I've volunteered once at a marathon -- my first Chicago Marathon, where I spent several hours at the expo in the area arranging for and handing out t-shirts to the registered runners. And while I've paced multiple races officially previously, I've not taken on one of the on-course volunteer roles before.
Recently, I saw a notice on the MCM Facebook page seeking volunteers for their upcoming Crossroads 15k / Belleau Woods 8k in < 2 weeks from now. What the heck? It's reasonably close, so I can drive down, volunteer, and be back -- no need to get a room down there. It should be interesting to see just what it's like from the other side of the table -- setting up the cups, pouring some of the water / Gatorade, handing out cups of water / Gatorade, raking up the dropped/thrown cups -- whatever they have me doing at Water Stop #2. While I always carry my own water for drink, and only ever avail myself of the water stations' water when I need to douse myself on hot days, I always make it a point to thank the volunteers for coming out (despite not taking the water, typically).
The race starts at 7am, and we need to be at the water station at 5:30am to begin the set-up. Which means I need to wake up at oh-dark-thirty so that I can drive down to Quantico (about 45 minutes at that hour) and find my way to the meet-up location. Yes, it'll be a long morning (the shift ends at 11:30am), but it'll be worth it to help the runners get across the finish line, both by providing the water as well as the moral support cheering them on, on an otherwise quiet course.
Regardless of what your running (or other fitness) goals are, consider volunteering at a local race.
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