ONLINE VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONOCTOBER 2010

PREPARED BY SEAN COOKVOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, RACE DAY

PLEASE REFER QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEER DUTIESTO VOLUNTEER@ATHENSGAHALF.COM

Online Volunteer OrientationAthens GA Half Marathon

This brief presentation will:• Outline the duties of volunteers for the Athens

GA Half-Marathon• Give an overview of the Race and the Health

and Fitness Expo/Packet Pickup Event held the day before the race

• Describe the different functional teams among the volunteer corps, and

• Give information about who volunteers should communicate with if they have a question.

Learning Outcomes

After viewing this presentation, volunteers for the Athens GA Half Marathon will:

Have adequate knowledge of the format of the Half Marathon, and the Health and Fitness Expo & Packet being held the day before

Understand the different volunteer functions, specifically those to which they are assigned

Know when and where to report for their assignment

Know who to contact if they have questions

Volunteer Committee The Volunteer Committee is being coordinated by two

members of the Half-Marathon Planning Committee, and is responsible for working with volunteer team captains to plan different functional aspects of the Half Marathon

Volunteer Coordinators

– Adam Cain, Health & Fitness Expo

– Sean Cook, Race Day Volunteers

– Questions can be sent to either at volunteer@athensgahalf.com

Volunteer CommitteeTeam Captains Drew Dekle-Operations (drewclimber@yahoo.com)

Drew Brantley-Refreshments (dbrantley@athensacademy.org)

Mike Williams-Finish Line Crew (hmikewilliams65@bellsouth.net)

Andrew Morgan-Gear Check Area (hydra88@att.net)

Sandii Brimble (sandiib@gmail.com) and Debbie Perrella-(perrella@aahps.com) Course Volunteer Co-Captains

Ben Fong-Water Stations Captain (ben.fong@utoronto.ca)

Half Marathon & Related Events Health & Fitness Expo-Saturday October 23,

11 a.m. To 6:00 p.m. Holiday Inn, Downtown Athens

– Enter at the Executive Tower Entrance

– Ballroom:

• Packet pickup for runners

• T-shirt and equipment pickup for volunteers

• Last opportunity to register (walk-up) unless race reaches its cap before Saturday

• Walk-up sales for pasta dinner at 6 pm

– Athena Room: Runner's clinic with Jeff Galloway-Some spaces may be available for walk-up registration, and these will be sold in the Ballroom

When Will I Learn My Volunteer Assignment?

• If you are volunteering with a club that is manning a water station or other specific area, you should know already. If you do not, contact your club captain first.

• All general volunteers will receive a separate e-mail tonight (Monday night) with their assignment. If you have a question or concern, call your team captain first.

• Captains are calling down their lists this week. If you can no longer volunteer, please let us know so we can get someone else to cover the spot.

Water Station Captains

• Water station table captains should contact Ben Fong to confirm names & numbers for your volunteers.

• If you do not have enough to man your station, we will pull others from the Operations team to assist you.

• Overall Water Stations Captain Ben Fong will need to meet all water table captains this week to discuss their locations, table set-up, etc.

• This is a critical component to the success of the Half Marathon. If your club cannot meet the obligation you signed up for, or if you need assistance in finding additional help, please contact Ben Fong or Sean Cook ASAP! We will do what we can to fill in gaps!

Race Day-Sunday October 24

Starting Area/Near City Hall Scaffolding will mark the start area. Volunteers will be

needed to help with set-up as early as 5:00 a.m. Volunteers assigned to the Operations Team will assist with this area, and report to Drew Dekle.

After the start, some items (banners, tables, and gear check trailer/tables) will need to be moved to the vicinity of the finish area. Operations volunteers and Gear Check volunteers will assist with this and all items will need to be moved and in place in approximately one hour.

Race Day-Sunday October 24

Finish Area/Near 40 Watt & Clocked Scaffolding will mark the finish area, and there will be

a finish line chute leading to a timing mat area. Some Operations volunteers will be needed to help with set-up as early as 5:00 a.m. Volunteers assigned to the Finish Line Crew will assist with this area, and report to Mike Williams.

Once Operations volunteers have completed moving items from the start area, they may be needed to assist with tasks at the finish line and refreshment area. Please be flexible and pitch in! There will likely be many unanticipated tasks that come up!

Race Day-Starting Line AreaStarting Line Area Starting line will be on College Avenue, in front of city

hall steps. There will be an Information Table in this vicinity

where runners and volunteers can ask questions Gear Check will be in this vicinity at the beginning of

the race, just beyond the finish chute area at the end (We're using a trailer and moving it after the start.)

