Race Day Mishaps

Some funny stories from runners world about Race Day Mishaps, like bring one right shoe and one left shoe, time zone changes, race bibs and timing chips, alarm clocks, etc.

Race Day Mishaps

By Jen Van Allen

Here at Runner's World, many of us are frantically rushing around preparing for this weekend's San Francisco Marathon and Half-Marathon, where we'll be touring the glorious city by the bay with more than 100 Runner's World Challengers.

Some folks are eyeing PRs; others will be finishing their first marathons. My goal? To remember my chip and race bib. Nope, it's not a lofty goal. But if accomplished, it will be a marked improvement over my last race. I forgot my bib and chip at the Flying Pig Marathon in May, proving once and for all that you're never too old or too experienced to make a rookie mistake.

Duuuuuuuuumb. I know.

But I have a theory. Most runners, I think, go a little crazy in the critical 24 hours before the starting gun fires. You know how it is. You're tired. And wired. You're second-guessing all those weeks of training; you're vacillating between PR dreams and doomsday scenarios. You're under the influence of adrenalin and oxytocin, and you're riding a sugar high from one too many Blueberry Pomegranate GU Roctane samples at the expo.

You're just not equipped to think clearly.

In an effort to prove this theory—and in a shameless attempt to make myself feel better—I appealed to RW's 99,627 Facebook friends. Gallup poll, it's not. But I can now say for certain that I'm not the only one who has arrived at the starting line without the bare essentials. And I can also tell you that there are way worse things to forget than a chip and a bib. And with that, dear readers, I leave you with a few friendly reminders about the prerace rules.

Read more here.