Over the years, I've been a big fan of volunteering for Marathons. I've worked several New York Marathons as a Finish Line Marshal (over 400 runners cross the finish line - 20' wide- per minute) and then continued with similar positions for Los Angeles Marathon.
Since 2005, when I became Ham Licensed, I continue to Volunteer for the Los Angeles Marathon -- started off as Mile Net Operator and then moved on to Shadow Operator for Acura Bike Tour Race Director.
It's quite a trip to be part of the communications loop between Department of Transportation (stationed at the Command Center in Downtown Los Angeles) to Ham Shadow Net Control to me to Race Director to guy with starter pistol -- all within 10 seconds of DOT clearing the course.
It's a great opportunity being part of a large operation with multiple radio nets and exacting communication protocols. You will find that the art of listening is required more than talking, but they give frequent opportunities to do radio check-ins.
Please consider signing up -- I just did.
73,
Paul (KI6USA)
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News from the LA Marathon-Volunteer Edition
February 2009 | | Happy New Year from the staff of the LA Marathon. We have some exciting things to share with you. | Marathon Date/Course Change Race to be held on Memorial Day - May 25, 2009 The 2009 Los Angeles Marathon promises to be the start of a new era, both for race participants and the entire Los Angeles community. We're building your race-and our organization that supports it-around the transformational power of sport, inspiring athletes and connecting communities. In that effort, we're pleased to announce that Honda has announced its return as presenting sponsor of the marathon and Acura is back as the title sponsor for the bike tour. We've hired Nick Curl, a respected veteran of the racing world who spent more than a dozen years affiliated with the marathon, as our race director. We are also announcing a return to a runner-friendly course, the old "loop" course that starts and finishes downtown.
In speaking to hundreds of runners in recent weeks, we've heard lots of comments about the race. All of those comments inform our decision-making process. One idea that we heard frequently and which we can implement immediately is to improve the race route. We are excited to announce that this year we will begin and end the race in Downtown Los Angeles. We're using the same popular course that was used from 1996-2006. This route highlights a variety of great neighborhoods throughout the city, sending participants through the Crenshaw, Koreatown, Hancock Park, and the Mid-City neighborhoods along the way. It also produced the fastest LA Marathon time to date-a 2:08:40 by Benson Cherono in 2006.
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2009 LA Marathon Volunteers Needed Online Registration Now Open It is already time to start planning for the 2009 LA Marathon and we cannot do this without our wonderful volunteers! The LA Marathon is looking for community assistance in the area of volunteering the week of May 18 to May 25. Volunteer registration is available online at www.lamarathon.com. Volunteers can choose to sign up individiually or as groups. To register, fill out the online form and you will receive a confirmation email. Registration is available for Race Week Office Support May 18-25, Run/Ex/09 Expo on May 23 & 24 and Race Day May 25. Details about your volunteer assignment will be emailed out to you in early May. To register as an Individual, click HERE. To create a Volunteer Group, click HERE. To join a Volunteer Group, click HERE. (You will need the password provided by your group's leader.) | | Contact Us/Questions If you have any questions regarding volunteering for the 2009 LA Marathon, or are interested in working as a volunteer captain/coordinator please contact Stacy Embretson at (310) 271-7200 or via email stacy@lamarathon.com. | |
| We hope that you will all join us for the 2009 LA Marathon. Thanks for your support,
The LA Marathon Team | |
