More than 75,000 people volunteered for the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010. That would be a healthy annual salary, it’s more people than students at UBC and it’s about population of Chilliwack. Truly, this must say multitudes about the power of sport within a community.
The BMO Vancouver Marathon took place on May 3, and over 4,000 eager and willing Vancouverites were behind the successful operation. I was one of those volunteers. After an injury prevented my enrolment in the event, I wanted to contribute to the race in some way. The marathon was advertising for route marshals, people to set up and strike down the course and water distributers. For anybody who has tried to run any kind of distance on a warm Vancouver afternoon, hydration and replenishment is 100 per cent necessary.
When I arrived to set up the booth at 8 a.m. I was met by several dozen barrels of water, a mountain of paper cups and a few tubs of energy powder. Before the runners came by we were tasked with setting up hundreds of cups to hand out to the athletes over the next four hours. After the set up, local residents started to arrive from their houses to cheer on the elite athletes.
The wait was full of anticipation, with some volunteers betting on when the first runners would pass. As the first runner, Luka Chilemo, glided through the water station there were cheers, shouts and words of encouragement. I don’t know whether I’ve ever been so close to athletes of such high calibre before. All I can say is the way he ran was like a gazelle. You wouldn’t think that after running 26 kilometres someone could move at such a fast pace, but Chilemo did. That was the first inspirational moment of the day.
It wasn’t only the elite runners, however, who were a source of inspiration in the marathon. This may sound embarrassingly weak, but standing in the sun for hours, holding water, carrying jugs, picking up trash and cheering for the hoards of runners was pretty tiring. Although, of course, you couldn’t say this aloud in front of the athletes, whose tiredness couldn’t compare to anything I had ever felt.
Many of the runners, whether going at a slow or fast pace, managed to show their appreciation for the volunteers. Although this perhaps seems like a small gesture, when considering the large numbers of water stations, first aid stations and rest stops, these small signs of gratitude really added up to an overwhelming sense of appreciation, which served as a reminder of the importance of everybody who was involved with the event. When individuals made a point to thank the volunteers personally, it was touching, emotional and (again) inspirational.
One of the volunteers in charge of my water station had been working with the BMO marathon for a total of 37 years. The thousands of runners he had watched and supported over the years led to a number of stories and memories to be relayed throughout the day, some moving, some hilarious.
Among the 18,000 runners, there were several athletes sporting UBC-branded gear, some respectively close to the front of the race. The amount of training it takes to run a successful marathon is phenomenal, and to do this alongside a difficult degree, shortly after weeks of finals is admirable beyond belief.
After experiencing the marathon from such an involved position, I can only stress how much every single runner inspired me. As a member of the support team for these athletes -- and yes, every single person passing by our station is an athlete -- all I take away is a sense of gratefulness for the appreciation towards the runners. Two of the elite runners were helping each other out, handing water and energy drinks to each other and urging each other on.
Teamwork in sport is not just between teammates and their coaches. It is between the people who pay for tickets, the medical teams, the route marshals and people handing out replenishments to athletes. The framework of sports is essentially built on a foundation of teamwork. Through mutual support, success is guaranteed.
UBC’s Rec staff are certainly a fine example of the support network that is essential in sport. If you attended any event this year -- Storm the Wall, the Great Trek, intramural -- you would be hard pressed to not notice the hoards of support coming from every member of the UBC Rec team.
This, to me, is the most important aspect of any sport, whether it be individual or team-based. There is no sport, no competition, no success without a team behind the athletes. Often, big sporting events only garner attention to a few high achieving athletes. But the Vancouver Marathon was about so much more than that. It was about the professional athletes, the recreational runners and the students whose study breaks involved intense workouts, whose meals were tracked and monitored to ensure success, whose social lives had to be sacrificed the evening before big training runs. But, it is also about the organizers and volunteers who provide water and first aid to tiring athletes, who map out the course and make sure it’s safe, and to the people who show up to cheer and support. The marathon is about bringing a city together, not just about running really, really far.
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