Runner at Classy Marathon Unnerved by Bathroom Attendant
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A local runner at a marathon over the weekend encountered a bathroom attendant in a porta potty, Dumb Runner has learned—an unexpected development that left the runner discomfited and unsure how to proceed.
The runner, Taco Ockerse, 39, said the experience at the Astaire (Nebraska) Marathon, held Sunday, made him feel “a little creeeped out” and almost unable to do his business.
“I knew this particular marathon prided itself on being really nice and classy,” Ockerse said. “For example, they have name-brand race shirts, instead of generic ones, and there are portable heaters in the athletes village at the start and stuff.”
“But this was just weird.”
The attendant, in formal dress including bowtie and white gloves, was already in the porta potty when Ockerse opened the door, he said.
“At first, I was, like, Whoa, sorry!” he said. “But the guy said, ‘Not at all, sir, please come in,’ or something like that, and just stood there smiling at me.”
The attendant, who went unnamed, gestured at the toilet by his side.
“I really had to pee,” Ockerse said. “So I shrugged and went ahead.”
The whole experience was unnerving, he added, noting that it took him several moments to even begin doing what he needed to do. Afterward, Ockerse said, the attendant offered him two pumps of hand sanitizer and a mint.
“He also had combs and dental floss, a can of body spray, stuff like that, in a little basket,” he said. “But I declined those things.”
Ockerse said he told the attendant that he had no cash for a tip, an oversight that the attendant brushed aside.
“Not necessary, sir,” he said. “Have a good race.”
Reached for comment, the race director described the incident as “Super duper.”
