Marathon

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At midnight, when Marathon gas station’s neon sign flickered on, a regular noticed something strange. The digital clock above the pumps would occasionally flash ‘9999’ instead of the correct time, and nobody seemed to notice but him. Finally, one night, an old delivery driver asked the regular, ‘Hey, why don’t you just tell them? It’s not like anyone else sees it!’ The regular smiled and shrugged, ‘Nah, they’d probably fix it tomorrow… and then where would I get my late-night mystery from?’

2. At dawn, a delivery driver pulled up to Marathon for coffee and noticed something odd: the reflection of the neon sign in his truck windshield changed shape every few minutes. Curious, he parked and walked inside. The sign read ‘Open’ even though it was still early. A regular waved him over: ‘Hey, pal, that’s no ordinary sign—it changes depending on who looks at it.’ As they laughed, the driver realized everyone had been staring at their own reflections all along.

3. At dusk, an old man parked his car near Marathon gas station. Curious, he glanced inside the empty store and saw something odd—a small, dusty jar labeled ‘Free Samples’. Curiously, he opened it and was surprised to find only a single piece of stale bread. Shrugging, he took it home, gave it to his dog, who promptly ignored it. The next day, the old man returned to Marathon with a bag of fresh cookies as thanks—only to discover that the store had mysteriously restocked its shelves.

4. At nightfall, a young couple pulled into Marathon gas station for a quick fill-up. As they pumped gas, they heard a strange humming sound coming from inside the station's office. Curious, they walked over and knocked on the door. A sleepy voice answered, ‘Just a minute!’ Suddenly, an old man appeared, rubbing his eyes, holding a half-empty coffee cup. ‘Oh,’ he yawned, ‘I was just testing my new alarm clock.’ The couple laughed and drove off, wondering if maybe Marathon stations should come with a warning label: “Caution: employees may be awake or asleep.”