Runners take your mark: Run your best race, we will be waiting for you when you are done

Tomorrow many of you will run or walk in either the News and Sentinel Half Marathon or Two-Mile Race. I look forward to seeing you.

For many the best part of doing a race, is finishing the race. 13.1 miles is a long way. By the time you get to the finish line, you will have covered anywhere from 24,000 to 32,000 steps. The red crosswalk that is the finish line serves as a stop sign for many. You can finally slow to a stop and savor the moment.

We try to make the finish line an oasis of sorts. We strive to make you comfortable as you transition back to a normal person.

The first thing you will get is a finisher medal. Many of you may want to sit down for a few minutes, and we have chairs there for you to do so. All of you will be thirsty, so we have ice cold water and sports drinks for you as well. Whatever you ate before the race, it was long ago turned to energy as you made your way around the course. We have fruit for you as well as some freshly baked bagels.

Many people give the race their all. By the time they cross the finish line, they are done. They can go no more and for them we have a dedicated group of volunteers that spend their workday savings lives at WVU Medicine and will spend a Saturday morning making sure people are able to be seen by medical professionals if needed. They will have wheelchairs for you at the finish line if you need it and people at the medical tent that will help treat any problem that you may have developed in the last 13.1 miles. They also have the capability to transport you to the emergency room if you need more advance care. The medical team will have red shirts on, and they are there to make sure you are o.k.

On the left side of the finish line area, you will find the Cool Zone hosted by Mountain River Physical Therapy. The Cool Zone has been a decades long portion of the finish line, providing snacks, music, fans, physical therapy assistance and prizes. They also set up a walk-through shower to cool you off and a Personal Record Bell for you to ring and let everyone know that you did better than you ever had before in your race.

As your friends finish, you will hear their names announced as they cross the finish line. The names are read after displayed on a screen after you cross a mat nearly a block away.

Old friends, and new friends made over the course of 13.1 miles can frequently be found talking in the finish line area long after they crossed the line.

The conversations continue as the racers make their way to the post-race pizza lunch at the St. Xavier Social Hall where groups gather to critique their day's efforts. The luncheon flows into the Awards at the same location. A perfect ending to a great day of racing.

There is still time to register for both The Half Marathon and Two-Mile Race, just come to the Municipal Building at one Government Square starting at 2 p.m. today.

Art Smith is co-director of The News and Sentinel races and the online manager for the newspaper.