Technology in the Desert

I helped keep runners safe at the Salt Flats Endurance Run held earlier this month. It is something I do every year as it combines off-road driving with ham radio. For some reason crazy people enjoy running out in the desert and a select group of people go out and help make sure they stay safe. Interestingly enough, I think the volunteers outnumber the runners two or three to one. I should try and figure that out next year.

Normally my wife and I drive out to Aid Station 6 and set up camp for the day. We bring lots of drinks and food to help fuel the runners. Once we are done, we drive back the way we came over a very rough road that requires high-clearance vehicles. The runners continue on a trail that we can't follow as per Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rules. It takes us about 45 minutes to make the drive to Aid Station 5, which also happens to be Aid Station 7. There we wait for all the runners to safely make it in. This year we didn't have to.

In the past we have waited as our vehicles might be needed to get as close to the runners as possible before having to continue on foot. This year the radio crew at Aid Station 5/7 had a new toy: a drone. Instead of driving out a mile or two and hiking to look for lost runners, they could send a drone equipped with a camera as well as night vision. That allowed us to leave at a reasonable hour of 9pm and get home by 1am. Previous years has had us sticking around until midnight or later. That makes for a long day.

This year we hung around for a few minutes and then made the lengthy drive back to the start/finish line. We dropped off all of our extra food and some of the remnants of the runners' drop bags that we brought out to our aid station. While checking out with the race officials, we could hear on the radio the happenings at Aid 5/7 and the status of the last runner, slowly making his way to them. We knew he would take time as he barely made it to our aid station before the mandatory cutoff time. They sent the drone to locate him and did so as the marvelous piece of technology reached its maximum range before needing to return or risk running out of battery. On that news, my wife and I jumped into our Jeep Wrangler and drove home. It felt downright luxurious being home by 1am.

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.

Spring is in the Air

I took a couple days off last week so I could help run the last ski race of the season at Snowbird. I am responsible for recruiting volunteers and making sure they show up. As the requirements to be either a finish or start referee limits the pool of volunteers, I often end up being one of them. The start referee at a ski race is a thankless job that requires a bladder of steel as you are stuck at the top of the race hill all day long. Fortunately I had someone who wanted the job for all but one day. Even then, I had someone willing to stay at the top of the race course when I needed to take a bio break.

I switched off being the finish referee with my wife for the remaining three days. This allowed me to do a bit of skiing with friends from work. When I would get tired and need a break, I would head down to the race hill and relieve my wife. On Sunday, I took full-time duty as the finish ref and sat at the bottom of the race hill in a wet snowstorm. After almost 4 hours in the elements, I felt frozen and the need to go inside. It was at this point that a number of the boys came down the race course wearing helmets, goggles, gloves, skis, ski boots, their race bib, swimsuits, and nothing else. What a crazy bunch of guys. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw them go by.

This morning I got on a plane and headed to sunny California. It was so warm, I rode back to my boat this evening without a jacket and enjoyed the warm spring air. I'm not quite ready for ski season to be over but I am looking forward to not being so cold. As it warms up outside, take the opportunity to grab your laptop or tablet and see if you can spend more time outdoors. I have had the boat opened up this evening as I work on the computer and it has been wonderful. Of course I did have to put my sweater back on once the sun went down, but it felt good to be out in the fresh air.

Helping Others

In one of my previous posts, I explained how to get free lift tickets to Snowbird Ski Resort. It is that time of year where the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation just listed all of their races for the coming season and normal people can sign up to help. In return for spending a day freezing on the side of a mountain, you will receive 2 passes that can be used on another day during the season. If you are looking for a cheap way to go skiing, this is it.

I have spent a better part of my evening going through the list of volunteers that have already responded and adding names to the website. Unfortunately there are a few regular volunteers that offer to help and then never show up. If you ignore them, they sign up again and again. If you try to confront them about it, they claim they attended every race they signed up for. It isn't any fun to be the bad guy but I have to make room for people that actually help out.

Speaking of helping out, I think the world would be a much better place if we all helped each other out. There is a regular on my Monday morning flight that gives me a ride from the Oakland airport to my office in Foster City. It is on the way to his job in Redwood City and so it is only a minor inconvenience to drop me off. In return for the favor, I pay the toll across the San Mateo Bridge. If I was taking public transportation to get to my office, I would have to pay $10 and the bridge is only $5. It turns out we both save $5, which can add up over the course of several years.

This week as we were driving after getting off the plane in Oakland, my co-commuter asked about getting a PlayStation 3. Working for a video game company gives me access to discounted consoles like the PS3 as well as discounts on games. He told me what he wanted and I placed an order for him. I saved him about 50% as opposed to purchasing everything in the store and I was happy to help him out. Do I expect anything in return? Nope, and that's the way it should be.