on a ledge
Humanitarian

Dear Volunteer

Dear Volunteer

Lace up!

Coming up in October is the Other Half Marathon here in Moab Utah.  Not as large as the ½ Marathon held in the spring, but still a busy fun adventure for the like-minded.

Thelma and Louise  

I love those emails that come out and say “Hey Volunteer – you want to help out this year”?  That’s enough said, it’s short, sweet and to the point.   If you are like me and the 100’s of other local volunteers – you can’t say the magic word “NO”.   Here is what is really behind that one line question:

“Hey Volunteer – you want to help out this year”?

Dear Volunteer!

Up at 5:00 am and loaded with nothing but a steamy mug of coffee, an over-sized sweatshirt to keep the morning chill away –please drive yourself the required 13 miles down the curvy river road to your location.  Soon other volunteers will be showing up to help you load the 1000’s of bags from the runners onto the waiting trucks that will haul them back to town to the next volunteer crew.

Volunteers wipe the sleep from your eyes and get busy helping to park buses
and utility vehicles or help at the start of the race.  Many of your volunteers will be busy the day before setting up the start and finish lines;  handing out packets;  running unending errands – only to turn around and be back out into the elements
the next morning.  Come rain or shine the day is before us!

Volunteers will line the 13-mile course as marshal’s, trackers, water station aids,  and even a Taiko drummer group will be available to help encourage the runners to continue the pace.  The view along the route is spectacular, and there is personal satisfaction in knowing that there is a river bank location with your name on it after you’re done.  Now, get yourself a breakfast burrito and coffee at the Volunteer booth – let’s get going!

Crossing that finish line is golden!

The finish line is filled with more volunteers happily greeting runners and quickly assessing run times.  Runners are herded to aid stations which will help the tired but exuberant finishers.  Need a massage? The volunteers got you covered.  How about food to replenish those muscles and nurture hammered bones?  Volunteers again.

The brew crew has a bubbly beer in the beer garden to help wash down the sweat and tears and ease those victory woes.  Don’t Judge!

Don’t forget all those folks who are walking the river roadway cleaning up debris and those who help to tear down after the race.  Those on an emergency call, and the organizers on the radios, to those carrying flags – they know the value of what they do.  It’s all for the  REWARD.  The real reward is self-satisfaction in knowing you’ve done something to contribute to a  community event!  An event that brings prominence to our little piece of property on this small planet called earth.  Or better yet, that speck of red dirt called Moab Utah!

Volunteers from every walk of life show up to help.  You have teachers, doctors, lawyers, honor society members, brewery folk, youth garden kids, and construction workers, democrats and republicans,  and more.  Why?  Because they can. Because they care.  It isn’t one person, but many. Each deserving and caring enough to “show up”.  Have fun!

 Just show up!  Say YES!

The best part… the volunteer party!

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