This was my first volunteer effort at an Ironman, and wont be my last. Overall the experience was amazingly positive, with the minor annoyances from the organizers outweighed by the very gracious and thankful attitudes from the athletes I interacted with from 7am to after midnight. Your smiles and getting to see your emotions at the end of a long day and appreciation for the volunteers in blue shirts made it worth the time, sunburn, etc. Congratulations on your finishes guys! Below are a few things I noticed, good, bad, or just plain silly.
To the WTC folks :
Your live tracking website is god awful for blackberries and such. The amount of javascript it loads, when on EDGE(like a majority of the bike course) takes forever and a day to render. Please please please make a fast loading mobile interface to search for an athletes position on the course.
Fix the problems with your timing architecture. The timing mats in La Grange were not registering people at all for a portion of the race, and some of the run mats werent registering at times. Is your setup really a single laptop with EVDO card connected to a car battery and extension cord? Surely you can do better WTC… Maybe 2 laptops? Or maybe have the mats manned so problems can be diagnosed and fixed?
How do you run out of space blankets at the finish line? Granted they finally found some, but there was a 30+ minute period where volunteers had to recycle blankets from other athletes.
Fix the post race photo disaster at the end of the finishing chute. Have 4 photographers or more taking photos from 11hr to 14 hr finishers. One or two dont cut it and cause a lot of volunteers to be tied up in line for 10+ minutes as we wait with an athlete that may not be doing well.
Just like blankets, how do you run out of finishers hats? You knew how many people registered, and dropped out. Why not have enough hats?
Why not instruct all volunteers the proper method of using the space blanket so it actually works. Shiny side against the body. When a WTC employee was asked why they arent telling people the proper methods, his response was literally “Whatever” and looked like he wanted to go to sleep.
Move the special needs area on the bike course. Please. Its in a very bad location, where traffic piles up at 2 intersections, along with trains. A lot of trains. People who are trying to ride through have to move left, and cars are parked on the left waiting for traffic to move causing big problems. Move the special needs area a half mile earlier in the course to the Oldham County HS parking lot. Let the riders who need a bag pull into that long school lot like a pit stop to get their bag, and let the thru riders continue on the road. That church area is way too damned small.
To the athletes :
Thank you for coming to Louisville, enjoying a nice breakfast of our delicious river water, riding the hills of Oldham County, and having a nice run through the Ville. You were all gracious, happy, and enjoyed your day. Tons of the athletes thanked us for clapping+cheering on the bike course, and as a finish line volunteer, the compliments you heaped on me and my fellow volunteers was really really awesome. I never realized how much it means to open a bottle of water, or gatorade, or just help someone hold their stuff at the end of a race meant. Thank you all for thanking the volunteers as much as you did.
Yep, pacers on the run. Pacing thru the crowds. Around and over kids. And sometimes it was a large group of pacers. That wasnt smart guys…
To the few finishing chute sprinters - If you have the ability to do a dead sprint down the carpet, you probably sandbagged the run, if not walked miles 15 thru 26.2. And if I were the athlete you cut off in the finish chute, and dorked up their finishing photo, I probably would have dropped you right there and put you in the camel clutch or figure four, and got a photo to show everyoe. Let the woman in front of you finish, and then graciously come through 10 seconds later. Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
To the guy who proposed to his girlfriend after finishing, congratulations!
The guys with toe cages and running shoes, out! The day must have been very long for you guys! I saw you struggling up the hill leading into La Grange, and thought “thats gotta suck!”. Maybe get clipless pedals and cycling shoes next time broheim!
Lubricate your bikes! Some of the bikes that came by sounded like a machine out of Willy Wonkas factory. Squeeking and clicking and chunking along.
The snot rockets were hilarious. Especially when you shot them to the left as someone was passing. We enjoyed the antics!
To the volunteers :
Awesome turnout, we had a large group of people show up but still needed a few more bodies. You guys ran your butts off all day, great job!
Dont volunteer for the chute, and stand there your entire shift waiting for a single runner to come in. Catch the athletes, give them their medal, and help.
Wear your volunteer shirt on the course! I know you got up at 2:45am, but standing there yelling instructions to cyclists about special needs bags and not wearing your volunteer shirt makes people think you are some random crazy yelling things on the course.
