I've done it for the New York City Half Marathon and for handcycle/wheelchair participants at the New York City Marathon.

Some are marshalling, and some are working with TV/video crews, telling them things they are seeing. Some might possible be working for the race organization in a similar capacity. They can be closer to the athletes with less impact on the race in terms of drafting and pollution compared to most cars and motorcycles.

At the very front of the race there will be people doing both tasks.

At the NYC Half, I was with Haile Gebrselassie one year I think to relay race info back to the media truck, which was wild. So fast. The next year I was at the very back of the race, with the slowest competitors left on the course, as marshals and to be prepared to call for medical assistance. Also interesting, but very different. With the handcycle/wheelchair athletes in the NYC Marathon, I was marshalling and also allowed to help with mechanical assistance, but nothing more - no splits or anything. One of the faster guys flatted near me, so I helped him change a tire.

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http://www.jt10000.com/

I've done it twice for the Rock'n'Roll Philly half. Yes, a really cool way to watch the race. This year I also did it for the 5k and 10k the day before, and that was a lot different. For the 5k it was basically herding runners to one side of the cones to ensure the race leader and the RD's vehicle had a clear path back to the start (out and back course). The 10k the RD just told me to stay with him, so basically just ahead of the leader, I had to place a clock for him at the 5-mile mark then accompanied the leader from there to the finish line.

To answer some of your other questions.. for last week's half, there were 10 of us. Two got assigned to follow a truck way ahead of the actual race, placing cones over potholes etc.
Six got assigned to each of the 3 lead runners of each gender (we were assigned 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and not specific runners).
The other two got assigned to the wheelchair racers.

The lead vehicle with the RD, race photographers etc stays ahead of the lead runner, so he has that vehicle to follow. The 2nd and 3rd place runners, if they're further back, may not have that vehicle to follow so they rely on us (in theory). The course was well-marked enough that they really shouldn't even need to follow a cyclist, but we were told to make sure they don't make any wrong turns, that no spectators interfered with them etc. We had to yell at a couple of guys riding the opposite way along part of the course right in the runner's path.

As far as support - we were told not to hand anything to any runners, we could talk to them to give them encouragement but not to expect any interaction in return.

Coincidentally, I posted this in a LR thread about which sports are the most entertaining to watch earlier today:

"I would normally agree, but (and this is obviously an outlier).. last weekend I rode as a bike escort for the Rock'n'Roll Philly half marathon, and 3 of us got assigned to the top 3 men. For the first 5 miles of the race it was just a case of pedaling at 12-13mph just ahead of the pack.. Rupp, Sato, Ward, Hehir, Abadi etc, then Rupp, Abadi and Sato pulled away together.

At mile 6, Rupp started to pull away and neither Sato nor Abadi could go with him. I was assigned to the 3rd place runner so I was alongside both Sato and Abadi for the next 3 miles or so as they traded 2nd and 3rd back and forth. Abadi then pulled away from Sato, and at about mile 11 Hehir started making a push, quickly reeled in Sato, then started trying to attack Abadi for 2nd. Took him about 3 attempts that got shut down by Abadi before Hehir finally passed him maybe a half mile out from the finish.

Not saying that distance running isn't boring as shit to watch on TV, but that perspective gave me a whole new appreciation for what goes on during longer races.

(Side note - 30 minutes after the race was won, I had signed up for a learn-to-row clinic and was standing out front of the boathouse talking to the coach/instructor about the race and how fast Rupp and the others had gone. A few minutes after that, I see a shirtless guy absolutely FLYING through the mob of runners/walkers like they were standing still. It was Rupp, out for what I assume was a cooldown. His pace was unreal, no idea how much of the course he ran though.) "

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I figured it must have something to do with being a spotter.
Sounds like the race organizers might put crew of them out there, plus the media/coverage might put their own guys out there, etc.
But to what extent is it really necessary though? I'm finding myself watching the cyclists as much as the racers lately, and noticing there seem to be more and more cyclists.

I doubt it's a volunteer sign-up role. Did you get hooked up as part of a cycling club that the organizers reached out to?

Knowing people in the cycling community/being known by them.

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In my case, someone from California Tri posted here looking for volunteers for the 2015 race. Did that one, and I've been on their mailing list since. They give you a free entry for a R'n'R race of your choice for doing the half marathon escort.

CaliforniaTriathlon.org

They have a program to provide cyclists for running races. Here are the details:

Cyclists will escort elite runners and wheelchair athletes through the race. As a thank you for volunteering, Cal Tri will give you an entry to a local race. You will be contacted shortly after the event with your race choices
- Bikes & helmet required, whistle and lights
- Volunteer leader provides course credentials, yellow vests and make assignments
- Bike escorts main duty is to keep the path of the athletes clear so they can focus on their race. They do this by riding about 25 yards in front of the runner.
- Cyclists should pickup the athletes at about the 1 mile mark. Then wIth about 1/4 mile to go cyclists should peel off and avoid being in the finishing photos.
- Cyclists should return the yellow vests after the race
- Cyclists enjoy the Finish Line Festivities with an All Access Pass!

A couple of days after the race someone will be in touch regarding your Cal Tri kit voucher.

Lucky489, and others -- Thanks for the info.

Seems like a fun way to give back to the sport, and a unique way to watch up close.

If you pre-ride the route the day before, you can find out where the Rossi mats are and plan your course-cutting accordingly

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Ha! Or on race day, run *and* selectively bike portions of the route. Making sure to ride over the timing mats to register all splits *and* have a fast time /pink

To make sure they're not drafting.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'