A big thanks to all the two-legged swine...

drano

...that ran in the park over the weekend. It was great for the rest of us to see literally hundreds of foil GU energy goo packets strewn about the park because you pigs couldn't be bothered to tuck the empties in your Dolfin shorts.

Is it suddenly A-OK to litter just because you're running to nowhere with a bunch of other people?

quigley

Geez "swine"... that's kinda harsh. Running a half marathon is HARD. (I've never had the desire to run more than 3 miles, but many of my friends have.) And after 10 miles, those goo things would NOT stay tucked in your shorts, trust me.

I always assumed it was either the marathon organizers or the park's responsibility to clean up after a marathon. Is that not true?

hamilton

I would recommend contacting the Prospect Park Alliance 718-282-7289
and advise them of the problem,I'm sure they will address it and prevent it from reoccurring in future runs

kosherdave

The NYRRC people should have cleared that up. That's part of their job after a race like that. Having said that, I ran it and did not litter, so we're not all 2 legged swine.

drano

Quigley wrote: I always assumed it was either the marathon organizers or the park's responsibility to clean up after a marathon. Is that not true?

I don't know if it's true or not, but if so the job isn't being done. For organizers, I don't know if it would even be doable, practically speaking. How would one distinguish between trash of likely jogger origin - such as the goo packets - and something more ambiguous, like a crushed paper cup? If it's the park's job, shouldn't they just be cleaning up all litter? In that case, there's no difference between the goo packets and me tossing an empty beer can over my shoulder (this also seems to be a pretty popular pursuit) as I saunter along - well, except that I won't be dressed funny and out of breath. Somebody has my back, right?

I guess no matter what I happened to be doing at the time, it would feel very strange just to drop my trash on the ground. If jogging makes that so hard to avoid, maybe people oughta stay in.

kosherdave

^^^
I feel bad dropping my trash on the ground when I run too, so I hear you, Drano.

As for clothing (just out of pure curiousity), what would someone run in and look less silly? Jeans?
And if you're not outta breath, you're not doin it right :-)

kosherdave

Quigley wrote:
I always assumed it was either the marathon organizers or the park's responsibility to clean up after a marathon. Is that not true?

Half marathon, but yeah, should be park/ organizers responsibility. People pay a lot to run these things, that money should be going somewhere right?

drano

kosherdave wrote: The NYRRC people should have cleared that up. That's part of their job after a race like that. Having said that, I ran it and did not litter, so we're not all 2 legged swine.

I'm sure as sure can be that the vast majority of people didn't litter - but more than a few did. Those are the folks I'm addressing, although realistically I'm probably just venting.

Also, the only proper running attire is head to toe gray sweats.

bkhoosierfan

quit your whining

it can't be any worse then the smokers who leave their butts everywhere

drano

bkhoosierfan wrote: quit your whining

Come now, I didn't tell you to stop crying when you wrote this about the website just a week ago:

bkhoosierfan wrote: my eye doesn't know where to look and it makes the threads hard to read

As far as the butts go, yeah - that's pretty lousy too. I smoked for years and used to put mine in the trash.

furrygreyboy

I couldn't agree more - they were still there this afternoon. It looks like the NYRR "volunteers" or employees cleared up cups but left the gel packs all over the place.

With 6,000 runners taking part, there must have been plenty of revenue to cover the cost of a clean-up crew. You sure don't see them left lying around in Central Park after a race.

I'm a marathon runner and and it makes me really mad when people drop the used gel packs, particularly in locations away from the water stops, where they are less likely to be found and picked up. If you can carry them in the first place, then how difficult is it to either put them back in a pocket/pouch, or wait until you see a trash can?

raw

FurryGreyBOy wrote: If you can carry them in the first place, then how difficult is it to either put them back in a pocket/pouch, or wait until you see a trash can?

Excellent point.

Extra garbage cans should be outside during these types of events.

Do gel packs even work? Is there really a need to take them?

rtraindweller

bkhoosierfan wrote: quit your whining

it can't be any worse then the smokers who leave their butts everywhere

it's not every smoker. ok yes it is a vast majority, probably a good 97%, but some of us will put it out on the bottom of our shoe and toss it in the nearest trash can

furrygreyboy

raw wrote: Do gel packs even work? Is there really a need to take them?

Yes and Yes.

Gels are basically 100/110 calories in easily digestible, liquid form. In "endurance" sports, many people find they can't eat solid food whilst on the move for more energy without getting stomach cramps or feeling sick. They take a few minutes to kick in physically, but give a bit of a mental boost too (for me anyway).

Unfortunately, the design of most of the packs requires that you rip off the top, which, when dropped, is much less likely to be seen and picked up than the larger part, which is why I choose to either put both bits back in the pocket where they were stored in the first place. Yes, they're messy and sticky, but hell, if I've been running for an hour, I'm sweaty and gross already - everything's getting washed later....

Most runners (and it's not just runners - cyclists/triathletes use these too) don't need to take these until they reach 6-10 miles anyway... so if they had a place to safely hold the gel until then, they can surely put it back there for another few miles.

Hamilton wrote: I would recommend contacting the Prospect Park Alliance 718-282-7289

Thanks for that... I've been meaning to call them since the water fountains were turned back on a couple of weeks ago - to ask that trash cans be placed by the water fountains so that the slobs who can't bear to carry their gels for another step whilst doing a long run in the park, have no excuses for dropping them there.

kosherdave

The gel packs work great. Take them after 45 minutes to an hour (6-10 miles) for endurance sports. Less than that distance/time, you don't need them. They're not just calories but carbs and often protein. some have caffeine and electrolytes (think guey gatorade).
Some brands have a "leash" that connects the rip off top to the gel pack itself, making a little less waste. You still haev to throw it in the trash, but at least it's one piece instead of two.

bkhoosierfan

Come now, I didn't tell you to stop crying when you wrote this about the website just a week ago:

hmm honestly though that was constructive criticism
ment to try and improve the site
besides the fact the site was changed back and it looks much better with the drop down menus now

but really at least that went somewhere worth while
i could mention all the gum stains, trash in the subway, dog poop on the sidewalk, condoms and wrappers in Prospect park.. where would it ever end

littleredmenace

Condoms. Now THAT'S just inconsiderate. :P

drano

bkhoosierfan wrote:

Come now, I didn't tell you to stop crying when you wrote this about the website just a week ago:

hmm honestly though that was constructive criticism
ment to try and improve the site
besides the fact the site was changed back and it looks much better with the drop down menus now

but really at least that went somewhere worth while
i could mention all the gum stains, trash in the subway, dog poop on the sidewalk, condoms and wrappers in Prospect park.. where would it ever end

Screw it, if I have something to say about something going on in the neighborhood, I'll come here and say it - makes more sense to me than coming here to talk about the website itself.

And hey, who knows - maybe one runner who dropped a goo pak will see this thread and be like, "Hey, wow, people notice this stuff - come to think of it, I was kind of a butthole to just drop that thing..."

As far as the rest of it goes, sure, fighting stuff like gum in the subways is pretty much pissing in the wind, but some good suggestions have been put out there to fight chronic dog crapppers and other pests.

raw

It's ironic that the original intention of this thread was to eliminate gel packs litter from the park and now that I've learned how gel packs work, I want to join the two-legged swine and get high on gel packs too.

carmen

raw wrote: It's ironic that the original intention of this thread was to eliminate gel packs litter from the park and now that I've learned how gel packs work, I want to join the two-legged swine and get high on gel packs too.

I like the phrase "get high on gel packs"