‘Get Your Nuun Before Noon’- Gratitude Vibes and Life Lessons from The California International Marathon
DEP Fall Contest
“Life’s joy lies in the ability to turn from participant to volunteer to understand and appreciate all the work that is going on behind the scenes of a successful event like the marathon.” — Carmen Micsa
As a marathon runner, who has completed 16 marathons and all six world marathons: Chicago, New York City, Boston, London, Berlin, and Tokyo marathons in this exact order, I know how important the race volunteers are, which is why I signed up to volunteer at the Buffalo Chips aid station close to my house in Carmichael, CA.
On December 3, I volunteered to hand out cups of Nuun electrolytes to about 10,000 marathon runners who lined up at the Folsom Dam to run the 40th annual California International Marathon, hailed as “The Fastest Course in the West.” The course starts at 366 feet above sea level and finishes at the State Capitol at an elevation of 26 feet.
The CIM marathon is the culmination of training in the Sacramento hot summer and the weather is almost always perfect for the late fall season. Runners are excited for our big local event that draws runners from all over the world.
On a balmy December morning with temperatures in the low 50s and a light breeze — the ground still damp from the previous day’s rain — I biked 1.5 miles to my designated aid station. I arrived at the corner of Fair Oaks Blvd. and El Camino Ave. a little bit after 7:30 a.m. I immediately got busy filling up cups of Nuun for the elite runners about to arrive, even though the marathon started 10 minutes late due to transportation delays to the start line, according to KCRA news.
Make eye contact and slow down a tad
The first to come through were the wheelchair participants, so we knew that the speedy runners were next. I chose to help at the Nuun station, although I was warned that there would be lots of splashing involved. Not to mention the stickiness of the electrolyte drink.
“They’re coming! Get ready!” exclaimed Gerhard, the captain of our aid station, with a wide motion of his arms pointing to the silhouettes of the runners in the distance.
I snapped a few quick pictures, after which I positioned myself with my arm extended, holding the cup from the bottom for easy fetching. I practiced this two years ago when I volunteered with the Trail Running Adventures group, so I was confident in my cup-offering skills.
Before my thoughts dissipated, my cup with Nuun somersaulted to the ground with a big splash.
The first runner missed it. He clearly ran too fast and did not make eye contact with me.
The second runner managed to grab the Nuun, but before I could celebrate my cup-holding and handling skills, I got splashed in Nuun by another speedy runner, who didn’t slow down at all. He completely missed the cup, but did not miss me.
“All right! I am definitely out of practice,” I said to myself and decided to focus more on each runner, extend my arm to meet the runner’s hand and make eye contact.
The next Nuun cup finally landed in the hands of a speedy runner who plucked it out of hands like an eagle descending upon its prey at full speed. I felt a light scratch next to my thumb. I decided to pay even more attention to the needs of each runner.
With more speedy runners coming through, my Nuun cups landed in their hands, especially the ones who were great at making eye contact first and slowing down a tad. They even quickly thanked me, while staying focused on their cadence, pace, and running rhythm.
As my cup dexterity increased, the splashing continued, but I was all smiles about being out there, helping our incredible Sacramento running community that welcomed runners from 42 different countries.
Happiness is making someone’s day with a cheesy rhyme
After the elite runners stampeded on their way to the finish line by the Capitol, the next speedy runners came through in thick packs that took over the undulating Fair Oaks Blvd. like a calm and steady ocean wave.
This time, my strategy as the devoted ‘Nuun girl’ was to stack four cups (three in my left hand and one in my right) to increase my speed and turn into a human conveyor belt — ready to dispense electrolytes and increase the runners’ stamina.
The runners were grateful and overall getting their cups with no problem other than the occasional splash on my hands and sleeves. I also wished that I had a secret button to speed up my dispensing abilities. However, with lots of help from the other volunteers, who took their duties just as seriously as me, we managed just fine with the big groups that had pacers leading them during the marathon.
With our aid station located on the course a little past mile 15, I noticed that some runners looked a little tired, or they even walked and stretched before taking off, so I came up with a funny and cheesy rhyme that seemed to perk them up just as much as the Nuun drink.
“Get your Nuun before noon,” I started to shout out cheerfully.
“I love that!” a few runners told me.
“That’s a good one,” others said with brighter smiles than the sun peeking through the morning clouds.
“Thank you!” they would say with a grin.
“Sure, I want to get my Nuun before noon,” Annalisa, a good runner friend said. She looked happy and ready to tackle the rest of the miles to the finish line.
For the rest of the morning, I mixed in my cheering with handing out the Nuun before noon and felt my vocal cords work as hard as the pounding feet of the runners on their way to completing their marathons or relays.
Give with all your heart
Marathons teach us to give ourselves with all our heart to the pursuit of one more mile that will add to the previous miles until the final and most exhilarating mile of the marathon, which will conclude the journey of the 26.2 miles that started with one step across the start line.
While the runners give it their all and dig deeper to rise above the fear and uncertainty of completing a marathon, as a volunteer, I learned to give out not only the Nuun before noon but endless encouragement to the runners of all abilities who came through until 11:10 a.m. when our aid station closed down. I also can say that all the other volunteers focused like laser beams on each runner who needed a drink, moral support, or both.
This selfless aspect of volunteering is easy to miss when you’re a participant unless you slow down just for a little bit to thank the volunteers and make each other smile, as we relish the journey of giving and receiving that starts with one step no matter the final time.
Final takeaways:
Slow down a tad, make others smile, and give with all your heart.
Autumn is about sharing the roads and paths of life with others while steeping our beings into the warmth and love of strangers who are there to help out during a marathon, or whatever else we pursue in life.
Gratitude is what makes me think of fall and Thanksgiving with so much joy and anticipation.
Although this is such a recent memory, it will stay lodged in my mind like wet golden leaves stuck on the damp ground after the rain.
These life lessons will mark your souls with big footprints of kindness and devotion to the well-being and happiness of others, who will remember a cheesy line or rhyme that they heard in moments of doubt and pain:
“Get your Nuun before noon.”
I loved reading Lisa Precious / Smiley Blue’s story about the magic of mushrooms. Autumn means so many things to all of us and the gratitude of a big surprise is there for all of us when we delve deeper into the woods, or anywhere else we go.
I also loved how Rick Allen sees fall as the harvest and state of mind. Just beautifully said!
I am also honored to be part of The Dancing Elephant Publication and have five of my essays published in Holistic Journey Toward Wellness, as well as our new essay anthology The Joy of Life.
For more poetic musings and short-form philosophy, please check out my new book, Inspirational Signs for More Sunshine in Your Life and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry, and Short-Form, published in 2021.
If you like podcasts, please listen to Seeds of Sunshine, a multigenerational podcast that I started together with my daughter.
