About 1,000 people will be involved in this weekend’s fourth annual Mill Race Marathon events as volunteers.
But 35 of them think they have the best volunteer jobs of all.
While the marathon cycling volunteers team doesn’t compete in any of the events, its members will be on the course to keep thousands who will be running safe throughout the full and half marathons, as well as Saturday’s 5K event.
“These are bicyclists who really enjoy biking given front-row seats to the big show while performing a vital activity,” said Terry Molewyk, an employee of Cummins Inc. who has been involved with the marathon since its inaugural 2013 run.
Due to such perks, not only are there plenty of willing volunteers, but “in some cases, there is a bit of competition to do it,” Molewyk said.
However, having a good time doesn’t diminish the importance of the team, nor the hard work its members put into the event, according to one of the marathon’s co-founders.
The bicyclists remain connected to both the organizing committee and medical teams by radio, providing updates on where the runners are on the course, reporting medical issues, and being on the lookout for potential safety problems, Dave Venable said.
“Essentially they are the pulse of the runners on the course,” said Venable, who also works for Cummins and has been a member of the marathon organizing committee from the start.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
