Good afternoon to one and all. 
As some of you may know, I marshalled a race earlier today and thought I'd share my experience with you. It was the Round Sheffield Run... roundsheffieldrun.com/ and was different to most other races because instead of the clock starting at the start line and finishing when you cross the finish line, there were eleven stages, with walking/recovery breaks in between and you're timed during the actual stages and not the walking/recovery/liaison stages. As you enter a stage, you insert your dibber (like a timing wand, if you will) into the timing post (manning one of these was my duty for the day) which starts the clock for that stage and then you do the same at the end of the stage to register that you've exited it, then you use the breaks in between to recover. The route follows the 14 mile trail/park/woodland Sheffield Round Walk, so the race was about HM length.
It was a bit too much for me to run at the minute, but still wanting to be involved, I decided to volunteer when I got the e-mail from the organisers requesting volunteers for marshalling duty. (I'm running a 10K with them in October, hence my receiving the e-mail about volunteering today) After a telephone conversation with the Race Director on Thursday night, I learned I was to be supervising the timing post at the start of Stage Eight. Being in charge of timing was a bit of a worry at first, as it's not really something you want to cock-up, is it? But it was all straight-forward and went well.
I was quite excited this morning, when I awoke at 0513. It was raining as well; I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing! After breakfast of smoked salmon, poached eggs, a mini salad and some tiger bread, followed by two chocolate Weetabix (not all on the same plate) it was time to go.
A nice steady two-mile or so walk up to Endcliffe Park (there is a Parkrun there but I've not ran that one yet; that's the one with 14 billion participants running it each week, or there abouts. 
) for the 0715 rendezvous and briefing, to collect the gear for the job in hand. It was quite the hive of activity when I turned up, with final preparations being made by the organisers. Around we gather to be put into our teams. Annoyingly, a couple of the people down to volunteer/marshal, didn't turn up, which caused a few issues. There might have been genuine reasons for the absences, but it still causes problems. After the briefing I was put into my team, with two ladies, both runners too, and it was into the car of one of them (kindly acting as driver for the day) to follow the organiser's van up to Foodstation One, to help set that up and unload. In a nice rural car park, out came two tables, pack after pack of bottled water and boxes of Jelly Babies. om nom nom. And boxes of bananas, which I can't really be involved with, as vomiting will ensue.....
Onward to our post now. Down a residential street, toward the trail at the end. I was based a few metres away from Foodstation Two, which duly I help set up. So very many Jelly Babies. That done, it's onward to my post now. Into the ground I inserted (with some difficulty finding soft ground!) the spiked post with the timing point on it, and cable-tied up the Stage 8 Start sign. inserting another spiked post to drape a bin liner round, to collect used drinks bottles. Then I text the designated phone at Command Control to say we're in place.
That done, I plodded on up to chat around the foodstation table until the first runners come through. A medic had turned up by this point and was chatting with us. The first runners crossed the start line at 0830 and the last ones at 1030, I think it was. It was about 1020 when the first Running Friend appeared from up the road. Time for me to grab my rucksack and scurry on down to my post. He appeared shortly after, inserted his timing wand into my machine (!) and was on his way down Nettle Path, which I thusly named as it was a bit overgrown with stinging nettles. I had shorts on and was stung as I pinned the sign up; I'm still stinging now, just for reference. When the first runner goes by, I text Command Control again to inform them that the first runner has passed my stage.
More Running Friends appear and from then on in it was a constant flurry of 'good mornings' and my enquiring about how they got on with the previous stages, and answering questions about my stage and what was coming next. I was stationed out on my own, but it was all very sociable with all the runners. All were chatty and a good laugh and as they weren't being timed until they used their dibbers in the machine, quite a few chatted with me for a bit, which was really nice.
More runners, a huge group; one runs past without dibbing - that's part of my job, to make sure he dibs, so I call him back, get him dibbed and he's off again. The queue builds now, so I try and get everyone through swiftly and without delay. It's a struggle to greet and chat with everyone as they come through, there's so many people, but after a while it goes quiet again as small groups and individuals head down from the foodstation. I use the opportunity to drink some water and quickly have a malt loaf snack and some nuts, that I fetched with me, though this is the point another Running Friend appears so I have to be careful not to shower her in a malt loaf/Brazil nut fusion. Onward, she goes, always.
Soon enough there are large gaps between runners, and before I know it, one of the organisers comes down on a bicycle to say I just dibbed the last runner and can stand down. It's amazing how fast the time has gone; it's about 1300; I'd been there hours and hadn't been bored once. I take the sign down and remove the timing post and help clear up the rubbish, where it's back to the start line with my two colleagues and the medic, to pick up the free beer for volunteering, and an official RSR t-shirt as a reward.
It was a great day; I enjoyed it but did wish I could have ran it. Next year! This was the first year of it and from what I can gather it was a success; all the runners were saying how much they enjoyed it, so all went well, I feel. I had a look at the medals; they were ace. Want! Next year, though!
It was really interesting to see that side of a race, the organisation of it and how it all comes together. If there's a race near to you that you feel you're not ready to run, or perhaps you've been injured and can't yet run again and want to be involved, volunteer to help on the day. It's rewarding, fun and a good laugh and greatly appreciated by the organisers. It's led me to wanting to marshal other events now, as I really enjoyed it. The event was really well put together and it was brilliant to see how hard the organisers were working to get everything right and put everything together. It's easy to forget, I think, that these things aren't easy to organise and take a vast amount of doing, with many setbacks on the way. I've not ran my first race yet (two weeks to go!) but will look at them differently now that I've been on 'the other side' of the running fence. Many of the runners thanked me and I was even complimented on my marshalling, on many an occasion. Quite a few runners said I was their 'favourite dibber man yet' which made me smile. I'll always thank and greet marshals heartily whenever I race - it makes a difference!
So, that's my Run Report for today, with a difference.
Onward, always.
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8K run in the sun... thank you C25K!
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