A few weeks ago I volunteered at a 5k and caught the “volunteering” bug. I knew that the National Marathon needed volunteers and I was able to get a spot at an early water station near a metro. Score! I convinced one of my “mommy” friends to volunteer with me, so we headed over there at 5:45am this morning! It was fun to ride the metro in with all the runners, but it felt strange to not be dressed to run. I kept having the urge to prove my “cred” as a runner LOL.
- Don’t wear white while handing out red ‘ade.
- Making eye contact with the runner grabbing a drink from you results in less spillage.
- Runners will generally aim for a box or trash can with their “empty” cups if there is one put out.
- Don’t stand right near said box if you don’t want to wear the ‘ade.
- Runners are generally awesome, appreciative people.
- And a note to myself: just because the race says they provide GU, don’t rely on that. There are always delivery snafus and sometimes the stations run out.
- It’s pretty amazing to watch the public works people clean up at the end. We helped, but they really had the job under control.


Sounds like a perfect morning, except the pink sleeves!
It's awesome people like you that make marathons a joy to run.
That sounds like an amazing experience…and it also sounds like you did an awesome job!!
What a great experience and I'm sure the racers appreciated you a bunch! Thanks for the not wearing white tip!
Good for you helping out like that. I did my first water stop volunteering a few weeks ago. It was cold and I learned that when water spills on cold hands, they become numb!
Wow, it sounds like you had a great volunteering experience! I would love to volunteer for at least one race sometime this year! God bless the volunteers…we need them! BTW: Thanks for the tips:) I hope that you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
You make me wish I was there volunteering with you. I am actually working at a race next Sunday but a small one. I know what you mean about wanting to establish your running cred!!!
sounds like a great time volunteering!great learnings too. i'll store those away for next time I need them.
You're making volunteering sound like a lotta fun! And yes, awesome volunteers like you make the difference in any race 🙂
I would like to do more volunteering myself. Sounds like fun. I look forward to helping with the Fargo Youth Run in May!
Fun times! Volunteering at the Twim Cities marathon is what really inspired me to run my first marathon. 🙂
thank you, thank you, thank you. I am always amazed by the generous race volunteers. We could not do it without you guys. Thanks so much!
I think that is funny about having to prove yourself – I'm NOT just a volunteer, I run too, I run marathons etc. 90% of all Ironman volunteers are finishers or signing up for the next year. …yeah, the MDot must be worn. I'm one of YOU!PS and I'm not kidding on Oak Barrel – for fun!
I volunteered at a race last year and the runners were so appreciative, saying thank you as they ran…loved it.
Awesome that you volunteered! Sounds like a really fun day… though messy and tiring!
Sounds like a great morning!
Great job! Sounds like fun – well, maybe not the sticky hair part…
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Hello, I am the Executive Director of the National Marathon and I would like to personally thank you and the 800 other volunteers that made this event happen. I am very glad to hear that you had a good time and I look forward to seeing you again next year!Sincerely, Bill Reifsnyder