I recently did something that I had been intending to do for some time. I volunteered at a race. Specifically at the Run for the Dream Half Marathon in Williamsburg, Virginia. We had to show up by 6:00am, because the race kicked off at 7:00am. Although the weather forecasts looked a bit dire earlier in the week, race day dawned cool and with some fog. Generally pleasant running conditions.
I was assigned to Water Station 8, which was located at Mile 12 near the end of the race. We had about 10 volunteers at the station and we all pitched in to get the tables set up and the cups filed with Gatorade and water. Because we were the last water stop, we had about an hour before the first elite runners came by. The first folks were the wheel chair racers and then the elite men and women.
Speaking personally, if you are a runner, you really appreciate the folks who man those tables and hand out the water. I always try to remember to say "thank you," even if I don't take the water. Let's face it, without them, the race would not happen. This time, it was nice to be on the volunteer side of the table and to experience the gratitude of the runners coming through. Many of them took the time to thank us for coming out and working. It's nice to be appreciated and my experience as a volunteer allowed me to experience that. If you're a runner, pick a race and volunteer. You'll be glad you did.
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