Volunteering My Time

Today there are a select group of runners preparing to run 100 miles on the Salt Flats of Utah tomorrow. They will wake up early and try to complete the run in 36 hours. Some will hurry through the course while most will suffer. I have the luxury of driving my Jeep Wrangler on very rough roads out to the 40-mile aid station where I will provide water and food for the runners. I will also use ham radio to send their times to race control so family and friends know where they are on the course.

This is something I have done for the past decade or so and appreciate the chance to help out. One thing about ham radio which is also known as amateur radio is that you cannot be paid for it. That is the very definition of amateur. This is one of two ultra marathons that I help with every year and they are always an adventure.

One year helping with this race, I pulled into aid station 5 and heard air escaping from my right-rear tire. I continued to drive to my final destination, aid station 6 as the tire still had plenty of air. When we had a lull in the activity, my buddy pulled out his battery-powered impact wrench and we changed the tire like a NASCAR pit crew. The spare had never been used and needed a bit of air but Jeepers always carry air compressors and we easily filled the tire.

Another year we had someone get off course and find themselves in quicksand as the sun sank below the horizon. Fortunately the recording of runners at Aid Station 6 allowed the race organizers to know the last known location and the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter quickly located the runner. The helicopter hovered above the quicksand and they were able to pull the person to safety. I will confess that the pilot may have gotten too close to the ground and almost got stuck himself.

There are countless more stories to tell but the message I want to share is that volunteering is important. There are lots of people that can use your help and so do your community a favor and look for opportunities to help out. You won't be rewarded monetarily but you will be compensated in many other ways.