A 9hrs of my life..

It was great, great fun taking pictures of Team Asha at the finish line, and just being there at the finish cheering people and seeing people finish. I don't think it will be possible to do this sort of a thing at a big marathon. Thanks to SV marathon and the small numbers, I could do it. Standing close to the official race photographer and clicking away heaps of photographs, sorting them, identifying Asha pictures with all the bib numbers. Great fun, got to wear the shoes of all those official event photographers for a day or two. :)

It was about as tiring as a marathon mentally, actually!, and I was drained & tired being up and on my feet from as early as 5AM till about 2PM. One good thing was MCM one week ago seemed a long time back, so, at least the legs were good enough to last me through. And the whole thing was lot of fun. There was disappointment at the end, in the sense the food at the volunteer tent was over by the time I was done with my coverage and by that time I was so hungry and tired that I was really pissed. Had a big chunk of dessert to keep myself happy. Got a ride home and crashed to my heart's content and my stomach's discontent!! I woke up in a trance, totally soaked in the experience. I realized.. as I was reliving the memories.. this is why:

I was excited for this event. I wanted to cheer people on. I wanted to go to different places along the course and egg runners on & take some pictures. Be there between 18-26mi. I knew what it would have meant. I knew it took a lot of effort for that, to plan the course, to plan the travel, to make arrangements & to co-ordinate. Of course, being with TeamAsha, all of that was really a piece of cake! I wanted to all this but someone up there had different plans for me. I had to be at the start/finish area since the need was there. I read this once somewhere - When you don't get what you want, that's what is called an experience! And a lovely one it turned out to be..

The day started early for us, even as it ended late for other Asha volunteers and co-ords the previous night. A bunch of us landed at the Asha tent in the morning, and almost required was neatly packed and taken care of. We just had to be there. :) There was not too much to do, really, early in the morning at the hospitality tent but for taking care of the stuff that was there and answering few questions some people had about Asha, and preparing for the marathoners. Soon, they were pouring in. By the time Raghav was back, we knew it was time to get ready for warriors to return home. The SAMOSAS were there, and the work had begun. And soon I headed off to the finish line to take some pictures.

Waiting at the SV marathon finish line for the runners to finish, I was looking at all the high school children who were so happy for the finishers, cheering them, congratulating them, handing over the medals to them. It would not have been possible without them. It would not have been possible without ALL THE VOLUNTEERS. The whole atmosphere there was so festive!! Three cheers to the race organizers who bring about this event every year. Silicon Valley marathon was celebrating its 10th anniversary and I think the race was a HUGE success. At least, that's what I as an outsider and as a spectator think about it.

The spirit at the finish line was unbelievable. What made it so special was all the families and the kids that were running along the last few meters (the green carpet). Slowly, one after the other, the Asha runners returned 'home' after conquering their challenge. They were runners of different categories - first timers hoping to finish, experienced runners aiming for their personal best, expert runners pacing the experienced runners, coaches and mentors running with their mentees - they all came in at different times, but they all came in! They all crossed the finish line.

After a barren marathon earlier this year, I had decided that I would not run a small marathon again. After seeing (living) SV marathon, I have to take my words back. If it is the home marathon of Asha SV chapter, the marathon no longer remains 'small.' The Halloween outfits, the big hugs, the great cheering, the lovely water-stop-volunteers, the mentors, the helpers (people who get you through the last mile), the coaches, the assistant coaches, the friends, the family, the ultras running the marathon mainly to cheer, you name it... it was huge!! And from the pictures that I saw, I am sure it was fun all through the course. If it is TeamAsha, it ought to be fun!!! Go Team! I doff my hat to ya!!

This was just a small part of the story. The part I was witness to. The part I was part of, I was glad to be part of. :) It was not just Asha. Asha was a BIG part of it, yes. But I raise my glass to all the volunteers who were involved - Asha and non-Asha - and all the runners and their families. Metro Silicon Valley Marathon 2007 was a triumph of spirit, and my first experience as a 'marathon spectator' was memorable as hell!!