Some Operation Volunteers will be needed here by 5 a.m. To help set up banners, signs, tables.

Race Day-Main Staging AreasFinish Area will be near the 40 Watt Club Finish Line Chute-Finish Line crew being

directed by Mike Williams from WOW. Medical Tent also near 40 Watt. Refreshments and After Event near Clocked and

Farm 255 (patio). Volunteers needed as early as 5 a.m. To help set up.Some can come later. Drew Brantley is captain for this area and will coordinate shifts.

Race Day-Along the Route:Water Stations

There will be 7 Water Stations. Six are being staffed by clubs, and one by a group of general volunteers

There is an overall water station captain (Ben Fong) who will work with the table captains for each stop to understand how to set up the water table, run it and break down once runners have passed.

Table, water, water containers, cups, pitchers, trash bags and other items are being supplied by the Half Marathon Committee, and will be delivered to each site before the race begins.

Race Day-Along the Route:Course Volunteers

The Half Marathon Planning Committee has arranged to have police directing traffic at the busiest intersections

Other locations for Course Volunteers were recommended by the police and will be staffed by 1 or 2 volunteers each

Co-Captains for the Course Volunteers are Sandii Brimble and Debbie Perrella

The route will be marked by cones, but volunteers will still be needed to ensure that runners stay on the course, because there will be split timing devices that runners must pass to receive their certified time along the route.

Basically, you cheer people along and point them in the right direction! More specific instructions for each post will be e-mailed to members of this team and will also be available at the expo.

Race Day-Along the Route:Finish Line Crew

Volunteers at the actual finish line chute will be directed by Mike Williams of WOW Bootcamp. Duties will include:

– Cheering runners as they finish

– Keeping runners moving through the chute so that there is not congestion

– Handing out medals to finishers

– Assisting runners experiencing fatigue or distress in getting the the medical tent or EMTs

– Encouraging runners to get refreshments at the water and refreshment areas, and to attend the after event on the patio near Farm 255.

Race Day-Break Down Volunteers at all stations will be responsible for helping break down

their stations and picking up trash, discarded cups and/or discarded items

For the different stations, this means:

– Operations volunteers may assist with breaking down tables and tents, taking down signs and banners, trash pickup, and moving barricades or scaffolding

– Other unanticipated duties may be necessary

– Course volunteers can leave their post after the last runner and the police chase car pass their location, and are encouraged to come to the finish area, assist with other tasks, and to join the after event.

Race Day-Break Down Breakdown For Water Stations:

– After the last runner passes your station (should be followed by a police car) you may begin to break down your tables.

– Pick up all cups, trash, gel wrappers, or clothing discarded by runners and place in bags provided for your station. (keep clothes separate from trash)

– Break down tables and place off sidewalk or near port-a-potty by your station for pick up.

– Empty water containers and place unused cups and items in water containers and place with tables

– Return to finish area to join the fun!

Race Day-Break Down Breakdown For Gear Check:

– Runners will likely begin arriving around 8:30 a.m.

– Timing will stop for the race at 11 a.m.

– At noon, the Gear Check Captain should check in with the Volunteer Coordinator or the Operations Team leader about any items left and a determination will be made about whether to keep gear check open or to and close down. We'll attempt to make an announcement about closing 10-15 minutes beforehand

– Leftover items will be collected and if the owner cannot be determined, donated to the local homeless shelter.

Volunteer Expectations

Confirm your availability with your team captain ASAP and check your e-mail daily from now until race day.

Read the AthensGAHalf.Com website, and pay particular attention to the course map, the rules and regulations and the FAQ page.

Contact your captain or the volunteer coordinator if you are not able to follow through on your volunteer commitment, so that we can identify a replacement

Report to your assigned station at the appropriate time and stay there until the last runner passes (course and water stations) or you are excused by your team captain.

Thank You! Thank you for generously donating your time and energy toward making

this first-ever event a success. Approximately 200 volunteers signed up to assist. We could not be doing this without you!

We have over 1700 runners registered and may come close to reaching our cap of 2000.

Since this is a first-time event, we've had to adjust some plans along the way and we'll certainly need to be flexible during the expo and race, because some plans may need to change. We appreciate your flexibility!

We'll learn quite a bit as we execute the event and will solicit your feedback and suggestions for improvement after race day.If you have a camera or camera phone with you during your volunteer shift, please take pictures of your station set up and send them to volunteer@athensgahalf.com. It will help us plan future events.