Marathon Spectating

I'm putting this together in the hope that there are spectators for my marathon, but please do not feel obligated. This just seemed like an easy way to organize all the information and save everyone from last minute questions.

Date: Sunday May 20th, race start is 7am, my likely finish is 12:30-1:30pm
Location: Downtown Nashua is where the bulk of the marathon festivities are. Check out this page for a map of the course and more importantly parking for downtown.

Shirt I got for volunteering in 2015.

If you live in Nashua, the race covers most of the city, if you check out the course, you may find that there is an easy spectating spot right from your home. If you are not sure when to go outside, just figure out what mile marker you are at and then multiply it by 6 or 7. Though I'll like show up if you multiply by 12 or 13. You can make signs to wave, ring cowbells or just say things like "You're doing great" or "you got this", unless you are on mile marker 26.2, do not yell "Almost there". Example if you live near Lake Street(mile 6-7+), you'll want to be out there around 7:30am to see the fast runners and around 8:15am for me(though you might be there waiting.)

Another blogger wrote a great article on spectating a race, if you want a more involved How To. Gate City is still looking for volunteers, which is a great way to spectate and help at the same time. The year I volunteered I got a cool safety orange tech shirt to keep, I would suspect they'll do that again.

Photo Credit: Fellow She Runs This Town Member 

If you chose to hang along the course chances are I'll be able to high five you or maybe stop for a hug.  It will depend on the zone I am in while running. I'm running to finish, not really to make a time goal.

If you want to interact with me, you have two options, run the race(half, full or relay) with me, or the most likely option, be at the finish line when I finish. I am anticipating finishing between 12:30 and 1:30 pm. The specific time will likely depend on how badly I implode on the course that day. There are many possible factors that I can't predict until the day of and even during. I'll have a Road ID live tracker going and my husband will share that on various social media.

The good news is, Downtown Nashua has a large variety of restaurants and coffee shops to relax in while you wait for me to finish. The bars might even be open by noon as well.



Post race, we don't have any plans. I honestly have no idea what I will physically be up for. Once I've gone through my initial recovery routine it is possible I will want to stand by a grill and just eat a never ending supply of steak. I may also want to take a nap in a hot tub. What I know for certain is I will not be willing to ride in a car for more than 10 minutes.

If you can't be at the race, but you want to show your support there are two causes that stand out for me. I honestly can't pick between them, so I will leave to you, the reader, the decision of which you want to contribute towards.

1) I'm running as part of the 2020 Vision Quest team. This also means the shirt to wear during the race decision has been made. Tax deductible(if that is still a thing, I'm not a an accountant) donations can be made on the 2020 Vision Quest page. If you could add in the message "Johanna's First Marathon" that would be awesome. I won't see any of those donations, but I know someone will tell me if that message shows up.

2) Tessa is a very good friend, and sadly has spent most of the last several years fighting to live with complications of a rare disease. She was there when I ran my first 5k in Georgia. She came out and helped Alex entertain two bored toddlers. When Jack was born, she made it to the hospital before we did and then took care of Hal, while I gave birth. Hal was confused, tired and she found cups to stack and play(since we didn't think to pack toys, because the sun wasn't up yet), then when that didn't work, she carried him around "looking" for Mom. Tessa is one of Jack's favorite people. Tessa is currently raising money to travel to Germany for operations that she can't have in the US. With her diseases, there are only a few doctors in this country that will even treat her. If you go to the GoFundMe page you can read all about her struggles.