Signs of the Times
A race course favorite means even more as time goes by
They’re inspiring when you’re perspiring…those signs along a race course held by cheering spectators can provide moral support while you struggle through a marathon or limp along during a tough 10k. Maybe it’s held aloft by your screaming friends while they party on the sidelines; maybe the hand-painted piece of cardboard is almost as big as the girl who waves it, urging her mom toward the finish line. More than likely, it’ll be in the hands of a stranger you’ll never see again who in that moment makes you laugh or maybe feel just a little bit like a superhero.
Through the countless races I’ve run over the decades, a few signs stand out as favorites; for example, the guy standing a half-mile past the start line of the Maine Marathon with a sign reading, “Shit ton of miles to go.”
Truth, brother.
Some signs have a fashionable moment in time before going out of style. A prime example is the Ryan Gosling “Hey girl…” phase from the early to mid-2010s. Then there are evergreen themes such as scatological signs exemplified by the always popular, “Run faster, the guy in front of you just farted.”
A sign that gave my pace a boost at the Kiawah Island Half Marathon in South Carolina wasn’t meant to be inspirational at all; it…
