Last month, #WeRunSocial positioned themselves at JFK and Transverse, or mile 13 and 16, of the San Francisco Marathon to cheer on the runners. With the banner held up by some chairs and music playing, #WeRunSocial brought the love.

But first...

Before all the “official” cheering went down, I was out there before midnight getting ready to cheer and run a few miles with Gregg, @NYCSweat, as he was taking on the 52.4 mile ultra challenge. For those of you unfamiliar with said challenge, you start at midnight and run 26.2 miles from the finish line to the start line. After that, you then run the official marathon at 5:30 am making your total for the day: 52.4 miles.

I ran it last year and it was quite the experience. I remember the first 26.2 being more taxing than the second and wanted to be out there for Gregg as he got ready to run his very first ultra. I showed up in the city around 11:30 pm and with a couple of photos and lots of well wishes for Gregg, he was off and running the streets of San Francisco in the dark.

VIDEO: Watch the glamours start, in classic Ultra-style.

I made my way to what would be his mile 12-ish along Great Highway. The next four miles from that point would be an out-and-back and an ideal spot for me to run a few miles with him. When he came in he looked fresh and was holding up well — even though they got slightly detoured due to a skunk in Golden Gate Park. Thankfully his group was running with Dean Karnazes and he knew his way around the park. What’s a couple extra miles, right?

At mile 16 the energy of the group was up and with “10 miles to go” being the mantra, he was off again. I parked my car at the start/finish line area and made my way up the course in reverse until I caught up with Gregg coming in around mile 24. There were some hills in that last 10 miles, but Gregg was still looking good and making really great time. I ran him into the finish line, the last two miles, and just like that he finished the first 26.2 for the day. With a little less than hour before the official start, he made his way up to his hotel to change and get ready for part two.

Breakfast with Lulu and Ready to Cheer

Lululemon hosted a pre-party at the start line with food, entertainment, and all the essentials and fun you could want before a marathon. If you were running, cheering, it was a nice start to the morning. Since I was doing both (sort of), it was exactly what I needed before I headed out to cheer on the official race. At this point, I had been up since midnight so coffee and a bagel was exactly what I was looking for.

I positioned myself at the full and first half split on the course around mile 13. It was a congested area and a lot happening, so forgive me if I didn’t get a chance to see everyone. At this point, I wasn’t able to set up the speakers because I was right where they were letting people know “full this way, half this way” and I didn’t want Taylor Swift’s “I’ll write your name” to distract the runners. But the banner was out and the cow bell was being shaken.

(Left) With soon-to-be-married @runnylegs and @ultrarunnersd. (Right) With @kellykkroberts and @nycweat

David and the @FitFam6 crew and @renewedme and friends came out as well to help cheer on the runners and it was great to have them out there. After Gregg (and Kelly of @kellykkroberts) came through, we moved over to mile 16 of the full (or mile 2 of the second half).

Note: there are several races that happen at the SF Marathon: the full, two half marathons (the first 13.1 and the second 13.1), and the Ultra (and a 5K).

Where we were meant to be

Once we got to our second position, literally across the street, it was on. We positioned the banner where it was more visible, turned on the music and had a blast. This spot was more visible and a better location. We likely missed a portion of the full marathoners, but we caught the majority of those running the second half marathon.

A couple of runners came through who were in need of some fuel or water and I was happy to share what I had on hand: a couple of bars and some small Gatorade bottles. If you are ever in need of something along the course, DO NOT be afraid to ask a cheer station or volunteers for whatever it is that you need. They might not have EXACTLY what you are looking for, but it never hurts to ask as someone will be able to help you.

Congratulations to all the runners out there and thank you to everyone that gave us a high-five, head nod, and/or fist bump. The day was yours and we were happy to cheer you on.

Gregg ended up finishing in 10 hours and 42 mins (5:08/5:34)  — congrats man, you looked really strong out there.

#WeRunSocial gear paired perfectly with Pro

If you are looking to get you hands on some #WeRunSocial gear, now is the time. For a limited time only, with every order (also on RUN ALL DAY tanks) you’ll receive a pair of Pro socks — four design options are available

• Classic Black
• Red-White-Blue stripes
• Lavender
• Rainbow, aka #TheGibblers

Sizes and styles are extremely limited and some have sold out already: PavementRunner.com/shop

Have you ever considered running the SF Marathon or an Ultra?
Rumor has it #WeRunSocial will take over the Ultra next year.