This past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Harbins Park Half Marathon put on by Dirty Spokes Productions. Dirty Spokes is a great organization and I have run many of their races before including my very first marathon a couple years ago.
Since I had just run the South Carolina Oconee 50k the weekend before I wasn't sure about trying to race the half, but still wanted to be a part of a great race. I contacted Tim at Dirty Spokes and told him I would be interested in volunteering, and he was more than happy to have me be a part of the race. I have been a runner at many races and benefited from the volunteers at aid stations, so this was my opportunity to give back a little to the trail running community that I love so much.
It was a great race, and really enjoyed providing support and encouragement to all the runners. The weather was cool and there was a nice cloud cover the whole time. I was at the water station at the 10 mile mark, and the runners did a loop and ran by us again right before the 13 mile mark.
If you haven't had the opportunity to volunteer at a race I would suggest you take the time to give back to your running community by serving at an aid station. Also, check out Dirty Spokes and run the trails with them!