Quote (cmajor @ May 4 2011 12:27pm)
there're paying me with gift cards... xD
First: this is outside, correct? If so, F4 will be more than enough.
Practice panning something that runs ~ the same speed as the marathon runners.
Practice panning weird directions so that you can get epic jump shots with blurred out background.
1 big tip: don't worry too much about focusing on face, unless they're coming towards you. Just make sure that the photo isn't blurry, isn't overexposed, and that you get creative!