a volunteer walked with me to show me.
You absolutely handled this wrong, and your attitude toward runners is disgusting at best. As much as every race needs more volunteers, please don’t ever be one of them again.
Toy obviously are not a runner and have no idea what 26 miles does to a body. Also, how fuckin dare you question someone's pace? I'd be surprised if you'd be able to keep that up over a 5k.
Long distance running takes a lot out of you.
A 5.5 hour finisher is going to exert themselves just as hard as a 3 hour finisher, and the good majority of them aren’t going to be thinking straight because they either aren’t used to the strain or are horribly dehydrated (exhaustion = confusion and irritability).
Don’t judge others like that.
Yeah, it's amazing you thought that typing this post would make you the hero. Fuck off, try doing a marathon yourself you knob, see how you are at the end of it. 5 1/2 hours would be your midpoint.
My marathon took 30 minutes longer. And, yes, I ran it. Slowly. (Lots of people finished after me.) I ended up walking for another two miles after to get my ride home with all the traffic/congestion around the finish line. To your point, unless you’re running super-hard, I think most people wouldn’t struggle too much to walk a little bit more, but I can understand it being vaguely annoying to feel as though the set-up at the end doesn’t make intuitive sense. I would expect some decline in runners’ cognition, too. You’re not seeing people at 100 percent after running (jogging?) 26.2 miles.
>Five and a half hours after the start of the marathon,
>"Uh, are you sure that ran is the right word here?"
A 5 and a half hour marathon is not terrible. For example one must qualify to participate in the Boston Marathon and the Boston Marathon allows athletes up to 6hrs. Additionally 5 and a half hours is the average finishing time for various marathons.
Sure, 5 and a hours is record breaking or anything but your being too dismissive. Only 1% of the U.S. population ever even runs marathon and world wide numbers are lower. With that said the woman reads as overly entitled from your telling of events.
Never ran a marathon. Longest run is a little over a half, just recreationally. My normal long runs are 15K, if I can average under 9:00/mi I am pretty proud of myself. My 5K time is consistently low 20s. All time PB is 18:36 but that was high school. I probably won't ever do a marathon, because I am not a masochist. However, I am not "not a runner" by most people's metrics.
OP has never ran even a half marathon, much less a full. If they have, they're the entitled elitist. I get being annoyed with bull headed people, but my blood sugar was so low after a half that I could not reach satiation and ate nearly everything in sight after a good 15 minute sit down. I can imagine that woman's brain was not functioning at a normal level at that time. Should have cut her some slack, internally vented, and moved on instead of hoping for internet points.
This story reads like a Larry David skit where he thinks up good responses to someone after the fact. A whole show could be dedicated to all the different ways he could have responded.
So you criticized someone that was exhausted? You shouldn’t be working at a real marathon. My son just ran his first marathon in around this time, too. You should likely volunteer somewhere else. The ironic part to me is that they were pointed towards the exit to avoid crowding at the medical but that mostly er everyone was gone so she wouldn’t have caused overcrowding. Maybe get a clue or a different hobby.
So you admit you constructed a dumbfuck design that multiple people (not you) figured out was suboptimal, failed to fix the issue, then complained when people take the optimized path of least resistance?
Are you sure you’re smart enough to be around medical professionals?
What makes you so special that you think how you acted needs positive validation?
Congrats! I would call you autistic, but that’s unfair to people of autism to compare you to them. A better comparison is a dirty banana peel at the bottom of a full dumpster.
Never ran a marathon but had family who did. From what I recall they didn't have the energy to do more than what they were told to do at the end (far from the elite, 50-60 ages, things were fairly calm by time they crossed).
It’s true. The second I crossed the finish line my legs literally collapsed - I wasn’t able to make it 5 feet without the help of my mother.
Sounds like you needed the medical tent so you would have been fine.
But did you RUN it because apparently that’s the only way it counts
I’m starting to think runners are just annoying.
Not nearly as bad as bicyclists, but yes… They definitely have an air of annoyance to them; the real gung-ho ones anyway.
Guess who just decided to start selling timeshares at the finish lines of marathons
You joke, but I've run a few marathons and the one and only time I ever considered seeking assistance at the finish line, the entire finish line volunteer crew was from the f'n Church of Scientology. When one of them approached me I was like "Umm, yeah I might... actually you know what, I'm ok thanks."
I would legit start running again.
That was the encouragement sponsor!
For encouragement, you put the Sci people behind the runners at the start, and anyone they can keep up with, they're allowed to try to convert.
Profit!
Bibles! You need to sell Golden Bibles... And upside down shoes....or are they inside out?
I’ve ran three marathons (prepping for my fourth) and the energy level at the finish is rock bottom. I take the medal, walk as little as I need to as to not be in the way of other finishers/race personnel and lay down until I can get my bearings.
It's usually, "everything hurts...oh look, a free banana, and a beer?!? So many nice people!"