Thank you all for being so friendly, it was great to work with you!
To the few finishing chute sprinters - If you have the ability to do a dead sprint down the carpet, you probably sandbagged the run, if not walked miles 15 thru 26.2. And if I were the athlete you cut off in the finish chute, and dorked up their finishing photo, I probably would have dropped you right there and put you in the camel clutch or figure four, and got a photo to show everyoe. Let the woman in front of you finish, and then graciously come through 10 seconds later. Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
I think everything you said was spot on besides this one. This is a race and with the time trail start you could have someone trying to break 10, 11, 12, or etc. hours when someone else is coming in 30 minuets before or after them and that sprint will do that. If someone wants a photo of them finishing maybe they should be the one waiting.
Also when I did the race in 07 I ran the entire marathon with the exception of 2 bathroom breaks and dug down deep for a sprint at end to make sure I was going to break 11 hours.
How do you run out of space blankets at the finish line? Granted they finally found some, but there was a 30+ minute period where volunteers had to recycle blankets from other athletes.
Just like blankets, how do you run out of finishers hats? You knew how many people registered, and dropped out. Why not have enough hats?
***Sounds like pure incompetence on the part of WTC, but then again, they are only in it for the $$$ and don’t give rat’s ass about the athlete. The timing system/webite sucked. Athletes times were not up until hours later. ***
To the athletes :
…Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
To the few finishing chute sprinters - If you have the ability to do a dead sprint down the carpet, you probably sandbagged the run, if not walked miles 15 thru 26.2. And if I were the athlete you cut off in the finish chute, and dorked up their finishing photo, I probably would have dropped you right there and put you in the camel clutch or figure four, and got a photo to show everyoe. Let the woman in front of you finish, and then graciously come through 10 seconds later. Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
I think everything you said was spot on besides this one. This is a race and with the time trail start you could have someone trying to break 10, 11, 12, or etc. hours when someone else is coming in 30 minuets before or after them and that sprint will do that. If someone wants a photo of them finishing maybe they should be the one waiting.
Also when I did the race in 07 I ran the entire marathon with the exception of 2 bathroom breaks and dug down deep for a sprint at end to make sure I was going to break 11 hours.
a 31-34 age grouper finishing at 14:50 doesnt need the extra 5 seconds a mad 50 yard dash affords them. i believe all the kona slots were exhausted well before their crazy sprint. im just sayin…
To the few finishing chute sprinters - If you have the ability to do a dead sprint down the carpet, you probably sandbagged the run, if not walked miles 15 thru 26.2. And if I were the athlete you cut off in the finish chute, and dorked up their finishing photo, I probably would have dropped you right there and put you in the camel clutch or figure four, and got a photo to show everyoe. Let the woman in front of you finish, and then graciously come through 10 seconds later. Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
I think everything you said was spot on besides this one. This is a race and with the time trail start you could have someone trying to break 10, 11, 12, or etc. hours when someone else is coming in 30 minuets before or after them and that sprint will do that. If someone wants a photo of them finishing maybe they should be the one waiting.
Also when I did the race in 07 I ran the entire marathon with the exception of 2 bathroom breaks and dug down deep for a sprint at end to make sure I was going to break 11 hours.
a 31-34 age grouper finishing at 14:50 doesnt need the extra 5 seconds a mad 50 yard dash affords them. i believe all the kona slots were exhausted well before their crazy sprint. im just sayin…
Last I checked it’s still a race. i’m just sayin…
This is another pussification attempt of our sport. It’s a race, if you want your picture with the time and your moment, than certainly you can wait. If you dont want to wait for a clear time, than deal with it. I’m sorry if someone’s finishing picture is messed up because someone is busting it through the line and is behind them or in front as the picture is taken.
Like I said, if you want to have your perfect picture, than wait or hurry up or deal with what happens. It’s simple. And, I’m all for people having the awesome best finishing picture. My whole point is, dont bitch if your “celebrating” the finishing photo, and someone else who is racing through the line messes up that photo. You cant blame anyone else but yourself on that one, yet our society wants to somehow blame the person that is actually trying to get to the finish line as fast as he/she can go.
