When Appropriate

Spectators are an interesting crew (a crew which I strongly encourage you to join next Sunday). All walks of life can cheer you on—including those who may not be familiar with marathoning. So, it makes sense that the marathon organization would put together a "spectators guide" to clue people in on all the complexities of the marathon. (You can download the guide here: 2009 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend Spectator's Guide )

While paging through the guide, I came across a rather perplexing statement. On the page where they give suggestions on what to cheer, is this one:

Welcome to St. Paul! (when appropriate)

This marathon does go through 2 cities, the second one being St. Paul, so putting the wording "when appropriate" makes sense on some levels. But, I imagine the circumstances that led to the inclusion of this directive went something like this:

The first time the marathon published a spectator's guide, it included the suggestion of cheering "Welcome to St. Paul". Some kind-hearted, and most likely over-exuberant, spectator read this, and after they set up somewhere around Lake Calhoun (which is in Minneapolis), they cheered wildly: "WELCOME TO ST. PAUL!! WELCOME TO ST. PAUL!!" Most of the runners were probably scratching their heads, and so were the nearby spectators. The next year, the spectator's guide included this: "Welcome to St. Paul! (when appropriate)"

TC Marathon Countdown: 7 days