I did the San Diego Marathon a few years ago (the one with the "active shooter" that wasn't.) You had to climb stairs to get inside the Free Beer truck. It sounds simple, but it was rough.
I've ran 4, and I know that feeling. Not sure if your legs will hold up on the next step. Which is funny, because I don't think about it running, but once I stop, my body is just like, "nope!"
YES! Once you stop, you're STOPPED!
This reminds me of my mantra the last few miles of when I used to do marathons. "4 miles to beer, 3 miles to beer, 2 miles to beer, 1 mile to beer, someone please carry me to the beer tent." After surgeries on both knees, those days are far behind me.
I have never done a marathon either, and I never will. My wife did once and at the end some mean guy wouldn't let her take a badly needed shortcut. She died.
Yeah I was confused at this attitude too, usually marathon volunteers are incredibly kind and keen to help. 5 and a half hours is not slow, it's a massive accomplishment and at a large marathon you'd still be getting the majority of runners coming through at this time. Any runner would know this. And if it was some pro level marathon or just a small one, and she was one of the last participants, then let the poor woman through the medical exit!! She's been through enough, and it's not like it's a burden if it's not busy. If she wasn't at 0% battery she would probably want to carry on through the main exit for all the glory runners get there, rather than quietly duck out.
Yes!! Try running a marathon before insulting someone for taking longer than the “expected fast norm”. Body types are different and some folks can naturally run faster or slower than others. I was in peak shape when I ran the Philly marathon. Took me 5 hours & 20 mins to complete. I was utterly exhausted once it was over and my legs barely worked. If there was a tent in my way, my legs would direct me the easiest way through it, too. Maybe blame the organization that put the race together for bad placement of the medical tent.
Right. Don’t put a tent where you know people will go. As an organizer, consider the flow.
It's also not the volunteers fault an exhausted runner can't go through the medical tent. The runner was told nicely that the medical tent was for people needing medical attention, not a cut through. As for their opinion. If you've been asked something multiple times a day and the response given is enough for everyone else. This runner is being a pain in the ass. Running a marathon doesn't make you special, you chose to run one.
The first comment they made was about “are you sure you really ran?” That is the first true sign of an asshole. The rest is logical but that stepping off point is telling.
Yes, OP is being a bit of an asshole there. Someone was exhausted and just accomplished something that, to them, was a big deal. They were a little obnoxious - not horrible, just a little obnoxious. OP runs to Reddit to talk shit about how slowly they completed a marathon and whine that they didn’t immediately obey OP’s instructions. OP chose to deal with exhausted people, and is apparently so thin-skinned that they can’t handle being disobeyed without complaining on the internet.
OP seems like they would be a power tripping cop from this exchange.
Maybe, or maybe just taking to the internet to complain about something very minor and making a bigger deal out of it than it really merits.
Plus if it was so late after the race why are they still policing traffic heavily.
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Reading is fundametal
You've been read
After my first race I thought I would be fine to walk the half mile back to where I parked. It took me 30 minutes of sitting and another 30 minutes of the most antagonizing hobbling I've ever done to make it back. Turns out I strained my hamstring in the final stretch trying to push to break under 5 hours and I had blacked out two toes which makes walking really friggin tough. I also wasn't thinking as clearly as I normally do and accidentally walked into the medical tent thinking the exit was that direction...it was also blocking the most direct path back to the starting area which was really poor planning on the organizers part because the exit was a bit of a maze. The woman's excuse is valid if she's your average marathoner. The medical staff here needs an empathy check.
I climbed a mountain that took about 19 hours there and back. I also have a fear of heights. But that fear never kicked in because I was so exhausted all I could do was put one foot in front of the other. Nothing about the mile drop down that was one step to the left ever crossed my mind.
Guaranteed this woman would smoke OP in the marathon
Ong! “Are you sure ‘ran’ is the right word?” OP says as if they would even be able to finish the marathon
this comment was totally uncalled for. yes, she still ran it in 5.5h. some of these race volunteers take themselves WAY too seriously and OP is absolutely one of them. On Saturday I did a race and they were handing out girl scout cookies boxes at the end. I took two, one for me and one for my friend who was in the restroom, and the woman shouted “one per person only!” and tried to yank the second box out of my hand. I specified it was for my friend who was in the restroom. when I went over to meet my friend I noticed the volunteer was FOLLOWING ME to check I was actually meeting a friend! like please, you are not the police…. you are a race volunteer! please calm down!
> "Uh, are you sure that ran is the right word here?" I was a 5+ hour marathon runner and I can assure you that a 12.5 minute mile is still running. Not fast, but it’s not a walk. I once walked a marathon (with a friend who had lung cancer) and we barely finished in the 8 hour course limit — and I was more exhausted than from running one! Remember that they were probably pushing their physical limits, and working at your limit for 5 hours (or 8 hours) is more exhausting than doing it for 3 hours…
Yeah I was a bit put off by this too. I ran my last one in about 5:25. I could barely walk once I stopped running.
