This past weekend we were out cheering the Marine Corps Marathon. We spent quite a bit of time preparing ahead of time, and I’d forgotten so many of the logistics involved when you’re watching as well as cheering on friends. To ensure that you’re prepared and organised (and before I forget them) I thought I’d share some of my tips with you so that you can have the best race day experience and spot your friends as many times as possible.

Planning Your Spectating Spots

1. Check in with your runner: Ask your running friend where they would most like support. Some find hunting for spectators tiring, but some thrive off it. Perhaps your friend would like you at a certain place, which could be where they think they’ll be most tired and need to see a friendly face, or where there’s a particularly challenging spot in the course.  The midpoint (13.1) or miles 18-22 are often places which are good from which to offer encouragement. 
2. Figure out the finish: Ask your friend if they’d like you to meet them at the finish. It can be really fun to be at the post-race party, but it can also be hard work trying to locate people and runners are obviously tired. Sometimes it’s easier and faster just to meet back at home or the hotel. If you do decide to meet at the end of the race, check out the ‘runners reunite’ area on the race day website for instructions.
3. Map out your plan: First things first: grab a course map! Digital maps are great, but a printed map marked with your planned cheer spots is invaluable, especially if the app lags or cell signal drops. If you’re spectating with friends, print a few copies in case you need to split up and reconvene.
4. Figure out the timing: Once you’ve printed off the course map and marked where you plan on being, ask your friend/s how fast they think they’ll be running so you can write down an approximate time that you’ll need to be in each spot.  
5. Plan travel logistics: Work out how you’ll get to each spot, highlighting the quickest walking route, or circling the train stations and writing down the number or colour and direction of the train. It’s at this point that you might need to adjust some of your cheering spots to ensure that you can get to them in time.
6. Pre-load transit cards: If you plan on spectating by train, make sure your train card/ticket has money on it ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than being caught in a queue early on race day morning.  For biking, make sure your bike is in good working order, or you’ve reserved a bike-share bike ahead of time.
7. Keep your runner in the loop: Once you’ve figured out all the logistics, share your plans with your running friend so that they know where to look out for you. If you can let them know which side of the course you’ll be on, that’ll be even more helpful as then they only need to look in one direction.
8. Download the race app: Track your runner in real-time if the app has live tracking, and consider having them share their phone location for extra accuracy. Sometimes race apps only update every 5K, so location sharing can help if you’re aiming to see them at multiple points.

Get Creative with your Cheering Gear

1. Posters, Posters, Posters: Funny or motivational signs can bring a smile to runners’ faces. Plan what you want to say ahead of time, so you have the right size poster board, and make your text large and bold for easy reading. Go with poster paper that rolls up for easy transport, and skip glitter or anything hard to roll.
2. Organize your posters: Roll your posters in order so you can easily grab the next one at each spot and put the old one at the back. Pro tip: secure them with an elastic band!
3. Biodegradable streamers: You can take party streamers to pop when your  runner runs past. When you order online, make sure they are biodegradable so that you are not negatively impacting the sustainability of the race. 
4. Make noise! Don’t forget your cowbell! If you don’t have one, it’s cheap to order one online. I have this one and it’s great!
5. Be ready to take lots of photos of your friend/s. Using your iPhone camera works really well, but you might want to take a better camera with you. If you’re cheering with friends, work out who is holding the poster and who is ringing the cowbell and taking photos – it’s impossible it do it all!

What to Wear

1. Wear comfy shoes and clothes: Dress for the weather and expect to do a lot of moving. Sneakers with grip are a must if you’re rushing between spots, and workout clothes with layers work well for variable weather. They are also great if you have to unexpectedly run between cheer locations because your runner is so fast! 
2. Statement clothing: Wear something bright and bold so your runner can spot you in the crowd. I went with a sparkly American flag cowboy hat this season. This is definitely not my daily look, but it worked! My friend spotted me every time without fail.
3. Be prepared for all the weather! If it’s going to rain, take a cheap poncho with you so that you don’t get soaked through to the skin. Even if you have a jacket, it could get saturated if you’re out there for ages and poncho will give you some extra time. If it’s going to be a hot, sunny day, don’t forget your sunscreen and a hat!

Refreshments

It’s not just the runners that need to fuel! You’re going to be out on the race course for a while so plan ahead. Eat a big breakfast and take snacks. We were able to plan in a mobile Starbucks order between stops, so consider doing something similar and ordering ahead to pick up so you don’t get delayed. If it’s a hot, sunny day, don’t forget to take a bottle of water with you.

Respecting the Runners and the Course

1. Runners have often trained months for their race, so when you’re out there cheering, be sure to be a positive participant. Cheer everyone, ensure that you don’t stand too close to the course, and keep the route clear.
2. It is never advisable to cross a race course, but if you really must, try to pick a spot where a marshall is assisting and do not cross in front of a runner or jeopardize anyone’s safety. In my recent Chicago marathon I saw one spectator get knocked over by a runner who hadn’t spotted him standing in the middle of the road. This caused quite a bit of chaos!

Specating races is such a wonderful and motivating experience and you’ll likely find yourself wanting to sign up for your next race as soon as you get home! On the evening after spectating the Marine Corps Marathon, I was already Googling different races and considering signing up for a 50k ultra!

Did I miss a spectator/cheering tip? Please share below! 🙂