Volunteering can be great fun and rewarding. You’re working along with like-minded people who have an interest in helping the trail running community thrive. The FL50s brings people from various places around the US and Canada, so you get to help and meet people from interesting places. For helping on race day, each volunteer will receive a free BBQ lunch and a race t-shirt.
If you’re interested in volunteering for the Finger Lakes 50s, there are plenty of opportunities. Volunteering roles are available leading up to the race, on race day, and a few days following the race. Volunteering can include trail maintenance leading up to the race, marking the course, setting things up the day before and morning of the race, assisting at an aid station, registration, the finish line, tearing things down and cleaning up after the race, and others. If you want to help, we can more than likely use you.
Please contact us at fl50s@fingerlakesrunners.org if you’re interested in volunteering. Please provide what you’d like to help with, the date and time you’re available to help, your shirt size, and if you’re helping on race day whether you’ll be coming to the Potomac Group Campground for lunch or if you want your lunch delivered to your aid station (obviously, the fewer deliveries, the easier it is on everyone, but we’ll deliver if necessary).
An important aspect to volunteering is follow-through – please do what you’re assigned to do, especially on race day. This is particularly true for aid stations on race day – if you don’t show up at the time you’re assigned, then there won’t be anyone there to assist the runners.
If you work at an aid station, all the food, hydration, and supplies including tables, coolers, and instructions will be provided. There will be a canopy provided for shade/protection, but there won’t be chairs supplied, so bring a camp chair if you desire. Aid station workers are welcome to bring music to entertain themselves and the runners. Your good cheer and enthusiasm at these aid stations really help runners on their way to the finish.
Helpful Info for Aid Station Volunteers:
- Tables will be provided to set up your aid station. Canopies will be provided for shelter to keep you and the food shaded and from inclement weather. Unfortunately, we do not have chairs – bring camp chairs if you’d like.
- If you desire some music, you are certainly welcome to bring that with you … entertainment for you and the runners!
- Books & magazines … early in the race you will be kept very busy taking care of the runners. As the day progresses and the time grows between runners visiting your aid stations, you may want something to read. But keeping attentive to incoming runners is very important.
- There will be water, Hammer HEED (carbohydrate/electrolyte drink), soda and a variety of food items (Twizzlers, M&Ms, bread and PB&J to make sandwiches, chips/pretzels, etc.) provided for the runners at most aid stations. Volunteers are welcome to drink and eat the aid station items, but if you would like something different to eat or drink, you will want to bring that with you. Orange Gatorade jugs will be the water-only jugs. Hammer HEED is to be mixed in the blue HEED jugs only. Instructions for mixing will be provided with the aid station supplies.
- Plastic pitchers will be available to dip into the larger drink jugs to make it quicker and easier to fill the runners’ bottles and hydration packs.
- Large collapsible garbage receptacles will be located at each aid station. Please line these bins with the provided trash bags. Change the trash bags when full. This drastically helps those cleaning up the aid stations at the end of the race.
- We will provide bug spray and minor first aid kits at each aid station. We plan to have Wilderness Search & Rescue staff placed at each aid station. These individuals have radios and can provide assistance to you and runners if information needs to be relayed to the race headquarters (Potomac Group Campground – the start/finish line area).
- There will be free picnic lunches for all volunteers. Please let us know if you will be coming to the campsite for your lunch or if you would like it delivered to your aid station. The fewer deliveries we need to make to each of the 6 aid stations the easier it is for us, and there is a full-picnic area at the Potomac Group Campground for all involved in the race, but we will deliver if necessary. You can get your meal either before or after your volunteer shift.