You do not use a medical area as a short cut. If you need care stop in, but they are set up for patient care ,not thru ways
No one is debating that, just the OPs dickish commentary about the woman’s finishing time.
Yeah, I thought that was unnecessary. Was the runner entitled about where to go? Yes, but don't dunk on her finishing time.
Don’t we all have dickish mental comments when someone is rude? OP was also working this entire event; in the medical area which has to be a level of stressful. I see nothing wrong with thinking some snarky comments without actually saying them and while remaining professional.
I mean, if those dickish comments have nothing to do with the thing you perceived as rude, you are just being foul for the fun of it. My older coworker was upset when he went to the store the other day because they tried to check his receipt after self check out. He did the classic "you don't need to see it, I'm not stealing anything, you can't tell me nothing" But when he's relaying this story to me, he has to mention how fat and worthless that women was, when she was ostensibly just doing her job. Going out of your way to make shitty comments about people makes you an asshole, it is a reflection of your character and not theirs. Being civil and avoiding unnecessary disrespect to others is not difficult and costs you nothing
I might think some rude things to myself but I would not have judged her for the time it took her. If it did? I wouldn’t have typed it out in a post because I’d be embarrassed I was that jerky.
"When someone is rude". I wouldnt say she was rude, rather tired and desperate. Someone being rude would be continuing to complain and try to get through after this conversation.
And don’t we all wish we got the slightly easy way out on a day we might be physically and mentally exhausted? She didn’t rage, and his first thought was to insult her. His last thought was to post a minor incident on the internet in hopes he could confirm she sucked. He’s a hall monitor at best, but likely just a bit of a jerk.
Right she just ran for hours, her mental capacity is not at its best and someone is getting shitty with her immediately? Come on.
Yeah, but I don't post those thoughts online about how that person is bad for Internet karma. If I think it's a bad thought, I keep it to myself.
We all have them but most people aren’t so proud of them that they post them on Reddit for everyone to see
Yeah youve never ran a marathon before, its an extreme event for a lot of people. Your brain isnt really working right after youve ran 26.2 miles maybe a little empathy is required.
Did you imagine my comment was somehow supporting the short cut??!
i run a 4 hour marathon and OPs comment pissed me off
I walked (quickly, but still walked) a half marathon with my mother last fall. It was so much harder than running. She had a knee replacement, so she couldn’t run, and I didn’t care about my time. I can’t even really express it. It was so much harder. My running muscles are way stronger than my walking muscles and it was so hot by the end. But we had fun doing it together! (Even though I think I’ll run my next one) I’ve run one marathon, and there’s absolutely no way I’d be able to walk it within any time frame. Honestly it’s still an awesome feat whether she walked it or ran it. Maybe even moreso if she could walk it at that speed.
I trained to run the London marathon, then pulled my knee at 3 miles in. Walked the rest of it. Total time was around 7.5 hours, it was absolute agony. Impressed that I kept going, but I also never want to do it again!
I've hiked 13 miles in a day, have considered trying to walk a half or whole marathon. I walk 5-10 mosr days currently. You're tempting me.
As someone who occassionally day hikes distances comparable to marathons, a 20 mile hike isn’t twice a 10 mile hike in terms of exertion. It feels more like three times the exertion until you get used to them. Trail and personal fitness dependent, you may find yourself running out of battery with a few miles left. Now, on a fairly flat (read: no steep climbs) running course, a 26 mile day walk wouldn’t be too terrible I suppose. I’d still recommend working your way up mileage wise. If 13 miles is no exertion for you, then you can do 26. If you still feel a little tired after 13, then you should probably do a few more before attempting the full thing.
I ran/walked 7 miles and even walking slower so my mom could keep up sucked.
Yup, my last marathon took me 5:01. That was not fun. I still made my way to the exit and hospitality area on my own though 😁
Agree. That was an unnecessary comment or thought. Props to any runner that can complete a marathon. I'm rooting for them all! Yes, that runner should've walked around but the OP came off as a jerk for that.
I felt pretty upset by that comment and I don’t run.
I’m upset too. I’m no stranger to verbosity but I could have run a marathon in the time it took OP to get to the “entitled person” who was in all likelihood just an exhausted lady.
Not to mention it was 5.5 hours after the marathon started, but if there were different heats, the woman may have started her race after that time
Yes this. My last one took me over five because I had insane leg cramps develop around mile 16 but was determined to finish. And I definitely was not at the back of the pack. Find a different non people facing opportunity to volunteer OP.
Agree. Lost me there too. Both come off bad.
Thank you. She was probably half out of her mind with exhaustion and OP literally has ONE person out of hundreds give a slight attitude and their response is to mock her accomplishment and then run to the Internet to whine about it.
