Race Organisation : Getting Involved with Barnes Fitness

If you are a runner, cyclist or triathlete in the Berkshire area, chances are you will be familiar with Barnes Fitness. Wife and husband duo, Ellie and Ian, are the force behind the wonderfully organised events such as Dinton Pastures 10k series and Dinton Duathlon as training clubs and group exercise sessions.

I've been curious about what is involved in organising events such as the Dinton 10k series and I'm about to become somewhat wiser. Ellie and Ian have kindly taken me under their wind somewhat and are giving me some insight into just what goes on behind the scenes. They have 12 events in the calendar this year and I will be helping out at all of them, save for the aquathlon, which I'll actually be taking part in. I'll get involved in set up, registration and anything else I can render myself useful for, both on the day and in preparation.

The first event I'll be at is the Cholsey Chase on the 15th of March, a 9 mile race located between Reading and Oxford. It's only £18 so if you're not busy, in the area and fancy a challenge, why not sign up? Come and say hi! I'll give you a hug and a high five.

Or perhaps if you want to be involved but aren't up to that sort of mileage why not volunteer yourself! Ellie and Ian look after their volunteers well and it's fantastic fun cheering people on as a marshal. If you've only ever been on the participant side of the fence it's well worth seeing what it's like on the other side of the fence, at least once. I speak from experience.

If you're interested to learn a bit more about what goes into making an event great then look out for other posts in this series further down the line. I won't be sharing a step-by-step or "how to" guide but I will share my experiences from time to time.

Have you ever marshaled or volunteered at a race? What did you do and did it give you a different take on your own race days?