How not running in a marathon was the best thing I did today...

When one of my friend’s asked if I wanted to participate in this year’s Rock and Roll Half Marathon, I thought he was asking me to run. Thank God he was only asking me to volunteer as a stage manager.

For those who are unfamiliar with this run, The Rock and Roll Half Marathon is a run where the runners are treated to local and national bands playing music while the runners complete the course.

Not so bright but definitely early Sunday morning, we prepped our “stages” for the race. Water stations and much needed for reasons we don’t need to discuss Port-O-Potties were placed. 

I had the honor of being placed with a band that has become one of the main fixtures of the Rock and Roll Marathon (and marathons and runs previous to it.) 

The Light of Schoener is a collection of talented young musicians that play in honor of their former director, Brad Schooner. who previously played the runs before passing from cancer. Brad’s wife, Jennifer, a sweet and thoughtful woman, now makes sure the tradition continues. In honor to his memory, these wonderful musicians and Brad’s wife return every year to play.

And play they did. If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram, you already witness the mad skills possessed by this band. They played almost 3 hours non-stop to the joy and inspirations of the passing runners and walkers. I’m talking everything from Michael Jackson’s “Dance, Shout” to D’angelo’s “Brown Sugar”. I’m certain it would have made their director proud. 

To say that the process was super streamlined is an understatement. Staying in contact with one another via Verizon Walkie-Talkies, each stage manager alerted the next stage when the runners were on their way so the next stage band could begin playing. Once the runners were passing by, the band was playing, all that was left to do was to keep the band hydrated and cheer for the participants.  

I am grateful for the experience. Talk about a Sunday fun day.

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