“172, 174, 253, 355, 303, 260, 261, 150, ....”

“What was that last number?”

“320, 170, 171, 300, 356, 210, 251,…”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, I missed that one too!”

“NEED TO SEE YOUR NUMBER!  WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?  160… 151, 148, 149, 130, 133, 201, 203, 204, …”

 As I look back, Robert M. has his head buried in the score sheet and is trying to write down the numbers I’m calling out.  He is successful for the most part, but does miss some here and there.  Every once in a while, I hear him laugh at the insanity of what’s going on.  The runners are coming into the aid station in such large groups that it looks like rush hour in a major city.  We get a breather every few minutes, but then it picks back up, heavy as before.  This goes on for what seems like forever.  In our short breaks between runners, we catch glimpses of what Robert H., Diana, Joe, and Alan are going through at the aid station table.  All we see is a flurry of movement.  Robert is trying to keep cups on the table while Diana and Joe are trying to keep them filled with water and Gatorade.  Alan is scrambling around trying to keep food on the table.  This was the rush of 25K runners coming into aid station 1.

 As the last 25K runners leave the aid station, the 50K leaders are starting to filter into the aid station on their second loop.  The pace for us is much slower now and we can actually chat with the runners as they come in.  At this point in the race, the runners are about 19 miles into the race and starting to feel some of the pain.  Our job now switches from just trying to keep food on the table and cups filled to quizzing the runners on how they are feeling and making suggestions for food and drink.

Joe helped with packet pick-up race morning and I helped with parking cars.  In the meantime, Robert and Diana H., Robert M., and Alan were setting up the aid station… in the dark!  As Joe and I finish our duties before the start of the race, we head over to the aid station to help out before the first runners come through.  As I arrive, Alan is cutting bagels, Robert M. is setting up plates with other food, Diana is mixing Gatorade, and Robert H. is trying to get some lights set up so everyone can see what they are doing.  Working an aid station in this type of race has its slow and fast times.  Having someone as experienced as Joe Prusaitis working with you makes the job much easier.  He knows what the runners will want and when they will want it.  “Don’t worry about pouring much Coke right now.  The 50K runners won’t want it until the second loop.  Let’s get plenty of water and Gatorade out on the table first”, Joe instructs before the first runners come through.  And of course the rest of the crew is experienced ultra runners themselves, so the runners are taken care of very well.

Anyone wanting a new perspective on trail running and/or ultra running should volunteer at an aid station or in some other fashion during the race.  A lot can be learned that I believe will help your own running.  There is also the good feeling of helping the runners.  As much as I enjoy running, I enjoy volunteering just as much.