volunteering

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Volunteering – a big part of ultra running

Most ultraraces rely on a team of volunteers to make the race fun and safe.  Whilst race directors devise and organise most of the stuff in advance (route, permits, website, buying food, transport, venues etc.), on the day, it is normally an army of volunteers that make it happen from registration and kit check to marshalling, manning checkpoints, course laying, course checking and course collecting.

Here’s why you should give volunteering a go. 

An opportunity to get to know a race

This is a great one! How many of us toy with the idea of a particular race but not quite sure if it what we want to do, or if we are ready! Well go volunteer first! See it first hand. See the suffering 😊 Volunteering in various roles for a race is an incredible opportunity to get to know the team behind the race, how it is run, where the checkpoints are and what their cut off times are. Imagine volunteering at St. Ives check point during the Arc 50. It is the only checkpoint in a tough winter 50 mile race. Seeing the distribution and the timings of the runners coming through, the state they are in, their kit, their various problems, what they eat, what they’d do differently next time: these are all invaluable insights to a world you want to dip your toes in! This is a particularly big bonus when it comes to longer races. Teaming up with experienced volunteers, can teach you a lot about how it’s done. What the runners will mostly like need. Where they are most likely to go wrong. What sort of help they may need. And who knows, one day, that runner may be you!

Giving back and having fun 

Many volunteers don’t race any more so aren’t volunteering for a free race place or insights.  They are just doing it because they love doing it.  Research in human psychology has shown that giving back and being appreciated as part of a community or team makes you happy! We can’t deny how much of a positive impact running has had on our lives. For a lot of us, we are defined by the runner in us. It’s what we do! It’s what we talk about! It’s what we think all the time. We are driven and constantly planning and setting goals (the fun bit). We might get nervous before a race. We might have a little moan or even a proper cry! But at the end of the day we love doing this! We want to be there. Volunteering is an opportunity to give something back to the running community. To give a runner a smile. To cheer a runner up by the sound of a cowbell. If you are the reason one runner who was about to DNF leaves the checkpoint and goes on to finish a race, that surely will warm your heart up and makes you happy! You as an individual can make a huge difference in someone’s experience of an event! Get out there and share that love and that smile!

Injured? Volunteer

I bet almost all of us have had a niggle in our running journey. If you haven’t had one yet, don’t feel too lucky. You are most likely bound to get one at some point! It’s a normal thing to go through niggles and Injuries. It’s not all doom and gloom. It might mean a temporary break from running but most people come back from injuries either stronger or more knowledgeable. I always think there is something good that comes out of injuries. It could be a reminder to stay on top of your strength and conditioning, or sleep and eat better. Now one of the best things you can do during the challenging period of no or reduced running, is volunteering. I don’t know about you, but for me a huge part of enjoying my races and training runs is the community around it. I love to bump into friends, see familiar faces at checkpoints, enjoy a post race snack. You can still enjoy all that when you volunteer. I regularly do this with the Maverick races. I have been volunteering for them for years and have almost found a family within the Maverick community. I have volunteered at Centurion events and equally loved it too and cannot wait to volunteer at other races. It takes my mind off the fact that I am injured for a bit and allows me to get my running fix by immersing myself for a day in the ultra running world. This is often the case for a huge number of regular volunteers. A lot of them are injured runners 😊 and a lot of them are not even runners. They just get running and they love runners and are inspired by them and love to help and enable their running journey. They are often runners’ family who love being involved! True legends. 

Free race entry

Yes you read that right. Majority of UK races offer you a like for like entry when you volunteer at their events. Now majority of races put a call out on their social media asking for volunteers. Some have a team of volunteers that keep coming back year after year so may not need new people. But most volunteers get offered something and in most cases it will be a race entry. If you put a day’s work for a Centurion 50 mile race, you will then be able to choose one of their 50 mile races to do the year after. Maverick race offers a race entry to the value of the race you volunteered at (i.e. original/dark for original) and a £30 adidas voucher. This can be a real game changer for the more expensive races such as Dragon’s Back, The Spine Race and the Northern Traverse – any credit towards a future entry is a big financial win. 

So there’s loads of good reasons to volunteer.  If you want to find out how to do it take a look at race websites and they normally explain how you can get involved.