A thankless task?

For those of you that follow my blip you'll know that I frequently volunteer at sporting events.

I am also usually quite positive, but I fear volunteering today may have broken my volunteering spirit.

I was up at 6am, working by 7am and gave up my entire Saturday to help marshal 4 races. I got home with sore aching legs at 3pm, starving and thirsty after having no breaks. I was shouted at, was made to feel bad when I allowed tired runners to sit down rather than moving down the finish funnel, and had to deal with irate parents who had lost their children.

And I did it with a helpful smile.

I did it because I'm a runner and I like to support my fellow runners. I believe everyone deserves a cheery smile and applause when they cross the line. That's why last year I stood on the finish line on marathon day for 9 hours and I clapped every single runner in.

But sometimes being a volunteer is a thankless task. Today has not been a good day. I wasn't even supposed to be volunteering this weekend. On the official lists, I was told I wasn't needed, but the finish area manager contacted me to ask me to help (as I had done it last year). So I went.

Again I'm not on the official lists for tomorrow either. And my experiences today have left me so drained, that I'm not going back to join the ranks tomorrow. I will go along to the marathon and show my support, but I won't be doing it from inside the barriers, I'll do it from the crowd.