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Every year, volunteers pick up the 52,000 pounds of clothes Marathon runners leave in Hopkinton

By adamg on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 11:59am

WGBH reports what happens to all of the left behind clothes.

Topics: 
Sports
Free tagging: 
Boston Marathon
Hopkinton


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Comments

By Ari O on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 12:16pm.

And no one wanted to be cold at the start line. The day before, the Goodwill and Boomerang in Cambridge—and probably elsewhere—were cheek-by-jowl with runners buying old sweaters, windbreakers and pants, anything they could get for a couple of dollars and discard at the start line. A lot of it probably winds up back there the next year.

I'm kind of confused by the "security concern" of drop bags. They let you drop bags at the finish line to retrieve, so I'm not exactly sure what the issue would be with transporting bags back from the start, and anyone who has qualified for the race or raised $10k for charity is probably pretty well vetted. It's not like just anyone can wander in there and throw something in a bag. It would certainly make it easier for runners on race day.

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By BostonDog on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 12:34pm.

Driven in a truck to be returned = THREAT
Driven in a truck to be donated = A-OK

One wonders if they are using the security angle as a way of not dealing with logistics of returning a lot of clothing which sure sounds like a PITA.

According to the article they sell the clothing and use the money to support Big Brother Big Sister, which is noble. But would it be more helpful to directly donate the clothing to those in Boston who are in need of something warm?

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By Tremm on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 1:33pm.

But that would require people of Hopkinton to care about the Boston homeless.

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By roadman on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 4:39pm.

with one modification. Give each runner a backpack - identified with their bib number - so they can put their extra clothes in it at the start line and leave it there. At some point during the race, collect all the backpacks and put them on the buses the BAA has running between Hopkinton and Copley Square for the benefit of runners who drop out of the race along the way.

Then inform all the runners that "After X:00 time, you can come to Y and collect your backpack."

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By Bugs Bunny on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 12:18pm.

Should issue backpacks to the runners, so the runners could keep their items with them, then they can put on the clothing after finishing, when they get cold. Problem solved, no more littering in Hopkinton.

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By bosguy22 on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 1:14pm.

Except not everyone wants to run for 3-6 hours with a backpack on.

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By MSchuldt on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 2:18pm.

Your shoulders/back would be bloody by the time you hit the finish line if you ran a marathon wearing a backpack.

Google 'marathon nipple chafing' if you're brave. Even just a shirt rubbing up and down can cause... painful damage.

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By Ari O on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 2:30pm.

But if not, no one really cares about staying warm at the end of the race. You can already leave a bag in Boston, or go in to a warming tent, or the T, or any business (wear a race number and bib on Monday and you're everyone's hero). It's more the staying warm at the start. Let people drop bags near the start corrals 15 minutes before the race, and they'd drop their own clothes. As it stands today, they just have big bags to discard clothes (old t-shirts from other races, probably, and items from goodwill) that go to Hopkinton, or wherever.

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By Bugs Bunny on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 4:13pm.

I don't like this article that glorifies the runners' litter and also the same runners use the streets as a trashcan for cups, wrappers, etc. it's disgusting behavior.

Also, yes I know about chafing, i believe there's a gel? runner's can use, one of my friends dropped out with a bloody groin area due to chafing.

Good luck to any runners on Monday.

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By bostnkid on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 2:47pm.

who is responsible for these?

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