Since I've broadened this thread and I thought it might be interesting to "see" what does into producing a running event ... I'll be volunteering at an aid station at a small-medium sized trail run. The organizer has been doing Thanksgiving morning plus Saturday After events for, well, years. Two venues are used, the Thanksgiving Day event being 5K and 10K distances, and the Saturday event adding a half Marathon distance. Runners who complete a distance at both receive a connector medal that connects their two finisher's medals into a "mega medal". There are short children's runs, "Little Turkeys", for young children. Both events have start/finish areas in their respective parks, and are done with permits and assistance from rangers as needed.
The quickie (?) summary description over, here are the volunteer stations and names of people staffing the stations:
QUARRY TURKEY VOLUNTEERS 2022
SET UP AT PARK 11:30AM:
Father Dale & Sharlet
Frank N
Leo & Virg
Rocio
Felicia R
Craig
PARKING:
Will
Gary
Glenn
Lorna
Rich & Christina
David & Kerry
QT & Crans: (Costumed)
RABBITS on bikes:
Half –Andrew
10K –
5K –
Race day reg: Tammy
Half: Dorothy
10K: Katherine
5K: Rachael W
Little Turkeys: Angela M, Jessica C
TSHIRTS:
Deval
Fanny
MERCH:
Angela M
SWEAT CHECK:
Jean S
AIDS:
AID 1: Blythe: Christine, Jess M, Helen H, Thuy P, Jaisan S, Faith F
AID 2: Brian C: Ciara, Alyssa, Zenith, Christoph, Kaitlyn, Sophorn
AID 3: Tommy M: Pete S, Cesar Z, Min K O, Jeremiah, Brian H,
AID 4: Sheri: Pat B, Thin A, Leslie C, Dexter E, Erik H.
COURSE MONITORS:
Madeline D (Aid 2 - 10K turn around)
Pat V (Aid 1 – 5K CM)
PHOTOS:
Julia (out on course)
Sheri (Aid 4)
Dan C (Aid 2)
Warren (start/finish)
Finish Area FOOD:
Katelynn
Stephanie S
Gaby R
Anthony & Jason M
Ria S
Henry G
FINISH LINE WATER & MEDALS:
Fanny
David & Kerry after parking
Gina
Jessica C after Little Turkeys
MEGA MEDALS:
#3
AGE GROUP AWARDS:
Tammy
PACK UP:
Rachel
Sama
Alex A
Anuj
Jolly
Albert
SWEEP:
Troy J – Half
Nikki S – 5K
Looking over the list briefly, I recognized about 20 people (out of 76) as volunteering regularly at this organizer's events (myself among them, FWIW). Sweepers are runners or cyclists who stay behind the last finisher, for safety, and retrieve course marking flags. The Little Turkeys volunteers assist parents with herding their "cats" (errrr, Turkeys). Normally there would be a group of volunteers for day-before-event packet pick-up (shirt and bib), but that was done the Wednesday before T'giving, for both events. Photos are free, but not indexed by name or bib number (wearing a distinctive shirt helps).
The couple who own the organizing company and a few of their employees will also be working the event, and I suspect that "#3" may be their older munchkin. So, for an event with what I expect will have 500-700 finishers of the three distances, there were 80-90 people helping put it on. Employees are paid, of course, and volunteers receive an event T-shirt and a "free" entry to a future event.
Aid stations with this organizer have water, electrolyte drink, GU packets (100 calories, electrolytes, and some flavors have caffeine), and a variety of sugary and salty snacks (even 5K runners burn off a few hundred calories and sweat out electrolytes). The tubs with aid stations' supplies also include pitchers, ladles, gloves, sanitizer and wipes, cleaner, paper towels, knives (fruit) and scissors etc. (i.e. food handling stuff).
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