[Don't] Throw It Away!

You stamp the ground nervously in the starting corral of your race. The temperature is more than chilly, but you are warm from a combination of adrenaline and the oversized hoodie you are wearing. The gun goes off; you peel off the hoodie and throw it to the side of the road. . . What happens to the hoodie?

The Akron Half Marathon was my first half marathon. It was such a special occasion; you always remember your first, right? I had spent eight months training, learning about running, and learning about myself, and it all came down to that one moment. My coach, Sheila Avsec of the Towpath Turtles, had advised us to bring a piece of throwaway clothing because in late September Ohio temperatures can be a bit cool, especially at 6:00 am when you’re waiting for the start.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about (because you live in Hawaii or something), runners need to dress as if the temperature is at least twenty degrees warmer than what it is because of rising body heat from exertion. Waiting around at the starting corral can get very chilly if you are dressed in a racing singlet and shorts in forty degree weather, so runners wear clothing they can peel off at the start of the race. Sometimes if they don’t have clothing, they wear trash bags.

This is EXACTLY how I look waiting at the start of a race.

I didn’t want to wear a trash bag on the day of my big race, and I wanted everything about my first half marathon to be meaningful, so I searched through my old clothes to see if there was something I wanted to throw on the side of the street. Then I spotted it: an old, oversized button-down shirt from my days as a server at a chain steakhouse. I was so glad to leave that job, and I knew that this was the best way to throw off that part of my life. When the fireworks went off at the start of the race, I peeled off the shirt and threw it to the side of the street with a loud “HA!” It felt awesome.

Want to know what will happen to the clothes at the starting line of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon? Want to know how to RENT some throwaway clothing? Click here to read the full post.

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