The Pursuit of Happy Volunteers

Every year our country remembers the acts and declarations of our forefathers. And every year, 30,000 runners take in the sights and long-standing history in the city of brotherly love. As George Washington once said, “Let’s run this thing!”

The Philadelphia Marathon was founded over 60 years ago and is consistently listed among the top ten courses in the country. While the theme changes every year, the course and the people remain favorites among the runners trotting along the water and through downtown Philly.

Photo cred: racingtoregister.com

Christine Waite is the volunteer coordinator for the ~3,500 volunteers it takes to make this race happen each year. Between the Kids Fun Run, 8K, Half Marathon and Marathon, she says the event could not be the success it is without these volunteers.

While this is a long-standing event with many repeat participants and volunteers, the process to get there has been far from seamless. In fact, they have switched volunteer registration processes three times in the last three years.

Photo cred: blog.citysports.com
Photo cred: blog.citysports.com

With the ability to send confirmation emails to volunteers, customize volunteer roles, and run up-to-date reports, the Philadelphia Marathon has finally found their perfect match with VolunteerLocal. Waite says, “Compared to last year’s system, it is 100 times better!”

It’s not too late to help these founding runners!

To life, liberty, and happy volunteering!

Samantha Gratton

Samantha is a staff writer at VolunteerLocal. She has experience coordinating events and loves chocolate.