Last I checked it's still a race. i'm just sayin...
im not so sure the finishing chute is necessarily designed for passing, with its narrow width AND being littered with Janus and Ford A-frame signs one may have to hurdle as they make their mad dash…
its all good tho, we volunteers enjoyed the excitement of the crazy passers who flew through line! kept us entertained! personally, id moonwalk or c-walk or do the worm(is worm DQ’able?) down the chute, but thats just me.
Nice write up. I volunteered at IMFL last year. Had a great time with all the other volunteers. I tried to follow the race on the Internet and still believe I can go down to the my local high school, get some tech kids and have them put on a perfect streaming video. Agree on post race pictures. The finishers are all stacked up while each athlete gets their family into the picture. Why not have 4-6 stations setup up?
I worked the T1 area and it was a joke trying to get the athletes their bags as they came through the tunnel in the host hotel. Everyone coming out is yelling their number and you are trying to hear the number or see the number on the athlete to get them their bag before the changing area. Same deal on when the athletes come back on the bike. My solution (if one is going to point out a problem, one should offer a solution) is to have another timing mat and a big digital screen or something and have the athletes numbers scroll from the top down as they cross the mat. Have at least 15 numbers on the screen. Then, as a volunteer, as soon as you see the number of the bag that is in your area, you can get it ready to hand to the athlete on his/her way to the changing tent. Use technology to your advantage. Oh wait…how can I expect them to do this level of technology when they can not get live video streaming to work…
My solution (if one is going to point out a problem, one should offer a solution) is to have another timing mat and a big digital screen or something and have the athletes numbers scroll from the top down as they cross the mat.<<
I was some place where they did do this. I’ve also been in a race where they had someone down the road a quarter mile radioing the numbers in in advance.
You know, these are all good suggestions, but the incentive for WTC to improve the IM races is very low, as they consistently sell out (and do so very quickly) In other words, they have a somewhat captive audience (even if that audience changes each year as people do their ‘one and done’ IM’s), so why would they change?
You know, these are all good suggestions, but the incentive for WTC to improve the IM races is very low, as they consistently sell out (and do so very quickly) In other words, they have a somewhat captive audience (even if that audience changes each year as people do their ‘one and done’ IM’s), so why would they change?
to increase the safety of the athletes, volunteers and WTC staff involved in the events?
Wtc needs someone like Sharon echols who used to be race director for hawaii until they decided to get rid of her then forced the half ironman race her husband put on in keahou as well just so they could do the 70.3 race they now do
She was stickler for detail even at the finish line and how you put the towel on the athlete and how you hold them when your a finish line catcher.
I’ve raced and volunteered at kona a number of times but WTC quite not the same as then.
BUT I will say I had very little to complain about competing at imlou this year or in 2007.
I thought they’d really messed things up with the additional 1000 and the cutoff changes but things went rather smooth I think.
The swim start went quick we actually had to run (I think more because half the line were relatives and friends standing with their athlete making the line appear much longer and when they moved everyone had to go quick.
here are my only complaints.
who the heck dammed up the river saturday morning there was a current I stopped and let it carry me a bit to check it out.
Well Race day there was nada nothing no current I swam last 500 to the turn bouy as if there was a current thinking I could recover on the downstream well I was faster than in 2007 but slower on the downstream side. I stopped at both of the bridges(downstream side) to do a couple of videos with my water proof camera and I was not moving no current what soever…
Traffic Well right before you make the left turn to head to la grange both loops got behind a car going slower than I wanted to go mainly because bike in front was going slower.
Then 2nd loop going into la grange a guy pulling a big boat was in the way for a mile or so me and 3 other guys finally passed the sucker only to be passed by him again half mile later and then slow down.
finally he made a left turn. Now I remember the same thing happening in 2007 and I think was the same guy and boat did that happen to anybody in 2008 wonder if this guy just did that as a protest every year…
Couple other spots traffic was a problem…
On 42 I think where we were screaming downhill on the big 4 lane in the oncoming trafic for right lane(left for us) couple of times someone had given up stuck in traffic and was backing up to turn around and I thought for sure they were going to pull in front of us.
How come mcdonalds,wendys aren’t open on sunday night post race in downtown louisville. I was craving a nice big hamburger hard rock had 50 people in line as did fridays everything was closed no ihop now waffle house no mcdonalds… Finally I called the one acros the river(you can see the logo from the transition area) they were open 24 hours so 10:30 I drove over there before picking my bike up got me a bacon cheese 1/3 pound angus burger and large fry man that was good then went to pick up my bike. AND there was a waffle house next door.
