Follow up on the 2012 Little Rock Marathon

Most of the results are in, although those numbers are a small part of what the Little Rock Marathon or any other race like this represents. The race is the culmination of all the training and sacrifice made by the participants and organizers. Many stories have been published by various media outlets in the area about the training programs, the predicted number of participants and then finally, just before race day, the lane and road closings. It should be said that the roads were closed for cars but plenty of people were using them. I had decided not to “cover” the Little Rock Marathon for Arkansas Outside feeling that there was already plenty of media coverage. This is a big event for the city much like the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure in the fall, it commands a lot of attention. We did go down to the corner of Kavanaugh and Markham to take a few pictures and hang out with some friends as we watched the race go by. I figured I’d just do a quick story about all the tremendous coverage that the race got and what a good thing that is. I’d throw a couple of photos up, link to some of the stories and I’d be done. I screwed up.

I missed thousands of stories that can’t be found in most of the news media. Standing there outside Spokes bike shop I saw hundreds of people run and walk by. Each with a story, why do they run, what do they want to accomplish, where are they from? Journalist questions. But by this time, all I could do was watch and wonder. Another story was the bicyclists. Bicyclists who were helping with pace and to keep an eye on the runners as the ran the streets of Little Rock. I should point out that ArkansasMatters.com did have some good coverage of some of the other parts of the race that people may not realize. A story on the use of bicycles for emergency services during the race and a story on economic impact of the race.

Here are some stories in the form of photos. These are ones I wish I knew more about:

UPDATE! Looks like Lisa got some back story on this photo. Check it out on her blog.

Next year we promise to make a better effort at answering these questions. The Little Rock Marathon is a great event that has helped to put Arkansas on the map for distance running. We look forward to it’s continued success.

Also, more photos on our Flickr Site.