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The Volunteering Experience

A few weekends ago I volunteered at an aid station at the Mt. Hood 50 mile run, near Portland, Oregon, organized by Go Beyond Racing. I was part of. 5-7 person team at the Red Wolf aid station, located at miles 33 and 45 on the course. For over eight hours we encouraged the runners, refilled water bottles, and handed out food. The food included just about anything the runners could possibly be craving: Gu Energy gel, PB&J sandwiches, bananas, oranges, Oreos, red licorice, Pringles, Fig Newtons, m&ms, goldfish crackers, and even garlic pickles!

If you’re ever  in a running slump, go volunteer at a running event, especially the longer ones. I dare you to work a shift and not be inspired. People often think of volunteering as a “giving” activity, but every time I volunteer, I feel like I end up getting more than I gave. This was definitely the case at the Mt. Hood 50, especially toward the end of the day.

Long after the elite runners had whizzed through the aid station, the middle-of-the-pack runners steadily made their way through our aid station toward the finish.  When we saw these runners for the second time they only had a little over five miles to go until the finish line.  The veteran ultra runners fueled up and passed through with a steady efficiency.  The first-timers came through with eyes as big as dinner plates, knowing that they were only a few miles from becoming an ultra finisher.  The best part of the day, however, happened as the stream of runners turned into a trickle, and the last dozen or so runners started coming through.

The race organizers had originally stated that there would be cut-off times at some of the aid stations, meaning that if a runner didn’t reach a certain aid station by a certain time of day, they wouldn’t be allowed to continue on in the race. We had been in touch with the organizers over the radio, and they told us that they had decided to extend the cut-off times and allow everyone that was still out there to finish the race.  These last dozen or so runners hadn’t received this message, however, and they hobbled up to our aid station with sunken shoulders and downcast eyes.

“I can’t go on, can I?,” asked one runner. “What do you mean you ‘can’t go on’,” I said. “You’ve only got 5 miles to go to the finish! Keep moving!” Perplexed, the runner looked back at me and started to ask what I was talking about, when I interrupted and said, “They’ve extended the cut-off…you can keep going!” His eyes perked up and a smile quickly grew across his face.  That look, the look of someone that is so close to reaching a goal they have trained so, so long and hard for, brought several of us to the verge of happy tears. That’s real, folks.

So, the next time you get asked to volunteer at an event (ahem…see below), don’t think “I’d rather just sleep in and drink coffee all morning”, but instead think about the recharge you will get from helping others reach their goals.

Volunteer registration is now open for the Traverse CIty Triathlon presented by McLain Cycle and Fitness. Click the button below..  We’ve even got a Volunteer Rewards Program.[/text_output][button shape=”square” size=”x-large” float=”none” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” href=”https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/MI/TraverseCity/TraverseCityTriathlon” class=”aligncenter”]

Volunteer Here

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