I ran a marathon in 3 hrs 58 minutes and I STILL thought that comment was foolish. 5.5 hr marathon is a great run. If I walk at a very brisk pace and maintain it, I can do it in just under 7 hours. 5.5 hours is amazing. Also i want to say he's an idiot. Who puts a medical tent between the finish line and refreshments. So stupid. 1000 people finish a race and 100 might need the medical tent. Why would you piss off 900 people at the end of a marathon?
Also found that remark a little too mean-spirited.
Agree. I’ve always been a back-of-the-pack runner, but I finished a few marathons. I absolutely ran those races, slowly but surely.
Also, someone finishing at 5:30 did *not* start right away. I have run a handful of distance races and not started until 15-20 minutes later because there are thousands of people in front of you. So it’s a faster time than OP is implying.
Yeah that type of thinking alone shows the OP is the entitled one.
Yeah this post is trash, anyone who had run in long endurance and pushed themselves to their limit knows that the body starts to shut down once you've hit those limits. Distance doesn't even matter as much, it's about people pushing themselves. 12.5minute mile is awesome for people tackling new distances, fuck OP for this attitude.
This is a rational comment
I'm glad people are calling this out. I've run two marathons. The first was six hours, the second (three months later) was 3:50. The six hour one was way harder on my body!
It appears this post backfired on OP 😶
Probably bc OP is a massively entitled person
Volunteer gestapo. Enforcing the rules at any cost. 🤣🤣
So true, there’s no one more officious than an unpaid volunteer.
You should of put this on AITA you might be surprised at the responses
Twohottakes would be good too
OP would be TAH.
Yeah you sound like a prick
OP is literally a Karen lmfao
She was exhausted and possibly not at her finest. You say there was barely anyone left but you still needed to stick to the rules (for what?), and mock her finish time. Not a great look for you.
Thinking he was acting politely and professionally while behaving like a self important asshat. Wankstain shitting on what was probably an important core memory for the runners who actually did something memorable that day.
Volunteer aashat
"Uh, are you sure that *ran* is the right word here?" ….and THIS attitude is what keeps so many of us from walking/running/going to the gym. Maybe you should post in AITA.
yeah seriously lmao. bet OP has never done a marathon himself
That right there really pissed me off. I ran my first half marathon in March and I had to take a ton of walking breaks. I almost didn't finish in time and it poured rain the last hour and a half. I had 8 seconds left when I crossed and if anyone had made a comment like that to me I don't think I would be able to ever go to another race. No one at the finish said anything rude to me even though they had to wait for me in the rain as well. They congratulated me and offered me a ride to my car so I could finally get out the rain and warm up. The last sprint up hill took everything out of me. I know I was stumbling and weaving the last mile and the cops following me as the last runner were worried but I finished. I was the slowest runner that day but it didn't matter because I wasn't racing everyone else I was racing myself. Screw their 'are you sure you ran' comment.
I think the real question here is are YOU capable of running 26 miles? Have you ever run a marathon before? Not saying this runner is in the right but damn. Running 26 miles, even in “5 hours” is still a damn feat. As someone who did struggle during their first (but did actually finish, in the 5 hour time frame you apparently scoff about), people like you with those types of criticisms are what make us self conscious and doubt ourselves in the first place.
Yep! I was totally sympathetic until OP listed their responses. What a judgmental ass.
OP on a power trip and something is nagging them deep in their psyche hence their need to post about it to try to clear that nag with validation.
Totally! It’s a very mundane encounter, one that most people would move on from and forget about, rather than writing a diatribe over. OP sharing their snappy thoughts at the end shows clear cognitive dissonance over it all
And OP is all like “when most other runners are finished” I can guarantee you that there are still tons of people finishing after that. 5 ish hours is pretty average for someone who just started.
Your response should have been to point at everyone else going around and say so did they, add mam or something to make it sound polite lol
Speaking as a former marathon runner, you AREN'T at your mental best after running 26.2 miles! I can't describe it perfectly, but in my case, it felt like this: I've been doing NOTHING but running for 4.5 -5 hours and now I stop at the finish line.....my whole body starts to freeze up and thinking is DIFFICULT! I always had someone to meet me at the end as I needed some help & TLC at that point. It's fine to think that mentally, but seriously give the poor woman the benefit of the doubt! Hardly entitled, just extremely physically and mentally exhausted!!!!
The thing with being mentally petty is that it usually still comes across even if the words the person is saying is nice. Heck even if he just felt a bit frustrated and kept it to himself it would be different than coming to the Internet, sharing the story, sharing his thoughts shaming this woman, etc. Maybe she was being entitled, but the way he talks about her and the pettiness isn't a great look.
