TSUNAMI!!!!!

Yes I do other things than quilt. And one of those is volunteering. Last year I got "roped" into helping with the Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon. Initially I was supposed to be a bike marshall. Easy job - get on my bike and keep up to the runners and help out if they need help. BUT in my eagerness to demonstrate what I had done for these kind of events in the past, it slipped past my lips that I could and would drive a cube van through the city. OH dear - I immediately got commandeered to drive a truck.

Last year was fun including when one of the guys got his truck stuck in a city park - especially when I told him NOT to drive there because it was wet and muddy.

So there I was two weekends ago driving my truck again. Down to Ontario Place EARLY and the truck is already loaded - no big deal. Then I had to make FIVE stops to empty the truck and I am ALONE. Not so bad for most of the stuff, but tables - well it isn't hard, just would be easier with two. They are SHORT SHORT SHORT of volunteers for that kind of thing. No falling out of the truck this year either. Yeah!!!!!

Then up to the start line to start cleaning up. This year I managed to see the start of the race. WOW - it is quite something to see all those people.

Wish I had a better picture - they are actually on Yonge Street - around the corner from the start

So then we went back to our cleaning. At one station there were a TON of teens and NO ONE had done a thing to clean up the garbage - the discarded water cups. But after my mom instinct kicked in - we got that place cleaned up no problem.

Then this past weekend was the Sporting Life 10K run. Can you guess how many people signed up to run????    5,000 - NOPE,   10,000 - NOPE - how about 25,000!!!!!!!

There were desperate for people to help out and how could I refuse James!!   So there I was supposedly just having to drive the truck to the first water station and that was that. Oh well - I had to drive it back as well. Yikes - let's just say that it was a crazy morning. I had NEVER done a water station before so I had NO IDEA. I had no clue how many people were signed up to run either.

I arrive at the water station location. The volunteers were mostly younger kids or high school students and some parents stayed - thank GOD!!!!  Then we started setting up 24 tables - half on one side of Yonge Street which we had to do while there was live traffic on the street. No big deal. Then Gatorade coolers, water tubs and LOTS and LOTS of cups.

This was the start of the water station and while it looks like nothing - there were twenty four tables stacked THREE layers of filled cups

The other side of the street - just before the tsunami hit

Then everyone got to a station and the runners started coming. It was pretty cool because there was a bit of a hill as the runners came into our station so you could look up and see them. OH MY GOD - there are a lot of runners and they are headed RIGHT FOR US. WATER - I've got WATER!!!   Ah - the crowd is thinning - that wasn't so bad and we still have a lot of water cups.

OH MY GOD - the race is in WAVES. And here comes another one!!!!!!!    HELP - I feel like I am drowning in people!!!!!    There were FIVE waves in total and it got really really crazy. We ran out of water on the one side of the street and had to yell at people to get water on the other side. We were MADLY trying to fill more cups. It was CHAOS!!!!!!!

A few details that James NEGLECTED to tell me!!!!!!!  


Then we got that place cleaned up and we were out of there. One of the other race organizers stopped by at the end and asked if we managed to keep up???   Oh yes - James and I are going to have a chat about this!!!!!!!    Actually it was pretty fun and I have loads of ideas on how we can arrange this for next year so we don't run out of filled water cups.

Anyone want to help????????   It is pretty easy - lay out cups - fill them with water and hand them out!!!!


Loaded up the truck with all the stuff and back to Ontario Place. Haven't had a chance to chat with James yet as he was busy cleaning up the second water station.


Let's just say that volunteering (while a lot of work) was lots of fun and MANY MANY runners thanked us for coming out to help. And I ran into a fellow that I used to work with. How bizarre is that that he picked my water station to stop at!!!!


OK - so I have a CRAPPED OUT computer (I'm using the spare laptop that we have and it is bizarre). Got to call HP to see how I can get it fixed and save my data!!!

Got loads more to blog about - just not today. Hopefully I am back in the saddle to blog every day.


Keep in mind that volunteering offer - it will be in May next year - lots of fun!!!!!



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!