A moving experience at the 2014 Dallas Marathon

This past Sunday December 14th I had a fun experience of volunteering for the Dallas Marathon (formerly the White Rock Marathon) as a representative of For The Love of the Lake organization. I was a course guide at the corner of Beacon Street and Munger. It was a very exciting, tedious, and moving experience. I got there at 8:30 am that morning and stayed until 2:30 that afternoon. It rained hard from around noon until 2:30. There were over 20,000 marathoners and half marathoners participating in the race. The majority of the runners were for the half. My job was to direct the runners as to the proper direction and assist people in distress if necessary. Luckily I did not have to give any medical attention. My corner was also ably manned by paramedics and police officers who would alleviate any need for my medical expertise. It was very intriguing watching the runners. People from all walks of life were participating. From small children to old timers. All races, genders, and even transgender. Some in costumes and even a few dressed in street clothes. With the exception of the professional runners almost everyone was struggling mightily by the time they reached my location at mile 23. It is amazing to me that many people will commit to the training necessary to punish themselves that much to reach their goal of running a marathon. I was very impressed by every one of them including the ones who at the very end of the race were practically crawling to the finish line in order to complete their goal. It was a moving experience.