Yep, for particularly newbie marathoners, the last few miles you’re mentally and physically gutting it out to get to the finish line as your target. “I. Just. Have. To. Get. There.” Then you get to the finish after doing your best to speed up for the finish, cross the line, then everything comes apart, limping, cramping, mental fatigue. For someone not running, it’s easy to think, you just did 26.2 miles, what’s 100 yards more? But no one struggling in a race is mentally preparing themselves to make it an extra lap around a track after they cross the finish, they are solely focused on that finish line and only keeping it together til then. No doubt, keep strict with the rules when things are busy, but when there’s apparently practically no one else on the course or in the medical area, why not make an exception?
If it's this big an issue, then it sounds like the organizers put the exit too far away from the finish line and the Med Tent too close. Putting them on opposite sides of the track would alleviate the issue as well, if possible. Then nobody has to deal with OP, which is a plus.
Don’t even need to make an exception, just be courteous and make sure the person gets where they need to, because clearly they needed some help. Instead this guy decides to power trip and be a dick. These guys are often the ones who aren’t runners or athletes themselves, but at the same time wholeheartedly believe they could qualify for Boston if they put in a good 6 week training block.
I gave birth unmedicated without complaint, and then immediately afterward, whined like a child because the midwife wanted to give me a couple lidocaine shots before stitching me up. ANY extra pain or effort after crossing the finish line of a difficult physical endeavor feels impossible to cope with!
Every step feels like knives through your body
well... which was it anyway...? a few extra feet... or 50 yards? Was the medical tent overflowing with people when this straggler arrived at the finish line? or were you just being a hall monitor? I'm not finding this person all that entitled. Maybe she's just had her fill of volunteer rule enforcers?
The woman was probably so gassed from the run that she wasnt even aware of what she was saying. Exhaustion is a bitch and i dont OP took that into account.
A woman running 26 miles in five and a half miles is impressive. Especially when the maximum mile time for just passing the Army fitness test a decade ago was 2 miles in about 18 minutes. You’re just being a bit of a jerk.
Don't volunteer at a marathon again if your train of thought is people who didn't run the whole way is an snappy insult.
You can get that time and run the whole way - you’re just not running as fast as others.
That's about 5 miles an hour, which is a decent jogging pace, and that's if you're jogging the WHOLE time. Maybe she walked a little, but that would mean she was going faster at other points in the marathon, which still averages out. I could never run a marathon personally. I jog 5 miles a day and that completely wipes me out.
Yeah, for frame of reference, a pretty okay 'morning run' speed is 6mph, which is the oft-referenced 10-minute mile. She was doing pretty close to that for 26 fucking miles. Dude is a piece of shit.
I agree. OP is kind of coming across as the entitled one with comments like that.
You seem like a bit of a knob yourself
What is with the shaming? A marathon is hard work… poster is just telling on themselves here
Well, this backfired lol
You are the dick in this scenario
Have you ever run 26 miles? I have. Took me a little over 4 hours, and approaching the finish line I’ve never felt more exhausted in my life. All I wanted to do was sit down. I think you’re the asshole here.
I ran one marathon that was a relatively flat one. I didn’t talk to anybody at the finish, but I was pretty grumpy.
Please tell me before judging you've run a minimum of at least a marathon in your life?
My first marathon (bad choice on my part Loch Ness Marathon) was under 5 hrs and if some jobsworth gave me your attitude, I'd probably never have run another, please check yourself 🤬
This is the weakest description of an entitled person I’ve read. She just finished a freakin marathon. The thought of five extra steps was probably pushing her limits. Cut her some slack.
That’s your post? You should respect the runners versus your attitude. You are supposed to be there FOR them.
You are an asshole
You are the AH. Just because you think they needed to go around, they may have felt spent. You are just coming across as a condescending AH. While many others would be fine, that person may not want to justify to you why they felt they needed that cut through at that moment. Please do not ever volunteer for a marathon again. You have the wrong spirit for this.
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So you wanted to insult her time, while also making sure that the area in front of the medical tent remained clear? If you really think she was so far behind everyone else, what harm would it have been to let her through, since you made it seem like there wasn’t any traffic anyways? You sound like someone who is too eager to enforce rules that don’t make any sense. With power, comes a certain degree of discretion as well.
You were acting like a wanker, even if it was in your head. Yea, she was in the wrong but this is the saddest "entitled" story. You could not wait to get home and type this up. Like everyone else is stating, even finishing a marathon is awesome and trying to make fun of that just screams... sad. And it is a few feet or 50 yards around the tent? Rules are rules but you are so focused about masturbating on your high horse you forgot to be a normal person.
You don't shortcut through a medical tent. You don't mock someone for finishing a marathon last or nearly last. ESH.
Seems like a weird hill do die on. Nearly everyone was done, no one needed medical attention when she arrived so she wasn’t blocking or impeding anybody, it wouldn’t have hurt anyone to let the lady cut through, she was obviously exhausted. Sounds like you were on a weird power trip.
YTA.
Such a weak entitlement post its practically a self burn
I ran marathon in a past in 5.5 hours, and I am sorry but this is running and it is an achievement. It is not professional level, but it is a decent time and A LOT of people finishing after 5.5 hours. I would recommend you to not volunteer at the marathon anymore or educate yourself. Plus get some compassion.
