The nail-biting, cold sweats and endless hours in the situation room are over. The Baltimore Running Festival (aka Baltimore Marathon) had a beautiful, conflict-free fall day for their event.
Some of the last participants make their way down the final stretch shortly after noon. That is only part of the success of this event. Take a look on the right side of the picture and you’ll see another important element.
The full house at Dempsey’s (which spilled onto Eutaw Street) was repeated all around town. From Mount Vernon to Fed Hill to Camden Yards, hotels and restaurants welcomed runners and their supporters to stop in for the afternoon. (Many were engrossed in the Maryland-Iowa game and didn’t seem anxious to leave.)
The economic impact of the annual event is felt throughout the region. That, and the opportunity it affords the Stadium Authority to showcase our beautiful facility, are among the many reasons we look forward to it.
But it also gives us another opportunity for a little boasting our operations, of which we are justly proud.
In less than 24 hours, this lot will overflow again, as the Ravens take on the Falcons at 1:00 pm. Tailgating begins at 8:00 am. And there can’t be any trace of the festival that took place here today. That is our commitment to our partners.
This means our Facilities and Security teams will be here long after the last tent folds. Refuse will be divided into trash (left) and recyclables (right) and contained before the facility reopens tomorrow.
This isn’t a part of the Marathon you see on Facebook or Instagram. They’re aren’t any heroic pushes for the finish line. Yet, cleaning, recycling and maintaining one of the top facilities in professional sports (which includes those all-important lots) is one of the most important things we do. No matter what the challenges are, our unsung heroes in operations and security always manage to get it done.
Warehouse Window 