I'm not trying to splash cold water on anyone, but, although Marathon's are a proven tire, I found that I just didn't want to put up with wrestling them in the rain on the side of the road. My solution was to sell them to a friend, who now wrestles with them (rare occasion, because they're a great tire). Then I started using Specialized Armadillos. Easy on, Easy off. And, only six flats in over 9000 miles.

Pedro makes large, hand filling tire spoons that work well because you actually can pull on them without feeling like you're holding a pencil.

The Quik-Stik is one that I've seen used, and it works. I thought the user had some problems inserting the tip into the bead, but it did the job well.