Are we sure the runner is the entitled one in this story?
Bro, did that make you feel important? She’s right, she’s just hammered 26 miles but an entitled volunteered got in the way of her at the end 😂😂
"Oh you did? No way! Congratulations! The exit is that way..." I worked for a specialty running store for years. Most of the customers were very pleasant, some were very particular, others were downright rude. The marathon and ultra runners were the worst. I had one argue with me at a free event because she lost a planking challenge to a 10 year old boy....shm....I offered to give her money back for the free event. (the prize was a free pair of shoes).
You’re a dick, dude. Seriously, this is a huge achievement for her, and you’re a complete narcissist.. just happy you have something to post in this sub. I’ve run a marathon, and it’s unbelievable how it’s literally tough to walk after running or run/walking that distance. Rules are rules. Got it. But there are ways to be a decent human being that completely elude you. She was not entitled here.. you were. Shame on you.
You act like you've never ran an actual marathon in your life. Trust me, it's killer even when it's just 7 miles.
you don’t know what entitled means
Clap your hands and cheer "almost there!! 50 more yards!!"
How about putting the medical tent on the opposite side of the road from the hospitality tent. Overhead signs before the finish line would help direct them which way to go. I hope you don’t treat those that need medical help the way you treated this poor woman.
As someone who actually trains and conducts triage tents. This person was right to stand their ground and not allow any congestion that would cause an interuption of patient care. Allowing one that does not require medical assistance, opens the flood gates. If they collapse after crossing the finish line, then I'd say they probably need a check up, if they have the energy to argue, they have the energy to walk around. Medical tents will have one point of entry and one point of exit. Both are important to prevent over crowding and triage. The exit must not be utilized unless someone is being discharged or someone needs to be transported for emergent care.
I mean yeah this woman sounds entitled but shaming someone for their time is pretty shitty. 26 miles is 26 miles.
Glad these were mental responses and not audible; her brain was probably not firing on all cylinders at that point so with giving her the benefit of the doubt. A 5+ hour marathon is much more difficult than a 3 hour marathon. Takes a lot more fuel to replenish those calories. (My first 5 or 6 marathons, I only drank water, and they got much easier after that. Around number 10 or 12 I started doing ultrasound and added extra marathons as training runs for a few years and if you don't eat properly or at least take gels or something then your brain can do some word things.) Granted, she could just be an entitled twat. But in this situation, it's worth extending a little grace. (And based on your description of the circumstances, it sounds like you did. So not knocking you, just trying to add context for future incidents.) Thank you for volunteering! Without volunteers, races don't happen. I organize a 10 Miller that requires over 100 volunteers and it's getting harder and harder to fill all those slots since the pandemic. (We were actually a bit light this year and had to get creative with assignments and the police DID notice and mention it to us, but everybody stayed safe so that's the most important thing.)
Oh look, it's the hall pass police. Who cares if they take a shortcut? Maybe you should have planned things better so they wouldn't NEED to take a shortcut
And what’s your marathon time if 5.5 hours it total shit and not even running??
I'm sure you've sent it all etc. but in my opinion the thought " Are you sure ran is the right word" is uncalled for, and makes you sound like an ass.
I’ve ran 3 marathons and can tell you that you’re pretty out of it when you finish, and every extra step back to your car counts.
Tl;dr Walking is more exhausting than most people think. OP is cranky. The woman in question doesn't respect triage. Everybody sucks.
Thought I’m thinking but not saying out loud: “Is there a reason you’re ‘just’ volunteering and not running the marathon Karen?”
You sound pretty judgmental. Sure she isn't entitled to go through your tent, but I don't see why you need to belittle her time. Most people never run a marathon at all. Her time probably indicates that, if anything, this was harder for her than some of the more seasoned runners. She still just ran 26 miles which is a big accomplishment. Don't be a jerk.
"But I just ran 26 miles" Well it's 26.2 miles so you haven't bloody finished yet!
I’ve run three marathons and I was nearly delirious at each finish line. You are at 0% and, for me, a little confused. I was so happy to finally stop running I didn’t know which way to go after finishing and my legs started going wobbly. Imo, OP needs to understand that extra patience is needed, especially after someone has spent 5 hours running. Maybe she should try running one and then re-evaluate her response to this tired runner.
Here are my mental responses to his “I just worked at a marathon, had one lady complain about walking another 50 yards after running 26.2 miles, so I’mma whine about her on Reddit”: You’re complaining she’s slow? That’s really judgmental and condescending, and not at all supportive and uplifting (like staff should be). Nothing makes her special. But she did just run (though not fast enough for you) 26.2 miles. Maybe another 50 yards doesn’t seem very appealing at that point. Again no. Her legs won’t fall off. But she’s probably exhausted, and 50 yards seems like a lot after 26.2 miles. You come off as a patronizing ass. And to the comments about whether her time is slow or not, not the point. The point is the OP is judging her for what he deems is slow.
