My experience at the Daytona Beach 1/2 Marathon

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a volunteer at the Daytona Beach Half Marathon on behalf of Full Sail University. The marathon took place at the International Speedway in Daytona and was put on by the Central Florida Sports Commission. One of my career interests is event planning and management, so I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to see just how it all works. I have also never attended a marathon so this was a first for me! Besides arriving at 4:30 in the morning and it being a bit chilly my expectations were met! Here are some things I learned from this experience:

1.) ALWAYS have a back up plan (contingency plan). Because of the NASCAR races taking place throughout the weekend they had 4 different routes for the runners in-case of weather or race issues such as crashes. Luckily, they were able to stick with the original route.

2.) It's better to have TOO much than NOT enough! The food choices were great, there was everything from Papa Johns, Jimmy Johns, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee to bagels from Panera and even protein bars and fruit! There was PLENTY of food leftover but there was one problem... a shortage on beer! For runners that seemed to be a BIG problem. On the runners bibs they had a free beer coupon and after running over 13 miles they did not get their free beer. Needless to say without a back up plan there were some pretty upset runners!

3.) Medals! I learned that one of the biggest motivators for runners is the medal they get when completing a marathon... oh and beer!

Overall, the experience was exceptional! They even offered a VIP breakfast for runners to meet and take pictures with 2013 Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson (who also ran for his foundation). There was also a race for the little ones which was something I've never seen before. With sponsors like Sports Authority, Champion and Cocoa Cola this marathon makes for great success year after year! Just don't forget the beer!!