Shelby's Marathon Article

Here's my marathon article - let me know what you guys think!
I was unsure about the title.

Stamford Spirit at its Best
By: Shelby Gahagan

On Sunday October 24^th, Stamford students took part in the annual tradition of cheering on Niagara Falls International Marathon participants and provided them with beverages and positive encouragement. Mile 20 of the Niagara Parkway was flooded with our infamous orange and black colours that day, along with plenty of proud, spirited volunteers.

Each year, people from all over the World travel to the exciting city of Niagara Falls to participate in the Niagara Falls International Marathon, from all ages and athletic backgrounds. This unique marathon is the only one that begins in one country and ends in another, as it starts out at Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo N.Y. and ends in Niagara Falls, Canada. It is an impressive achievement to be able to complete a marathon of any kind, from 5 km to a whopping 42.16 km, and you can never have too many spectators and volunteers trying to uplift the participants and give them the confidence to take those extra steps.

When the runners, walkers, and wheelchair-riders entered the Stamford water station territory, they were welcomed with cheers and high fives. The mile was brimming with Stamford Hornets wearing orange and black, cheerleaders, music to pump up the marathon participants, students sporting black and orange “morph suits”, balloons, and a variety of signs with inspirational messages such as “Stamford Loves You” and “Stamford Cares”. Even Stamford’s Hornet mascot did its part in motivating the marathon participants.

Volunteering at the marathon is a fun way for Hornets to get involved in the community and earn community service hours simultaneously. After spending half the day outdoors, all marathon volunteers were invited to Club Italia for a complementary buffet dinner with live music, raffles and prizes. At the end of the evening, the winners of the water station challenge were announced. For the sixth consecutive year, Stamford ranked first place out of all the schools that participated and won a prize of $500 which was awarded to Stamford’s own Student Council that organized our water station this year.

All schools and organizations with water stations succeeded in their common goal of providing positive support and encouragement to marathon participants and bringing the community together. The time and effort put forth by everyone that helped out on October 24^th is greatly appreciated, and that day was one of the many special events that demonstrate how much Stamford cares.