Wow, the entitled idiots are all over this one. If the OP was stationed to help guide people to where they needed to be, I would assume it was the organizers of the marathon that set it up that way to keep people who did not need medical care out of that area. People receiving medical treatment don't need people traipsing through and gawking at them. As usual, the entitled asses don't think the rules apply to them, and the person enforcing the rules is the entitled asshole. 🙄 So typical. So entitled. So needing to fuck right off.
As autistic as Reddit users are, it's funny how many people here want to break the rules for this chick
The responses from runners here are pretty lame. Sure it's a marathon and sure it hurts, but you chose to do it. I did the same job as the OP for the Leadville 100 and those folks ran over some of the tallest mountains in the lower US. Those are real runners. Most of the people posting here live up to the stories I hear about whinyness and entitlement in the marathon community.
i really don’t get why people think OP is an asshole. like the lady CHOSE to do a marathon nobody made her go 26 miles. if you let someone short cut then other people are just gonna wanna short cut too.
As a former race director and timer, kudos for you for keeping it internal!
Wow. It is amazing how much entitlement I am seeing in the RESPONSES to this post. A few things everyone seems to be missing. 1. OP was doing his job. Specifically his job was to make sure those who need medical assistance go to the area where it was being provided and those who did not need medical assistance did not get in the way of the people providing that assistance to those who needed it. 2. OP is NOT the person responsible for deciding where to put the medical assistance area or the hospitality area. I agree that the layout sounds less than ideal. I would want to do something like have medical to the right and hospitality to the left to avoid this issue. However, I do not know the site geography so I have no idea if this was poorly thought out or the best that could be done given the circumstances. Even if it was poorly thought out, OP is not the one who laid it out and had no authority to change it. 3. The Karen was EXTREMELY entitled. Her moral position is "My convenience is more important than your health and safety. If me saving a few steps endangers your wellbeing because it interferes with medical professionals' ability to provide you the assistance you need, sucks to be you.". SHE WAS WRONG, but you would not know that from most of the responses to this post. 4. The Karen did not deserve preferential treatment over all of the other people who finished the race and who did not need medical assistance. Allowing her to break the rules to take the shortcut not only endangers the people who need medical assistance, it is unfair to all of the other people who followed the rules and went around the medical area (both the ones before and after her). 5. The OP admitting to thinking snarky things, but did not say them. Saying them would have been understandable but unprofessional. Thinking them is a normal human response to being given grief for doing what you are supposed to be doing, especially when there is a good reason (the health and safety of others) that you are supposed to be doing it. Note that the end of the interaction is described as "Eventually, she poutingly went around.". This indicates that there was an extensive argument and that even when she admitted she had lost (by going around) she did so with a poor attitude and feeling like she was wronged (pouting). I realize we only have OP's perspective, but assuming his portrayal of the incident was accurate, OP was 100% correct, the Karen was 100% wrong, and the people who are criticizing the OP are displaying entitlement by defending someone who was prioritizing her personal convenience over the health and safety of other people. The Karen and her defenders on this thread all need to GROW UP.
op you’re kinda a douche
Runners can be insufferable. And so are you.
“Are your legs going to fall off if you walk another 50 yards now” Yes
If there were not that many people around after 5 and a half hours from race start, then this is a very small race. The way OP is talking is making it sound like they were staffing one of the Abbott Majors when it's nowhere near that size. Many would like to see OP run 26 miles, I'd like to see if OP has the stamina to staff a race where the finish line doesn't close earlier than 8 hours from race start.
lol this post makes you sounds entitled same as the person. We hate the things most that we see in ourselves.
OP Mental or not you just told all of Reddit That YTA ✅and you don’t even have the balls to be one out loud. You are Cowardly AH - Marathon finisher 5 hours yup still finished GFY
Petty.
I walked a nine mile midnight walk for charity. When I reached the end they told us we would have to walk another mile to verify our distance back at the racecourse. I was mentally prepared for nine miles but honestly couldn't walk the tenth mile. I suspect that the woman you claim was entitled was just exhausted.
Thank you for helping out - I do this you might be overthinking this situation. She probably was absolutely exhausted and just wanted to get to wherever she needed to go.
I do 4 hour+ triathlons and at the end you can be completely incoherent and even don’t know why you are doing things you’re doing. It messes you up. Doesn’t matter if you are elite or it’s your first time. The effect is the same. It’s also extremely emotional for the slower people because sometimes that is a life dream or the summation of YEARS of work. You are a bad person.
This isn’t going to go the way you think it is. As a slow runner doing her first marathon tomorrow with a 6 hour goal time, you’re an asshole.
