Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? The month is dedicated to recognizing the importance of volunteering.

I’m a big believer in giving back and that includes giving back to the running community. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to serve as a race director on a couple of occasions, and I can say without a doubt that there’s just no way to put on a great race without the support of people willing to volunteer their time and energy.

So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m re-sharing five reasons to be a race volunteer (This post was published in August 2018 and has been updated.)

Fit Five Friday — Five Reasons to be a Race Volunteer

Give Back — The most obvious reason to be a race volunteer is it gives you a chance to give back to a sport that you love and to support the running community.

Stay Connected — If you’re sidelined with an injury or slowly working your way back from one, being a race volunteer is a great way to help you feel more connected to running and racing.

Make New Connections — You never know who you’ll end up working with when you volunteer for a race! Volunteering can give you the opportunity to connect with brands, running groups, and race directors…who knows where that might lead? Also, some races reward their volunteers with swag and discounted or free entries for future races.

Gain Some Perspective — Once you see all that goes into making a race day come together and the effort and enthusiasm of race volunteers, trust me you’ll have a whole new appreciation for those volunteers along the course the next time you’re racing.

Be Inspired — There’s inspiration all around when it comes to race day and being a race volunteer gives you a chance to experience that inspiration up close and personal. Spend a morning working at a race and I dare you to not come away fired up for your own training!

Volunteering at Boston 2017!

I’ll be back volunteering next weekend at the Boston Marathon (my 7th time!) and I cannot wait! Each time has been such a great experience. As more and more races return to being in person this year, I’ve noticed a lot of RDs putting out requests for race volunteers. I encourage every runner to get out and be a volunteer at least once at a race, large or small – you won’t regret it!

Have you ever volunteered at a race?

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