Marathon weekend volunteering?

[mamacate]

Hi all,

My first half will be the 2012 princess. I have a frequent flyer ticket that will expire just before that trip, so I'm trying to come up with a trip that will fit with my complicated work and child care schedule. I'm thinking of going to Disney for a long weekend for the marathon, running the 5k, getting in a long run in a non-snowy setting, and volunteering for the marathon or half.

Can anyone share disney race volunteering thoughts? Is it fun? Insanely hard work? Friendly?

Thanks!

Cate

 

[jmasgat]

I've volunteered twice--once for the half and once for the full. Worked as a course marshal for the half in Epcot during a FREEZING race in 2010. Did a water stop in the MK behind Splash in 2009. It was fun--pretty much like volunteering for any race. It is not not that hard, there are a lot of people volunteering. The type of activity you pick will dictate whether you will be with others or on your own. The water stop, I was with others. The course marshal, I was standing on my own, although not that far from others.

Depending on the shift, it may require you to do insane hours (i.e time of day). The shifts I picked were about 5 hours or so and I was done by 9:30-10:00, which was nice.

This year I have signed up to do the full, for a water stop in MK. Now whether I get that shift, who knows. In 2010, they changed me over from what I signed up for.

Like any race, runners are friendly about thanking volunteers. And it's nice to get that free park ticket!

Maura

 

[jmasgat]

Sigh....why this post duplicated is a mystery!

 

[Lullabee]

I started volunteering before I ran my first half to scope out a big race and I'm glad that I did! Disney races and expos can be intimidating in my opinion and I felt much more comfortable when my race came around since I'd seen the process before.

Overall it is a lot of fun, but of course depends on what you are doing and who else is working. I've volunteered for many Disney events, and they treat their volunteers very well with t-shirt, meal, and park tickets. I really enjoy doing the expo with all the order and organization. Finish line is good as well. Everyone is excited to get their medal, so its fun to be the person handing those out.

The only job I do not enjoy is bag check. I've done it a few times and there always seems to be a couple really aggressive volunteers that will dive in front of you or snatch a bag right out of your hands to be able to hand it to the runner. Nothing unbearable, but takes the fun out of it and really negates the celebratory mood of the race for me.

I just checked the volunteer registration and the only slots left are 5K or waitlist. I've been on the waitlist before and was able to volunteer, but of course it isn't guaranteed. Good luck with your first half!

 

[mamacate]

Hey, thanks for checking on the availability! Couldn't find that information myself, sigh. I have been dithering too much on this ticket--I travel a lot for business by myself, and because of family needs, my spouse and I can't go together. So it's kind of hard to find something to do that will feel relaxing and fun. I had thought about doing the Tinkerbell half, but that sold out before I decided too! I guess I'd better get my act together! Thanks for the good advice--I'm going to make a decision by Tuesday!

Cate