They should have taken all the bums sleeping on the run course and put them to work!!!!!

Homeless people sleep UNDER The Boardwalk, for the most part, so they wouldn't be on the course, necessarily

#LocalKowledge

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I beg to differ. I was in AC for a concert over the weekend and was walking on the boardwalk during the race and there were at least 8-10 homeless people I saw sleeping on the Adirondack chairs. I'm sure that was only the tip of the iceberg. Can't even imagine what goes on under the boardwalk.

You sure they weren't just lost Phish fans?

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Coulda been 1 or 2 :)

I'm pretty sure cupless aid stations cost me a PR in my last half marathon. I'm a masters female and not particularly fast, but I do race a half at sub-8 minute pace, and coming to a full stop to fill my folding cup and then having to accelerate back to full speed again was brutal, worse than I'd imagined it would be. My last marathon (Houston - so well run!) which had staffed aid stations was night and day - just grabbing a cup and slowing pace down to 9 mpm or so and drinking on the run was light years better than having to decelerate and accelerate. Fueling for a race longer than an hour absolutely makes a difference.

At at least 2 s / lb / mile, carrying the amount of water needed for a race will slow you down significantly. Let's say you carry 16 oz of liquid plus 8 ounces of hydration pack - that's going to cost you 40 seconds. A hand-held bottle will be worse because of the energy needed to swing the bottle back and forth with every step, not to mention the force caused by the sloshing liquid. Slowing down to fill a cup four times will likely cost you even more.

I'll happily forego a medal and T-shirt if you give me staffed aid stations. And please don't say it's for the environment and then give me a plastic bottle of water after I finish the race.

The largest running company in Seattle, where I live, is Orca Running and they do "cupless races." So I don't do any race longer than 12K with them.