It’s the night before the marathon. You decide to stay in so as to allow yourself the maximum amount of sleep that you can possibly get before having to remain awake, and on your feet, for 24 straight hours. You get your bag ready, complete with sneakers, athletic shorts, sweatpants, seven pairs of socks, and other things of the like. (Did I mention deodorant? Yeah, lots of deodorant.) You have trouble falling asleep due to the high amount of adrenaline that is rushing through you, knowing that the marathon is only a good night’s sleep away. Eventually, you force yourself into a deep sleep to prepare yourself for the tough day (literally) to come.
Dance marathon is one of the most well-known philanthropic events among college and university campuses across the country. Students and families remain awake and stand for 24 hours straight so as to portray the struggle and the fight that various disabled people go through during the course of their lives. It's a metaphor.
When you feel so incredibly tired, as if you can’t go on any longer, when you’re in such a large amount of pain that you can’t even fathom it, when you’re ready to give up completely, it is essential that you power through the struggle and continue to fight on. The donations that are received by the marathon go to hospitals, medical centers, and therapy establishments. The event is truly an amazing experience.
Of course, while this event represents an extremely serious awareness that needs to be raised, it is also an incredibly fun experience for those who are participating. There are definitely some phases that every “dancer” participant goes through over the course of those grueling 24 hours. Here are those phases in all of their hideous glory.
1. The Wake Up
You get up in the morning, pumped for the marathon. You’ve raised ample amounts of money for the event, you got a full night’s worth of sleep, you’re all packed and ready to go, and you forget for the few minutes when you first wake up just how exhausting this event actually is. You’re in a world of ignorance, where you can’t wait to just finally get to the marathon and dance! You inevitably stop at Starbucks to get your venti (large, for all of you who don’t speak Starbucks) coffee, despite the marathon coordinators advising against caffeine. You’re officially ready to start the marathon.
2. The Start of the Marathon
You’re at the marathon! Finally! You check in, get your free t-shirt, water bottle, and nametag. You make your way to where your team members are huddled together, finish your coffee, and take one last sit before the long hours of standing begin. You finally take the first, and last, stand and you’re on your feet for the next 23 hours and 59 minutes. You’re super awake, alert, and honestly excited. You’re not tired at all! At this point, you wonder why you would ever get tired from standing and hanging out with your friends for a day. It's a piece of cake, right?
3. The “Get it out of your system”
You completely disregard the fact that you have to do this for 24 more hours (at this point it's most likely 23 or somewhere around there) and you willingly and anxiously run around to every possible station that's present at the event. You go to the random jewelry making stations, you play some basketball and/or volleyball, you do an intense hula-hooping contest, and, lastly, you do the huge line dance with the entire group of participants. There's so much to do that you don't know how you'll ever choose! You don’t think for a second that these things will tire you out at all or that you'll even get around to all of them.
4. The First Meal
You’re so excited. The coordinators know what you’re going through, so they provide you with some pretty dank food. You’re ecstatic to be trying this food that you didn’t even have to pay for and you stuff your face with multiple helpings of whatever is supplied, especially dessert. You’re refueled and, once again, you don’t see how anyone could get tired of this.
5. The First Wave
So, you’re feeling a little slow and maybe a little bored. You’ve gone around to all of the stations, spent the entire time with various random people and your awesome team members, and have danced a lot. You begin to feel a slight twinge of pain in the arches of your feet and your eyelids begin to droop just a little. You desperately want to be alone for a little while, not to mention your deep desire to take a quick seat in the changing area or bathroom, even if it’s just for three seconds.
6. The Blackout
You’ve been at the marathon for hours, about 12 hours (the halfway point) to be exact. You’re into the wee hours of the morning and you have officially blacked out from exhaustion. You know that you won’t even remember this part of the marathon. You go through periods of extreme energy where you rave so hard that you sweat off your skin and then periods of extreme exhaustion where you don’t really know if you’re alive at that exact moment. Your mind is blank, your body is slowly being destroyed, and your social skills are beginning to yield.
7. The Black In
You finally black back in and realize where you are and what you’re doing. You feel the exhaustion, but you’re completely aware that there are hours upon hours left of the marathon. How will you do it? You don’t think that you can even finish at this point, but you persevere.
8. Zombie
This phase is the most difficult to describe because it is the single most difficult part of the marathon. You take a friend and walk around in a slow, giant circle that covers the circumference of the entire event. You both look blankly ahead and don’t say a single word to each other or anyone around you for the entire course of the lap. You’re walking at a pace that could potentially be considered standing and your eyes are 70 percent closed. You can’t bear to do anything else and you couldn’t possibly stand to interact with someone for another second. You’re done, over it, and, quite frankly, bitter.
9. The Final Hours
You made it! There are two hours left, the last of which are taken up by pre-decided activities and announcements by the coordinators. Knowing these facts, you suddenly obtain a burst of rejuvenation. You don’t know where it came from, but you’re back to excitement. You know that you can make it now. If you went for 22 hours already, you can go on for two more. You dance your heart out, you cry (bawl, actually, considering that you haven’t slept in a day and your emotions are absolutely flying), and you hug every single person around you, despite potentially never having met them in your life. You did this together. The coordinators reveal how much money was raised throughout the marathon and you couldn’t be prouder of yourself, your teammates, and everyone else who is involved. You did it!
