Am I right? Yes? No?
Because if this weekends race, the Tristate Spartan Super, is any inclination of how people interpret that than I am f*@king baffled.
It’s not a new thing to see a gel wrapper on the ground at a race, or to see an energy bar wrapper on the ground either. There’s no justification in the frequency of that garbage though.
I raced on Sunday and almost as soon as you got into any of the trails there was garbage everywhere. I have NEVER seen it this bad. There were sections of the race where I felt like I was literally walking through a dump there was so much of it.
At one point I saw a woman who was running in front of me finishing a gel. I watched closely to see what she would do with it. As her grip loosened, and she was about to drop the packet, I chimed in. “Hey, want me to take that for you?”, I asked her. She says, “oh thank you so much” in an awkward kind of way, kind of like when you were a kid and you got caught doing something you weren’t supposed to do. Hell, her cheeks even went flush as the embarrassment surely was surfacing. I told her I carry that pack on my back not only for hydration or gels and nutrition but to also CARRY OUT THE STUFF I CARRIED IN!
Seriously, who does that? Do you think that because there is a sweeper wave that somehow it’s ok? Are you that flippin’ lazy that you can’t carry it to the next water station where there are trash bins? You are running a damned obstacle race, if necessary make it an obstacle to see if you can carry the garbage to the next receptacle.
I hope to whatever spirit or deity you believe in that none of this was a Spahten. Because if it was, to be blunt, you should be ashamed of yourself! But, I know most of us would not do something like that because I have seen team members picking up stuff.
Hell, Hannah was ripping people on the course to from what I heard!! Good job, Hannah!
My apologies for the anger but please, PLE
ASE, if you bring it with you than you surely can take it back out right? And if you can’t handle that than don’t bring anything to begin with!!
Rant over… stepping off my soapbox now….
I agree that littering is a disgusting act, so I found this a bit interesting…
At the very start of the race, I struck up a conversation with someone that turned out to be a manager at the resort. I was talking about how embarrassing it was to see trash all over, and he said, “it’s fine, we’ll clean it up later” and then tossed his own trash on the trail throughout the course.
I still can’t bring myself to litter, and I think it gives the Spartan community a bad reputation, but to him, it seemed like it just meant more overtime for him and his staff.
Interesting… I usually notice the wrappers and things on trail races and such and I was actually thinking that I was surprised at how much I DIDN'T see trash on the trails… I only recall a couple Gu wrappers at all. Maybe I as just too tired. Yeah, all of my wrappers go in my short or Camelbak pockets.
Littering is an ugly human trait—ugly, rude, and disrespectful. There is no "Trash Fairy" to clean up after your lazy azzes!
I was ripping people left and right… going down the trail… at the aid stations… People were leaving trash not 10 feet from a trashcan. I get when the cans are overflowing, the ground next to it is fine, but make the effort. I was picking stuff up off the trail in quantities that made me sick. Carry in, carry out. As for cups, this isn't a road race where they can bring in a street sweeper or trash sucker (No idea what they are really called) to clean up. People are picking this stuff up my hand.
New Jersey has some crappy parts, but so does new England (hello, Springfield MA)… but a beautiful race venue is something to be respected and we should always treat it as we would our home courses. I recall digging fruit snack wrappers out of my sports bra in VT after the Beast LOL
You left your soapbox. Want me to pick it up?
I was there for Hannah yelling at people. Classic.
GU's bad for trail and you ! Gotta quadruple the porta potties when people use this stuff.
“There were sections of the race where I felt like I was literally walking through a dump there was so much of it.” Well you were in New Jersey