Marathon in 19 days - what to expect?
 

On 05/05, I will be in Geneva, running the Geneva marathon. Regarding "security" and what just happened at the Boston marathon, I have the following questions/observations:

- My flight from GVA to IAD arrives at 1455; from IAD to ATL leaves at 1740. Will 2h45m be enough time to clear Customs and the TSA at IAD? I have GE (not sure if I'll be able to use PreCheck), but I'm traveling with a non-GE/non-PreCheck US citizen.

- The London marathon is this coming Sunday--if anyone here is in the London area, I'd be interested to hear what sort of "security" is implemented, and if I should look forward to near-martial law in Geneva.

- I had asked before about bringing a bunch of Gu with me. I was told there should be no problem (I'll put them all in a Kippie bag, of course), but I'm wondering if the Boston marathon bombings are going to have the pizza-box brigade on high alert regarding a zipper bag full of little silver gel packets. I'm not concerned about theft (they'd have no use for the stuff); I'm more concerned about missing flights or having to "voluntarily surrender" the Gu to the trash because a pizza-boxer is taking an "abundance of caution".

You can expect a whole new layer of SECURITY. BTW what is Gu ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GU_Energy_Labs

Gu is a 100-calorie "energy gel" crammed into a 1.1 fl oz packet, frequently used for long-distance running, since it's a (relative) lot of calories crammed into a small packet the runner can cram into the pockets.

I don't mean to get off-topic but, is it a good product?

2:45 should be plenty of time for a US citizen at IAD, even without Global Entry. Assuming, of course, that CBP isn't staging a sequester-related slowdown. If you're changing from UA to DL, though, I wouldn't want to cut it much shorter than your connection time.

You probably won't be able to use PRE coming off the Int'l connection.

It's great. A bit hard to stomach at first, as you're cramming 100 calories of something with the consistency of peanut butter into your mouth.

They're absolutely wonderful for long-distance running. Every 45-60 minutes (typically before a water stop), grab one out of your pocket/belt, bite the head off, squeeze the gel into your mouth, put the discarded head and packet in your pocket (or toss it on the ground if it's a race and littering is expected), and keep running.

They should be available almost anywhere running stuff is sold.

Yep, I'm changing from UA to DL. And yeah, it looks like I won't be able to use PreCheck.

OK, so a stupid question wrt PreCheck: if I have a DL BP with my name on it, and a GE card with my name on it, are those two credentials alone sufficient for PreCheck?

Thanks!

You'll be fine with Global Entry. Your fellow traveler will have a slower go. Assuming you end up at the main terminal customs facility, there's an entrance to the west-side main security checkpoint at the back of the domestic baggage claim. Saves you from going up then down.

No. Pre has to be encoded in the bar code. If you're on separate PNRs for the domestic & int'l, there's a chance you'll get Pre. Pre is upstairs - and IME if the line for Pre is long, it won't save much time over the regular checkpoint.

Will you have to check in again for DL? Or can/will they check you in at GVA?

It sounds as if it will be single check-in at GVA for all three flights, so I should be able to clear customs and just re-check my checked bag.

So it's probably one PNR. Very doubtful for Precheck.

Jelly Beans work just as well, take up equally as little space and taste a whole lot better. Sugar is sugar no matter how it's packaged.

I'm not a fan of GU, preferring instead for the blox, which are more like a gummy bear type consistency. I'll be running a marathon in a few weeks as well, although I don't think security will be much on the minds for this race taking place in still frozen northern MN.

1) It's Geneva

2) It's London

Meaning that there is a much longer history and much more regular 'awareness' in place than in the US. I was surprised to see trash bins in Boston, to be honest, as I grew up with no bins on the side of the road in places like London, and even now plastic bags as trash bins in Paris.

With the funeral, and with many decades of past events, London is much better prepared to handle such events without having to do a lot of 'extra' preparations.

On a related topic, the TSA apologists are hard at work on the main page. Apparently, we all have to "be part of" the TSA and DHS, else we'll all get blowed up at a marathon! :rolleyes:

For those who want to reply:
http://www.flyertalk.com/the-tarmac/...p-running.html

Poor jelly beans. ftre Reagan's departure lost its status. I guess once a product (say this Gu) catches the fancy of the runners, it sticks, no matter what is available.

Power of the marketers ~