Volunteering at 2013 Toronto Scotiabank Marathon

This past weekend, October 18-20th, was the 2013 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon held in the Toronto core. Myself, as well as three-thousand other volunteers dedicated our weekend to helping with various positions for the race weekend. There were three races at this event, a 5K, a half-marathon and a full marathon.  It was the biggest event I have volunteered at and was a great learning experience for the area within marketing I am most interested in; sports marketing. My positions this past weekend included working at the packet pick-up booths on Friday at the Direct Energy Centre, and signing in the VIP/Elites on Sunday.  All the participants and athletes were super nice and all seemed pumped for race day. The majority of the racers participated in the 5K race but combined with all the races there was a total of 20,000 racers on Sunday. Volunteering as VIP check-in, I was able to have a great view of the finish line and the giant video screen. Signing in individuals like Councilors, Elite athletes, Doug Ford and other VIP’s was exciting as I would not of been given that chance to talk and socialize with them if not for volunteering.  Midway through my volunteer shift, I could hear the roar of the crowds behind me. I took a moment and stood by the sideline and saw that someone was about to break a record!  A significant record was broken at the marathon, where Deressa Chimsa of Ethiopia ran a marathon in 2:07:05. This was the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil and brought in lots of excitement from the crowds. When Deressa Chimsa was on the final stretch the crowds went absolutely wild! I don’t know much about marathons or running, but there were way more fans than I would of expected.

From a volunteers perspective, it was a great weekend knowing how appreciated both the organizers and participants were for our time. I was thanked personally by a few athletes on friday and by the organizers on Sunday, which made volunteering more fulfilling. The thank you wishes makes volunteers want to come back to help again next year, and spreads a positive word of mouth for new people to volunteer in the future.

Photo taken by Cindy Atwood-Mcconnell: Myself, Saudya, Lindsay and Becca Volunteering at the Expo