Today was the 26th annual Moose Run in my community of Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. This 25km road race follows a beautiful and challenging course along the shores of the Atlantic ocean with views that no runner could possibly take for granted. When the race organizers (who also manage the local run club I belong to) posted on Facebook that they were looking for some volunteers to help at the event, I decided it would be a great way to take a step back from training while taking some time to learn what really goes on behind the scenes at these types of events to make them go off without a hitch.

For the first 25 years of the Moose Run, it was organized by a couple of dedicated community members who decided to retire from the event and pass the torch to a new Race Director for its 26th year. This race was far different from any other that I’ve attended and everything about it seemed a bit retro (but in the greatest way!). Registration opened at 8:30am and there was no advanced registration online. Each runner was asked to fill out a paper form and once it was completed, they were provided with their bib. By 9:30 the lineup was really long but nobody seemed to mind. The Moose Run has always been a ‘pay what you can’ event and proceeds from the event directly support local charities which always puts everyone in a good mood.

When I arrived at the local rec centre (the starting point for the race), I was assigned to be one of 3 timers who were in charge of tracking all of the runners as they crossed the finish line after their 25km journeys. The other 2 volunteers were each provided with an electronic device that looked similar to a 1980’s debit machine and contained a small roll of white paper. When the race started, they started the devices which kept track of the time and they clicked a big yellow button each time a runner crossed the makeshift finish line (a row of orange pylons). My job was to write down the corresponding bib number of each finisher so that they could go back later and compare each finishing time from the ancient time tracking devices with the corresponding bib number to figure out the finishing time for each runner. I’m just glad I wasn’t the person that had to go through all of that!

At the end of the race, participants were provided with hot coffee and chili from Tim Horton’s and I was provided with a new sense of appreciation for race organizers and the people who regularly volunteer at community events. I almost got emotional when I watched the former race director (who is not a young man!) cross the finish line as a participant for what was probably the first time at an event he organized for a quarter of a century. I felt excited when I saw somebody get a personal best and was wowed when one runner (who was one of the last runners on course) skipped the finish line saying “My Garmin doesn’t say 25km yet!” and continued down the road to return a few minutes later to finally cross the finish line. I don’t think I’d be that dedicated or honest!

All in all, it was fun to volunteer, to connect with some other local runners and to watch the successes of 237 individuals as they all aimed for the same goal: to make it to the end of the race before the coffee and free food ran out!

Congrats to all the Moose Runners today!

Cheers,

A tired volunteer