Tip 10: Tips for Spectators

Marathoners, pass this advice along to your supporters. . . For those not running in the marathon, it can be a daunting challenge to figure out where to be and when to be there to support your runner. Don’t fret—there are plenty of resources to help.

Online Timing: Friends & Family Can Follow Your Progress Online. Ironworks Consulting offers live splits and results for all marathon participants on the race website. It does not offer as many updates as other races, but people can see you 13.1, 20-mile, and finish times. Ironworks will also provide live race commentary and photos throughout the event for your friends and family who can’t attend! Check the Richmond Marathon site the week of the race for a link to the live results page.

Party Zones: Richmond will have three party zones for spectators. This is a fun spot for you family and friends to hang out while they wait for you. The race site has more details on the party zones. A tip I would give is to have your friends pick on time to not be at a party zone, and instead be at some random place on the street (preferably between miles 20 and 26). As a runner, the party zones will get you excited just because of the energy and crowd. Seeing your family kind of blends in with everything else. Seeing your family at a time when you really need to see them will help push you to the finish.

Pace Chart: To help find you along the course, there is a great pace chart available. Give this to your family and friends before the race, or send them a link so they can print one out. This is really useful if you are tracking multiple runners.

Getting Support: Although you may want to give your favorite flavor of gel, or a special food to your spouse so you know you will get it at exactly at mile 14.5, I would discourage doing this. Why? There will be 5,000+ runners in the race. Roughly 1,000 of these runners will have the same shirt on that you are wearing. It is not easy to find you in the race, so don't count on getting something essential to your performance from an outside source.

More information: There is much more spectator information available on the Richmond site including parking and road closures. Don will also provide some directions for navigating Richmond on race day that can help avoid traffic jams. Be sure to check it out.