By Bridget Auxier
Ever wonder why people volunteer? Besides just the feeling of doing good, volunteering can have all sorts of rewards. For Run Project the most talked about reward is that you can earn credit towards a future race for yourself or a friend. Depending on how many hours you volunteer you can earn a 5k, 10k or even a half marathon race. As a runner who volunteers you are in a unique position to use your experiences to make the race better for the runners. You know what you prefer when you go to a run. Do you prefer an aide station with signs posted up everywhere? Do you prefer one that rocks out to music the entire race? Is there something a volunteer has done for you in the past that helped you? You can bring all of this to your time as a volunteer and help make the race even better for the runners. As a volunteer who runs, you can bring suggestions to the race directors on what you feel worked or didn’t work and why. Another reward for volunteering is the reward of appreciation. You will appreciate all the people working hard at the runs your attend once you’ve had the chance to experience what they do.
Have you ever been curious about all the extra people at a race? We all know the participants are there to run and enjoy their race. Depending on the size of the race group there may be employees that are helping out and friends and family there to cheer on their runner. Have you ever noticed all the other people at the water stops, food, packet pickup and wondered what they get out of it? They are the volunteers and these races would not be possible without them. You’ll see them from the moment you pick up your packet until you leave the race. Volunteers help make early packet pickup happen for Run Project, allowing you to avoid the crowds of race day. They help make sure you have your bib and t-shirt ready to go. When you get to the race you may see parking attendants directing traffic especially for those VIP parking to help you find where you need to be. Also at the race can be course monitors who direct the runners and help make sure the roads are safe. Aid station volunteers are one of the hardest volunteer spots to fill. They make sure the runners have food, Gatorade, and in the heat of the summer, cold towels to cool down. They work fast and hard to make sure the runners have refreshments available throughout the run. Pace bikes keep up with the lead runners making sure everyone knows who is coming. Pacers are another group of volunteers we can’t forget about. They dedicate their entire run to the service of the runners. From sticking to a specific time to finish the race, to reminding runners to drink water, they put the runners ahead of themselves. Most pacers could finish the run faster than their set pace; many even give up the chance to get a personal record just to run the pace they have volunteered for. Pacers will push the runners when they get tired, give encouraging words, and if you tell a pacer that it’s your first race of this distance, they will tell every aid station just to make sure you have all the cheers possible. Medals are passed out by volunteers turning that long race into a smile on the runner’s face. Some races have a turtle who makes sure they are the last ones on the course. Volunteers feed the runners after the race. Any contests after the race often have volunteers assisting to facilitate the contest and clean up after the contest. For Run Project races, our adult runners love the Beer Tent. Volunteers work in this area too to help pass out the beer.
Even the crowd that is gathered along the route or at the finish line are basically volunteers. They help with a big part of the volunteer job. The most important part of the volunteers is to encourage the runners. If you’ve ever struggled on a run to keep going you know how important encouragement can be. I’ve been running consistently for almost 2 years.
My first official run I struggled tremendously but one of the things that pushed me through was the volunteers. Having someone cheer in my corner even though I didn’t know them helped me believe I could make it. Volunteers have so many roles but the biggest one is to be the cheerleaders for everyone in the race. As a typical back of the pack runner I cannot express how amazing it feels to have someone cheer and encourage you to keep going. I’ve had great runs and I’ve had awful runs where I just wasn’t sure I could make it. The encouragement from a volunteer can be the difference between pushing through or giving up. As a volunteer and a runner I’ve seen people go from being crushed with just how tired they are to that extra pep in their step and a smile on their face just because someone cheered for them. Those that are slower or without their own support may never have had someone tell them they can make it. Sometimes just that one little cheer can change the whole race. I’ve run races where the volunteers sat and maybe smiled but didn’t have anything to say. I have also run races where the volunteers cheered and waved silly signs. The best races are the ones where no matter how fast you are, the volunteers are there for you and want you to succeed. I find volunteering and being that cheerleader to be so rewarding. I cheer at every race I go to, whether I’m on the course, volunteering, passing by, or at the finish line. Some may think it’s silly for the volunteers to be heard two miles away (or so I’ve been told) but I think it just lets the runners know they are supported.
Whether it’s your first time or fiftieth, consider volunteering and finding new ways to be a part of this amazing community.
