This morning I felt like I needed a few more hours of sleep, like a usual Monday morning the phone didn’t stop ringing at work. This helped keep me awake but I still wished for a little quiet because I was very tired, even though I slept for almost eleven hours, after going to bed at 8 and waking up at 7.

I knew I was going to be very tired today because for the second time, I decided to volunteer at one of the oasis at the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in San Juan. The competition started at 7 am with the athletes swimming in the lagoon in Condado, then biking to Dorado and finally running a half marathon back in Old San Juan. This is where the oasis I volunteered at was, so even though the athletes didn’t reach our oasis at 7 am, we had to be ready that early. 

This one was made up of Gatorade employees, high school students completing their mandatory volunteer hours and a group of Freddy’s Runners. As soon as we got there we started setting up the tables, cooling the water and Pepsi. Later when we were told they were starting to arrive we quickly started cutting the bananas and oranges, setting up the water, Gatorade and Pepsi cups and putting out the chips. 

We saw the first competitor at around 9:45 and from that moment on, we spent the rest of our time there cheering on the competitors, doing the best we could to keep their spirits up and help them in anyway we could and were allowed to by the competition rules. 

First runner

This time, I didn’t just help in one area like last year; I moved around as I saw what was needed. I started cutting fruit before they arrived, then helped giving them water and letting them know we had a pool with ice in it. Finally I helped handing out bananas and this was probably the hardest part. I held out the fruits with both hands but because I was facing the direction the runners were coming my right arm was stretched out further and did most of the work. I must have forgotten that no matter if it hasn’t hurt in a while, this arm was injured and will always hurt after too much work. 

When the last runners passed our oasis for the last time, after 3 pm, we started cleaning, throwing stuff out, closing the tables, and loading everything into the truck. There was a lot of leftovers, from water to fruit and ships so we were allowed to take what we wanted. 

I hadn’t realized I had not sat down since I got off the bus in old San Juan at 7:30, until I got back on the bus at 4:30. I didn’t run or do anything that required a lot of energy or strength all day and I felt like I completed the triathlon. To all those athletes who actually did yesterday, CONGRATULATIONS!

Unknown's avatar

Published by mariacristinasanfeliu

I’m an aspiring writer still looking for exactly what I want to write about, with a lot of creativity, imagination and desire to write. I studied Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University where I explored many different sides of writing through my classes and extracurricular activities in order to narrow my search for an identity as a writer. I have written for Citrus TV Noticias and La Voz magazine, both of which gave me the chance to explore different mediums in which to write in. Through Citrus TV Noticias I also gained experience in translating from English to Spanish and vice versa, which is also something that I would be interested in working on since I am fluent in both of these languages. I was also an intern at Syracuse University Press where I got hands on experience in what goes into actually editing and publishing a book. Through out the last four years I have faced a lot of challenges, which helped chape the person I am today. After being in a tragic car accident, being in comma, having a Traumatic Brain Injury, and being in therapy for over a year, I am a new me, willing to face challenges and knowing how to deal with them. I want to write about my accident and life after it to help others, show them it can be done and help in any way I can.

Leave a comment