Volunteer Guide

Thank you for volunteering! This guide gives you an outline of aid station procedures. You may want to bring a sandwich and beverage if you don't want to eat only aid station food. We provide a few chairs, but you may want to bring your own.

Please arrive at your station 15-30 minutes before scheduled opening to help set up.

1. Check in with your Supervisor upon arrival.
2. Wear provided volunteer shirt.
3. Affix provided name tag (extras are in your supply box).
4. Know what’s in your first aid kit and supply box. If a runner asks for something, you probably have it.
5. Familiarize yourself with the information participants need to know, including the race rules. For 2019 that page is here.
6. Mix 3 gallons of Gatorade. Fill the 5 gallon orange drink cooler to just below the 2.5 gallon mark (interior plastic liner has level indicators for liters and gallons). Add half gallon of liquid concentrate, then ice. Stir with ladle.
7. Fill the other drink cooler with water to the 3 gallon mark, then add ice.
8. Label orange drink coolers with “Gatorade” and “Water” signs from kit.
9. Post the provided station distance sign. Advise runners on distance to the next station so they know what nutrition they’ll need.
10. Set up one trash bag holder at station, another one 50’-100’ farther along course.
11. Set out bin with sport gels.
12. Set out bins with other provided snacks.
13. Make PB&J sandwiches, divide into quarters, place into bin.
14. Cut fruit into pieces, place in separate bins. Use a different knife than the one used for the peanut butter.
15. Set out 5 cups each of water, Gatorade, Coke, and Mt. Dew, replace as needed.
16. Open can of potatoes, drain, and place some in a bin and set next to salt shaker.
17. Refill runner's bottle(s)/hydration pack while they get food.
18. Remind runners to discard any trash they may be carrying.
19. This is a race, so please help keep the runners moving; don't delay them unnecessarily.
20. Don't give directions to runners. Properly navigating the course is a critical part of the race.
21. If you're leaving a Checkpoint and headed to the finish, please bring any used runner drop bags with you.
22. Radio operators:
    1. At station open, request from Net all known no-shows and dropouts and cross these off the provided Participant roster.
    2. Check off arriving runners on the Participant roster. Be attentive; sometimes runners don't stop at the aid station. Relay legs start/end only at Checkpoints, so at those stations circle the name of the departing team member. NOTE! Some Solo runners are also Relay team members and will have two bibs. Be sure to check off both bib numbers.
    3. If a runner drops out, collect their tag and advise Net.
    4. At Checkpoints, collect the tag of relay team members who are finishing at your station. Advise Net of departing runner tag number.
    5. Cross off all dropouts on roster.
    6. Upon station close, ensure all runners listed on roster are checked or crossed out. Advise Net accordingly.
23. Recorders (only at Checkpoints):
    1. Post “Scan Here” sign(s).
    2. Turn on the computer, and once it boots double-click the Pathfinder icon on the desktop.
    3. Choose your Checkpoint from the list and click Set Station.
    4. When a runner arrives, touch the scanner (circuit board side) to the runner’s tag. NOTE! Some Solo runners are also Relay team members and will have two tags. Be sure to scan both tags, and collect the Relay tag if their relay leg is finished.
    5. The computer will announce the tag number of each scanned arrival. Ensure you hear the number of the tag so you know it was properly captured.
    6. The Arrivals pane shows who has been scanned (arrived) at your station.
    7. Do not scan the departing relay team member until the arriving team member is scanned.
    8. Collect the tag of relay team members who are not continuing after your station.
    9. If the scanner isn’t working, manually enter the runner’s tag number as they arrive. Click in the Manual Entry field or press Alt-M to put the cursor there. Just type in the tag number and hit enter, one after another.
    10. If a runner drops out, collect their tag and enter the tag number in the Search field to locate their arrival scan. Double-click their name and fill in their Drop Location (the place they left the course, most often the name of your checkpoint), then enter the disposition of their tag and click Close.
    11. If a runner loses their tag, enter the number manually as described above to record their arrival.
    12. If you need to adjust an arrival time, double-click on the time to edit it.
    13. If you manually entered an incorrect tag number or scanned a tag accidentally, right-click on the arrival row and choose Delete. Be careful to delete the proper entry!
    14. Upon Checkpoint close, press and hold the power button on the laptop to initiate a proper shutdown. All information is automatically saved.