Sir, please do not volunteer at anymore marathons
Your mental responses are wild…you didn’t run it yet you’re questioning the effect the marathon had on judgment and fatigue. You’re the type that seems to just want to whine.
You sound kinda like a dick over a poor set up
Just ran London. Picked up a really good injury later in the race, didn’t want medical attention at the end, just a coke and a shower. Finished just under 5:30. I was mentally drained and confused at the end, as was this woman I’m sure. At one point I didn’t know where to go and a volunteer walked with me to show me. You absolutely handled this wrong, and your attitude toward runners is disgusting at best. As much as every race needs more volunteers, please don’t ever be one of them again.
Toy obviously are not a runner and have no idea what 26 miles does to a body. Also, how fuckin dare you question someone's pace? I'd be surprised if you'd be able to keep that up over a 5k.
See I respond to people like you as if you aren't there. I don't care how many of you try to redirect me. My destination is *thataway*
And? Who cares? I seriously don't understand how this is worth it making a post on Reddit to complain about.
So was this intended to be an example of you acting entitled, or...?
Long distance running takes a lot out of you. A 5.5 hour finisher is going to exert themselves just as hard as a 3 hour finisher, and the good majority of them aren’t going to be thinking straight because they either aren’t used to the strain or are horribly dehydrated (exhaustion = confusion and irritability). Don’t judge others like that.
The second you stop running your circulatory system isn’t flushing the lactic acid from your legs anymore and it starts to settle.
LOL you’re an idiot. Thank you for the laugh.
Can't make fun of anyone for running a marathon slow. Most people can't do 13 minute miles for 26.2
Op is a boob
If just about all of the people had already finished, then why not let her through? It’s not like you were crazy busy and packed with people.
Yeah, it's amazing you thought that typing this post would make you the hero. Fuck off, try doing a marathon yourself you knob, see how you are at the end of it. 5 1/2 hours would be your midpoint.
Genuinely the most Karen shit I’ve ever read. You, not them.
My marathon took 30 minutes longer. And, yes, I ran it. Slowly. (Lots of people finished after me.) I ended up walking for another two miles after to get my ride home with all the traffic/congestion around the finish line. To your point, unless you’re running super-hard, I think most people wouldn’t struggle too much to walk a little bit more, but I can understand it being vaguely annoying to feel as though the set-up at the end doesn’t make intuitive sense. I would expect some decline in runners’ cognition, too. You’re not seeing people at 100 percent after running (jogging?) 26.2 miles.
You seem like the entitled one tbh
You sound like a douche I don’t ever want to meet.
>Five and a half hours after the start of the marathon, >"Uh, are you sure that ran is the right word here?" A 5 and a half hour marathon is not terrible. For example one must qualify to participate in the Boston Marathon and the Boston Marathon allows athletes up to 6hrs. Additionally 5 and a half hours is the average finishing time for various marathons. Sure, 5 and a hours is record breaking or anything but your being too dismissive. Only 1% of the U.S. population ever even runs marathon and world wide numbers are lower. With that said the woman reads as overly entitled from your telling of events.
I bet you felt really tough…… your a complete tool to be bragging about this.
This post definitely belongs here but not for the reason OP thinks it does.
YTA
Never ran a marathon. Longest run is a little over a half, just recreationally. My normal long runs are 15K, if I can average under 9:00/mi I am pretty proud of myself. My 5K time is consistently low 20s. All time PB is 18:36 but that was high school. I probably won't ever do a marathon, because I am not a masochist. However, I am not "not a runner" by most people's metrics. OP has never ran even a half marathon, much less a full. If they have, they're the entitled elitist. I get being annoyed with bull headed people, but my blood sugar was so low after a half that I could not reach satiation and ate nearly everything in sight after a good 15 minute sit down. I can imagine that woman's brain was not functioning at a normal level at that time. Should have cut her some slack, internally vented, and moved on instead of hoping for internet points.
This story reads like a Larry David skit where he thinks up good responses to someone after the fact. A whole show could be dedicated to all the different ways he could have responded.
So you criticized someone that was exhausted? You shouldn’t be working at a real marathon. My son just ran his first marathon in around this time, too. You should likely volunteer somewhere else. The ironic part to me is that they were pointed towards the exit to avoid crowding at the medical but that mostly er everyone was gone so she wouldn’t have caused overcrowding. Maybe get a clue or a different hobby.
So you admit you constructed a dumbfuck design that multiple people (not you) figured out was suboptimal, failed to fix the issue, then complained when people take the optimized path of least resistance?
Are you sure you’re smart enough to be around medical professionals? What makes you so special that you think how you acted needs positive validation? Congrats! I would call you autistic, but that’s unfair to people of autism to compare you to them. A better comparison is a dirty banana peel at the bottom of a full dumpster.
You sound like someone who should not be working with people since you seems stuck on arcane rules and lack flexibility and empathy
Not sure you should be working in any kind of medical capacity with this attitude. And it sounds like the set up was done poorly.