The Marine Corps Marathon expo was a bit of a madhouse this afternoon — I never felt like I understood the flow of the process but I don’t think that’s any fault of the organizers. It was more that I was a bit jet lagged spaced from my 3:15 am pickup by PrimeTime Shuttle to make my 6:30 am flight.
After grabbing my bib and trying on my heavier than normal polyester long sleeve shirt…
I wandered the vendors. I was tempted by a running shirt but cooler heads prevailed. I don’t need another running shirt even one as kinda cool as this (full disclosure: I originally thought it said, “Oprah! Oprah! Oprah!”).
I was also tempted by the MarathonFoto promotion of a new finishers plaque and complete photo download package for $99. But my walls are at a premium right now and I’d prefer photos of friends and family over running pics I think. Still, a pretty good deal.
More than anything, I made a beeline for vendors with green screens that meant free photo ops… including a race video Vine that given Twitter just shuttered that service makes me laugh even harder.
I entered a few $500 gift card raffles that will only result in my name being sold for direct mail marketing and a flood of worthless junk mail to my addresses, both virtual and physical. Still, you gotta be in it to win it!
As far as victories go though, permit me a moment of parking Viking conquest. The parking garage I used for the convention center had posted exponential rates that started at 0-1 hours for $3 and 1-2 hours for $5 before jumping ever higher.
I entered the parking facility at 4:14 pm. I exited at 5:13 pm.
Dropping the mic…