Marathon

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At dawn, when Marathon gas station usually buzzed with early commuters, a lone bicycle appeared. A regular, pedaling furiously, approached the counter and asked for a full tank of premium gasoline—without stopping. The attendant filled up the tank without saying a word. The cyclist thanked him briskly, mounted his bike again, and sped off into the morning mist. Later that day, a delivery driver joked to the manager, ‘Did you see that guy on the bike? He must’ve been late for breakfast!’

2. At midnight, when Marathon gas station was empty but for the night attendant, a delivery truck pulled up with its headlights off. The night attendant squinted into the darkness and motioned for the driver to turn on his lights. To everyone’s surprise, out stepped their next-door neighbor, who explained he’d forgotten his keys inside and needed gas before going home. The whole thing turned out to be just another late-night Marathon adventure—except now they knew not to leave their car unlocked anymore.

3. At sunset, when Marathon gas station quietened down, an old man in a tweed jacket approached the cashier. ‘I’ll take five gallons of gasoline,’ he said, ‘but only if you fill it into my thermos.’ The cashier raised an eyebrow but shrugged and filled the thermos. The old man paid with a crumpled bill, nodded gravely, and left. Months later, on another golden evening, a delivery driver asked curiously, 'Hey, do you remember that guy who used to buy gas for his thermos?' The cashier smiled wistfully, replying, 'Oh yeah, him. He never came back.'

4. At dusk, when Marathon gas station dimmed its lights and prepared for closing, a delivery driver noticed something peculiar on the payphone's message board: ‘Free coffee if you can solve our riddle.’ Curious, he scratched his head and read aloud: 'What has four wheels and flies?' After a moment of silence, an old man from next door chimed in: 'A garbage truck!' Everyone laughed so hard that they almost spilled their free coffee.