Last year I was out of town for Carter’s Run, but I introduced you to Carter and the event named after him when I interviewed Carter’s mom Lisa, my Moms RUN This Town friend.
This year I didn’t run, but I did something even better; I volunteered with a group of my friends at our first ever MRTT water stop! You can bet we had a ton of fun and did a lot of goofing off!
Erin picked Vicki and me up around 7 AM for the short drive to the elementary school so we could check-in and confirm the location for setting up our tables. After a quick hug, and wishing Lisa (Carter’s mom and race director) a happy birthday, we were off!
We got to our spot around 7:20, and really needed to hustle to get our tables set up in time for the 9 AM race start! 😀 Are we efficient or what? We go by the motto: the early bird catches the worm, and has more time for shenanigans!
And sparkly pictures!
On a side note, Erin was freaking out that Kathy would knock the table over while taking the picture! Kathy kept backing up closer and closer to the table…
Once the cones were put down, we were able to move the tables out onto the street…
Practice our handoffs…
Take a picture of our fabulous crew…
And get photo-bombed by a grand-slam hitting young man while having a picture taken of the bloggers present! Nate and his mom had to leave the water stop early to go to his baseball game and he hit a grand-slam! Congrats, Nate!
You already know Erin and me, so I’d love to introduce you to our running buddy Michelle who writes The Fit Hipster, which chronicles her recover from her recent hip surgery.
Finally it was show time! First by the water stop was a very speedy man way ahead of everyone else. With twelve outstretched hands holding water cups to choose from, he grabbed a cup of water from Erin, and boy was she pumped.
Not too far behind was our MRTT friend Colleen who won the women’s 10K!
We loved being on the cheering side and encouraging our friends as they ran by! Next up after Colleen was Jen…
Then Misty and the twins….
Then Amanda pushing Sarah…
And some guy we didn’t know, but it’s a great water handoff action shot…
And then came the little girl in the tutu! There were so many cute children, but this little lady’s tutu made our day!
After all of the runners came through, we didn’t want to waste the water so I chugged the leftover 200 or so cups!
And then a bird pooped on my arm – but I hear that’s good luck. Good luck for whom – me, or all of my friends who didn’t get pooped on?
Except for the bird poop, it was a fabulous day!
- Questions:
- Have you volunteered at a race? ~ This was my first time. Even though I was the race director of The Tortoise and The Hare 8K for six years, I was paid for my hours.
- Have you ever been pooped on by a bird? ~ Today was my first time.
- Who raced today?
I’ve volunteered at MCM (bag drop off), Cherry Blossom (packet pick up) and the Reston Sprint Tri (course marshal). Had a great time at all, but manning the MRTT water stop with you fabulous ladies was definitely the most fun! Oh, and yes to the bird poop!
Very cool, Tracy! I missed you and Erin this morning. 😉
Sounds like fun! Love the little girl in the tutu!
Coco recently posted…Five Books To Read This Summer
It was a blast! And of course, being with my running friends helped make it even more fun.
Great recap, Deb! It was so good to see you and the gang today. I have missed you guys! Nate had fun too…and I still can’t believe his grand slam 🙂
Thanks, Michelle! I’m still pumped for Nate! He will remember that grand-slam forever. 🙂
I’ve done a few water stops with our MRTT group. They are lots of fun and lots of work for the bigger races. Great way to repay the volunteers who do it for us.
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…5 Crazy Thoughts Runners Have While Racing
We kept reminding ourselves how much more laid-back it was than working a larger race. We had tons of time to goof off, something I can’t imagine during the Cherry Blossom!
this was soooo much fun! Great recap as always!
Thanks, Erin! I missed seeing you and Tracy this morning and our little “three times in twenty-seven hours” time together!
That looked like a lot of fun! minus the bird poop and I did hear it was good luck because what are the odds that you get pooped on twice??? 🙂 I have volunteered for Disney but only at the expo haven’t made it on the course yet! Have a great Sunday!
Mary Beth Jackson recently posted…It is an Active Girl’s Weekend!
One bird – double poop!
I bet volunteering at one of the Disney races’ expos would be a lot of work!
I volunteered a few times when I was injured. My job was to put the racers into the computer. I’ve never manned a water stop. Deb, I had to do a double-take. For a minute, I thought you were wearing a sparkle skirt! So close.
HoHo Runs recently posted…Fitbit Fanatic
Your volunteer job sounds tedious.
Miracles do happen – perhaps one day you’ll see me in a sparkle skirt! 🙂
Oh the bird poop! Ugh. Good on ya for volunteering I really love to help out at races….it’s almost as fun as racing on your own, and no pressure, either! I think all runners should take a turn now and again, especially when we all benefit so much from the help of others whenever we race.
misszippy1 recently posted…Off to the Wild Half
What I enjoyed most was seeing how many children were running (and running well) in the race!
I think you’re lucky the poop wasn’t on your head! LOL
I love volunteering at water stops. It’s a lot of fun! And not so exhausting as running a race.
Courtney @ Don’t Blink. Just Run. recently posted…Abington Police Community Partners 5K Race Recap
You’ve got a very good point about it not landing on my head, so yes, I’d say it was good luck! 🙂
[…] water stop for Carter’s Run and it was a fabulous experience. My good buddy DebRuns wrote a fabulous recap of our experience and I got to see RunnerChick29 out there too (such a treat!). AMAZING […]
I had a real laugh out loud moment when I read your drank all the leftover water 🙂
Jennifer recently posted…St. Michaelâs Half Training 5/11-5/17 â Week 8
😀
Glad I’m not the only one who recaps volunteering at a race 🙂 It’s a fun experience, isn’t it!? Looks like y’all ran a very efficient water stop – with plenty left to go around. That’s good. Glad you had a good time!
P.S. I’ve been pooped on by a bird before. I think it’s mainly a sign of luck for those around you who did not get pooped on!
Meagan recently posted…Hiking on the Appalachian Trail
Agreed! It’s good luck for everyone except the poopee!
I have volunteer at the cherry blossom race, and army 10 and a few other. Bet experience ever. My son has joined me to get his service ours got middle school.
My son volunteered at a few races to get service hours for the National Honor Society. One time he volunteered at a marathon I ran, and it was so fun to see him when I ran by!