Why can’t the finish line be over there.
Oh and last but not least who turned the air conditioners on I was expecting a hot humid race and it was freezin…
So thats my only complaints I believe WTC did a most excellent job…
Oh I forgot yea I sprinted to the finish line(note to not through) was chasing a younger by 17 years(I’m 54) team mate the whole race 12 minutes ahead of me at start of run
Finally saw him with mile to go out ran him minute and half last mile and caught him as we turned on 4th street then tried to get my camera out to take video of us finishing and he took off
and was about 5 seconds in front(I started 20 seconds behind him so didn’t mind) we both collapse sort of into his wifes arm by the fence well out of the way of other finishers
Well before the chip removeal(don’t know where you get that it was quite a way back) and the other volunteers maybe you just weren’t standing far enough back.
Being a 5 time finish line catcher in hawaii 2 to 3 shifts every time as well as 7 time finisher in hawaii I had the proper training…maybe your were lacking…
thanks for volunteering though really… and 90% of your comments actually were relevant and spot on so hey your almost there…
Again appreciate the hard work…
i saw the boat, at 146+393, cyclists had to go left and right to avoid crashing into him. the guys that went left i was sure were going to hit a car but they made it thru unscathed
You know, these are all good suggestions, but the incentive for WTC to improve the IM races is very low, as they consistently sell out (and do so very quickly) In other words, they have a somewhat captive audience (even if that audience changes each year as people do their ‘one and done’ IM’s), so why would they change?
to increase the safety of the athletes, volunteers and WTC staff involved in the events?
Oh, I fully agree, but as long as people keep coming back in droves and IM branded events sell out super fast, the financial incentive is just not there. Call me jaded, but money makes the world go 'round.
trizzo: Nice commentary. I’m thinking about volunteering for an IM this year. How does it work as far as shifts or number of hours they ask you to be on duty? Also, what are some of the better positions or locations (for example, I wouldn’t be a big fan of putting sunscreen on racers or pulling timing chips off ankles). Thanks.
trizzo: Nice commentary. I’m thinking about volunteering for an IM this year. How does it work as far as shifts or number of hours they ask you to be on duty? Also, what are some of the better positions or locations (for example, I wouldn’t be a big fan of putting sunscreen on racers or pulling timing chips off ankles). Thanks.
you have your choice of job, but the better ones go quick. stamping numbers on arms is usually the first one gone. shifts for catchers ran from 2p or 3p to 7p and then 7p to midnight. i think the finish line was probably the most rewarding, since you get a front row view, get to put medals on the finishers, and get to ensure they are ok/safe after crossing the line, and get delivered to waiting friends/family or escorted all the way to the convention center and post-race medical checkin. they worked all day long and its your smiling face that greets them at the end. pretty cool!
To the few finishing chute sprinters - If you have the ability to do a dead sprint down the carpet, you probably sandbagged the run, if not walked miles 15 thru 26.2. And if I were the athlete you cut off in the finish chute, and dorked up their finishing photo, I probably would have dropped you right there and put you in the camel clutch or figure four, and got a photo to show everyoe. Let the woman in front of you finish, and then graciously come through 10 seconds later. Dont sprint through, pass the cameras, the chip removal area, and keep sprinting all the way down to Liberty St. Seriously…
I think everything you said was spot on besides this one. This is a race and with the time trail start you could have someone trying to break 10, 11, 12, or etc. hours when someone else is coming in 30 minuets before or after them and that sprint will do that. If someone wants a photo of them finishing maybe they should be the one waiting.
Also when I did the race in 07 I ran the entire marathon with the exception of 2 bathroom breaks and dug down deep for a sprint at end to make sure I was going to break 11 hours.
a 31-34 age grouper finishing at 14:50 doesnt need the extra 5 seconds a mad 50 yard dash affords them. i believe all the kona slots were exhausted well before their crazy sprint. im just sayin…
1) A 31-34 finishing at 14:50 might need the extra 5 seconds to set a PR.
I know plenty of people who work their butts off in endurance races of all kinds and still have the ability to have a strong finish. Sometimes it’s simply a natural gift.
