Advice For Volunteering At Run Water Station

General volunteering advice: bring a small backpack with sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and a water bottle for each person.  Wear good shoes and workout clothes, because you'll be running around and it's like a workout.

Hold the cups at either the top or the bottom, not at the middle, so they are easier to grab.

Be aware of where your fingers have been.  It's easy to find yourself sticking your fingers IN the cups if thing are moving fast.  I'd suggest wearing gloves.

Smile and cheer everyone on.  Have fun!   Working any sort of volunteer position is hard but rewarding.

Volunteered at a water station for a Tri with a friend.  We pulled his car near the aid station, found a fun upbeat radio station on pandora, rolled down the windows, and turned the music up.  Just made sure we had a fun time out there and were upbeat when they came by. 

Good advice on the water and snacks for yourself...I felt more tired volunteering than I did any race I have done...

If you are serving both water and a sport drink call out what is in your hand.  I prefer when the cup is held at the very bottom by the volunteer.

And thanks for your service.  People really do appreciate you being there.

Thanks for volunteering!

Personally, I like when they balance the cup on a flat palm and I can just grab it from them...  The other tips about sunscreen and hat and such is also good.

Done the water stop a few times.

If you are using little paper cups, bring a big yard rake, and use it during down time to get the cups out of the path of the runners. It makes it way easier then bending over and picking each one up individually.

If you have kids there with you handing out water that's great but I have noticed some kids flinch when a runner comes by at full speed and tries to grab something.

Also if your filling cups up, bring a few pitchers so you can easily pour into the cups.

If you are going to pre pour a few hundred cups, pieces of cardboard are great. So lay out a table full of cups that are full, then put the cardboard on top and make a second layer. If its a big race you are going to go through a lot of water and sports drink. If your at a spot that runners will go buy multiple times this is going to make you a much happier person.

One of the races we try to volunteer at each year is a marathon / half marathon, and each waterstop has a theme. So we all dress up according to our theme and try to have theme related music playing. At Triathlon events since the participants can't have headphones, we always try to have good music playing and sing along.

Thanks for volunteering, its a fun thing to do!

X2 on the holding it hear the bottom, less likely to clash limbs.  Also like the calling out whats in the cup.  Nothing is worse than grabbing a lemonade type refreshement and dumping it over your head because you thought it was water. 

Also if you are working a station towards the end of the marathon keep an eye on the runners themselves.  Make sure they are okay, many will walk the water station.  I made it a habit to walk with those that seemed a little "punchy" and ask them a few questions.  "Hows the race going?"  "You feeling okay?" "How much further you got?" (this is a question to make sure they are still with it) and if they can't answer that ask them what day of the week it is.  It may seem over cautious but its better to be safe than sorry as the temps pick up.

Clean up will be a lot easier if you have trash cans quite a ways past the station. Some stations put their trash way to close and no one has time to finish their drinks before they're past the trash area so cups get thrown over a long section of the course.

If a racer doesn't thank you-

throw a cup of water in his face.

if the runner is really mean-

make it gatorade.

If a racer doesn't thank you-

throw a cup of water in his face.

if the runner is really mean-

make it gatorade...

Please ignore this.. I think you will find  the really hotshot racers  and important people will be less friendly .. As the race goes on  you will find the racers getting nicer and nicer..

My 12 and 7 year olds and I have volunteered at water stations. It's great for teaching kids teamwork. We'd take turns filling cups, and passing them out. I just make sure they aren't standing in the path of the runners, and showed them how to swing with the runner as they pass so that is a smoother transfer. I love it when they make it a point to take water from my kids.