Tag: Volunteering
Over five years ago, Lauren Ludwig of Portland, Oregon, began volunteering at trail races throughout the Pacific Northwest and has also left the state a few times to help with other events. Originally from New Hampshire,...
Almost 25 miles into the 2022 Pinhoti 100, a runner from California, on a solo trip to the race, realized that his wallet and rental car key, which he kept in a repurposed candy bag, were missing. Mortified at not hav...
At this year’s Vermont 100 (VT100), I would yell, “Let’s hear it for the volunteers!” just before leaving each aid station and allow the crews (eagerly awaiting their runners) to do what I couldn’t appropriatel...
Outside’s op-ed piece, Trail Runners Are Lazy Parasites, elicited a number of responses from the trail running community. In the 11 years I’ve been running ultras, I’ve gotten to meet a variety of runners and empathize w...
Dear Ann,Some of my friends ask me why I volunteer at ultras when I could be running them. I don’t need volunteer hours but I like volunteering as much, if not more, than running races. What else can I do to help? —Kathy...
Each year I try to volunteer at a few races – something I feel that we should all do in order to give back to the running community that gives us so much. It’s surprising how rewarding volunteering at a race can be – you...
“Make it better.” Three memorable words written on a note from Matt Brownlee, Trails Manager for the USFS. These three words describe the unrelenting hunger to nurture the Western States Trail, and have become my mantra...
A well-marked course is a prerequisite for staging a successful ultra. It’s something runners have a right to expect when they pony up their registration fees. It’s also a safety issue. You don’t want runners overnightin...
There are many aspects of the ultrarunning community that I love, and one of the most important is the fact that at 99% of races 99% of the folks out there helping the runners are volunteers. It’s easy to take this for g...
It’s virtually impossible to run a race and not hear someone say, “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” or “Don’t forget to thank the volunteers.” A race director might be the backbone of an ultra event, but the...
I was looking at the crowd. There was upwards of two hundred runners, assorted supporting friends, fans, or family, and the always harried race offi cials. The yearly argument of which power pole is the official starting...