6 Easy Steps to Make the Perfect Gift for Your Boston Marathoner

This DIY running-themed bouquet is sure to make your runner feel loved.

On a lazy Sunday, I was browsing Pinterest (as I often do) and came across a post from Ela Bussler-Sweeney. It was a magical bouquet of gels and socks—a runner's dream. I was immediately drawn to the shiny basket of goodies and decided to track her down.

"I want to make a basket like that for my friend running the Boston Marathon," I wrote in an email. "But I am terrible at crafting and have almost no money. Do you think I can do it?"

Bussler-Sweeney, 56, is an event decorator and party planner for Nolan's Party and Tent Rental in Rochester, New York. She is also a self-proclaimed "crafty nut."

She and her husband are avid runners currently training for the Medved Madness Trail Race in Rochester this May and a half marathon in the fall. The basket from that Pinterest post was a gift for her husband on his birthday. He is a man, who, she says, "would run a race every weekend if he could."

Hearing this made me love the basket even more. Instead of just buying a pair of socks and throwing them at her husband before a race or spending exorbitant amounts of money, she took the time to make him something beautiful to celebrate a passion they share.

Sure, maybe I’m corny. But it's inspiring! I wanted to make a basket. And with some guidance, I did just that.

When I looked at Bussler-Sweeney's Pinterest basket, I was struck by its beauty and shine, especially from the layered gels. But she noted this approach can get pricey—her creation cost around $75.

I decided to cut back on some of the pricier items, so I included a few gels and electrolyte packs because they are always useful. It also gave my selection of goodies that running theme. Here's what I included:

Here are the materials I needed to craft the basket:

The actual basket

Bussler-Sweeney told me that she used a basket she had around the house. I was going to do the same, but I couldn't resist the yellow pail I found while at the dollar store. I knew that with blue tissue paper, it would be the perfect color combination for a Boston Marathon gift.

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I first took the blue tissue paper and placed it under one of my Styrofoam circles, as if I was going to wrap it. Then I placed both inside the pail and arranged the paper to look festive.

I knew the layers in my bucket arrangement needed to have some variance in size and height, and I figured I could achieve that by creating two levels. So I took my second Styrofoam circle and cut it in half using my husband's favorite carving knife (don't tell him).

Next, I placed one of the halves in the pail. And voila! I had two levels to work with.

I thought that creating the long sticks of gels and candy would inevitably be my downfall, so I asked Bussler-Sweeney how she stuck her gels and socks to the dowels. Her answer was simple: tape.

Just place a gel pack flat on your working surface. Next, take your dowel and, starting from the top of the stick, tape in the center of the packet. Repeat, moving down the stick without leaving any gaps. Stop and leave enough stick bare to spear through the Styrofoam.

I went through and did this until I felt I had enough sticks to make my gel and candy bouquet look full. It took me about five dowels of varying heights.

Step 4: Arrange your bouquet

To me this was the fun part. I love making flower arrangements, so I figured this would be very similar.

I started with the widest skewer and made that the center object. Working from the inside out gave me a good sense of where other items might go and created a nice focal point. Who knew electrolyte packets could look so adorable?

I placed that first dowel in at the top, center and pushed down hard to the wooden stick would go all the way through two levels of Styrofoam. I then arranged the other sticks around the pail. There is no right or wrong here—just make it look how you want!

Some things will not fit on a wooden dowel, and that's okay. Having my band-aids, pain relievers, and hair ties to fill in around the "gel flowers" gave me the layered effect I was going for.

In total, making this little gift only cost me about $40.

Another plus: Assembly only took me 30 minutes.

So if you are looking for a creative way to celebrate your runner on Boston Marathon race day (or any goal race), this little project was a fun way to get amped to cheer on your special runner.

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