SO good of you to walk with your wife! So are these sweepers on bikes or vehicles? Do they say anything?
Well, there is a little more that precedes this story:
DH signed up to do the 2006 WDW marathon with the American Stroke Association. She did an awesome job raising the required funds and participated in their training sessions. However, their training only stressed getting the distance in and that "speed would naturally follow". She developed the endurance and could make 16 minute miles.
Race day comes and she is in the last corral. After a couple of miles, she had to make a "pit stop". When she got to the second sweep point, she was pulled, and placed on a bus. Appearantly during her pit stop, the sweepers passed her. Starting in the last corral and maintaining minimum pace didn't leave her any cushion time. She was crushed at being swept and not happy about how it was handled.
Discouraged, but still determined to complete a marathon, she signed up to do the 2007 WDW. I told her that I would stick with her and pace her.
As part of our training, we decided to do the 2006 DL Half. We kept a 15:30 pace untill about the 7th mile when she desparately needed a pit stop but there was none to be found. The pace slowed until she found one around the 9th mile and appearantly the sweeper passed us during the stop, but I didn't see any. We were swept at the exit of the Angels Stadium at mile 10.3. Our pace was at 16 mpm, but the people who ran the sweep point were utilizing a 15 minute "for the last starter to begin" grace period on time (which is what was published in the guide). In reality, the last starter began 20 minutes after the start. In effect, we were pulled 5 minutes early from the last sweep point. Again she was crushed, but vowed to keep training.
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays along with a couple sickness bout put a huge dent in her training for 2007 WDW. We both kind of knew going in the it would be a long shot, but she decided to start anyway. We started in the next to last corral and were able to maintain 16 mpm but no faster. At Spaceship Earth (around mile 3) she had to make a pit stop. when she got out, we finally found out what the sweepers looked like.
There were 2 guys riding bikes with flashing lights on them. It was very obvious who they were. They were about 100 feet behind us as we reached the second sweep point at mile 3.3. Tracy knew the end was near and didn't want to sacrifice a finish so she told me to go on and run my race. I kissed her goodbye, told her "I love you", and sped away with a tear in my eye.
Now back to your questions. The sweepers for 2007 were on bikes and they were easily identifiable. They were also very friendly and and encouraged Tracy to keep going, but they also let her know that if she didn't make it to specific points by a certain time, she would have to leave the course. They actually helped her make it past the 5 mile and to the 3rd sweep point.
She was disapointed but not devasted. She didn't even get a participants medal for 2007. And eventhough she has been swept from the WDW marathon twice, she is now signed up to give it another try. This time the training emphasis will be on pace instead of endurance. Unfortunately, since I am going Goofy, I will not be pacing her.
But, I will pace her for the 2009 Honolulu marathon which doesn't have a time limit.
Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-fast Marathon Team