Weekend of Volunteering
I spent the weekend volunteering at events and was amazed at the differences between cyclists and runners. I volunteered at the DC Rand 300 KM brevet on Saturday. With Ultracyclists, you hand them a map and a cue sheet and they're happy. With the runners, there were aid stations about every 2 KM with water and gatorade and we were asked "how much further" a lot. Runners also are very messy. We were giving them fluids in paper cups and they would toss them ALL OVER THE PLACE, including over the side of a bridge into a stream below. We'd find cups a couple hundred feet down the trail in each direction. (Now, I know you're saying you've seen cyclists tossing powerbar and gel wrappers all over the place, but I think those are primarily shorter distance cyclists).
And finally, half the runners were women. I think there were 2 women at the Brevet, that's about five percent. I was at the Potomac River Run to support Sister Peach, a liver recipient and Transplant Games participant.
