Cheer At A Small Local Race
Turn up at a village 10K with a flask and shout at strangers for an hour - it makes more difference to them than you'd believe.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- 60-90 min
- People
- Solo / Duo, Small Group (3-6), Large Group (7+)
- Where
- Park / Outdoor, Street / Local Business
- Bring
- Nothing in particular
Why this matters
Big city marathons have crowds several deep; a local 10K often has almost nobody, especially in the back half where people are struggling most. Support at that point measurably changes how people perform and how they feel about it afterwards. Many of these runners are fundraising, new to running, or doing something they find genuinely hard.
How to do it
Find a small local race - a 10K, a half marathon, a charity fun run, a parkrun. Turn up and support it.
Where to stand matters more than anything else: - Not the finish line. That's where everyone stands. - Pick somewhere around two thirds of the way round, ideally on a hill or a dull stretch. That's where people are struggling and where there's nobody. - Out-and-back sections are good because you see everyone twice.
How to actually be useful: - Read names off race numbers and use them. It's remarkably effective. - Be specific and true. "You're nearly at the top of this hill" beats "nearly there" when they have 4km left. Runners can tell when you're lying and it's demoralising. - Cheer hardest for the back of the field. The person coming last is having the hardest day and gets the least support. - Make noise. A clapper, a cowbell, a saucepan and a spoon. - Homemade signs, especially stupid ones, work disproportionately well.
Bring a flask and make a morning of it. And if the race needs marshals, that's the next level - most small races are chronically short and it's a couple of hours standing at a junction pointing.