![\"Legends](\"http:\/\/www.outonthetrails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/logo-300x207.jpg\"){kind=logo}
In March 2016 Astrid and I volunteered at the first edition of the Legends Trail, an experience we thoroughly enjoyed and that made a huge impression on us. Even though it is nearly impossible to explain it I have given it a try\u00a0in this post about our first volunteering experience at a running event.<\/p>\n
Even though my girlfriend Astrid and I have not been participating in running events for that long (out first race was a 10 km at the end of 2014). We did participate in quite a lot of events since then and were always thankful of the volunteers that made these events possible. So naturally the thought of volunteering at a running event had already crossed our mind a few times.<\/p>\n
And then we read the call for Legendary Friends from Stef on Facebook…..<\/p>\n
Tim and himself were organizing a trailrun that would lead the participants through the rough terrain of the Belgian Ardennes for 250 kilometers. Looking at the parameters of the event our heads were spinning. This is definitely not something Astrid and I could be running ourselves, but wouldn’t it be awesome to be part of it in some way?<\/p>\n
And so we signed up as volunteers for the very first edition of the Legends Trails an event spanning a total of 4 days with a start on Friday evening and a cutoff time lasting until Monday morning 8:00 am. Since our only experience were single day running events we had no idea what to expect.<\/p>\n
As we got closer to the event it also became a bit more clear what we would be doing. Astrid and I had been assigned as coordinators to check point 2 at 106 km into the course. Meaning that we would be responsible for the runners stopping at this checkpoint, providing them with food, drinks and the care they would need to continue their challenge. Ok, sounds like fun, we can do that!<\/p>\n
Wednesday February 24<\/strong> After this call we had a decent picture of what our role during the event would look like, it would be a mix of photography, filming, helping with the pre-race preparations and running the second check point of the course.\u00a0And so we\u00a0started our preparation.<\/p>\n Hopefully the right things that runners like to eat or drink after more than 100 km on the brutal course of the Legends Trail.<\/p>\n Next to that we also wanted to give them a bit of a mental boost and so Astrid started an initiative on Facebook asking the runners for their favorite music so we would be able to play that for them at the check point. Manny runners appreciated this and posted the songs that they would like to hear.<\/p>\n And so we were ready for it…. at least that’s what we thought….<\/p>\n Friday March 4<\/strong> The race would start at 18:00 and before that racer registration starting from 14:00 and so we arrived in Belgium early in the afternoon. After a brief introduction to Tim, Stef and several of the other volunteers the Legends Trail weekend was kicking off.<\/p>\n Astrid was being tasked with shooting the portrait pictures of the runners for the live tracking site and I was responsible for the racer’s drop bags.<\/p>\n Each racer was allowed to check-in a drop bag with a maximum of 20 kg which would be transported to the check points for the runners to use during their stop at the check point. So you can imagine that I felt somewhat responsible with the thought in mind that a very tired runner would end up at the first check point, not finding his drop bag because I screwed up. Not a pretty picture.<\/p>\n And so I made sure that all drop bags got on the vans that would be transporting them to the first check-point. And of course in between, the giant La Chouffe lepricon needed to be inflated at the starting area…..<\/p>\n Just before 18:00 all drop bags were loaded in the vans, after a short briefing by the race directors, countdown started and off they went. 47 brave runners embarked on the adventure that Stef and Tim had prepared for them.<\/p>\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n \n View<\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/li>\n\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n\n After watching the last runners run out of sight the volunteering team quickly packed up and headed out to the headquarter location for the race in Houffalize.<\/p>\n While the runners headed out into the night on their way to check point 1, almost 70 kilometers from the start, our evening started with a dinner with all the volunteers together at Moulin Bock, the headquarters for the rest of the weekend. The kitchen crew was already operating at full speed and had prepared a nice pasta meal for all the volunteers.<\/p>\n Looking around I was still wondering what I was getting myself into. Here I was surrounded by people I did not know yet. Everybody seemed to be running around, arranging food, setting up the room for the safety coordinators, getting the medical supplied for the check points together, chatting, discussing. To me it felt like complete chaos. How would this turn out over the rest of the weekend?<\/p>\n After enjoying dinner together it was time to get to work. The medical team preped themselves by discussing all the runners to make sure everyone was on the same page, in the mean time the other volunteers started loading up the cars with the supplies for the check points.<\/p>\n As soon as the medical team was done we were on the road to first help set up check point 1 before we moved on to check point 2, the check point that we would be running. We arrived late in the evening and after a quick inspection of the facilities on the check point we got into bed for some rest at 1:30.<\/p>\n In the mean time the runners were running through the night and moving towards the first check point.<\/p>\n \n
\nAbout 10 days\u00a0before the start of the Legends Trail there was a conference call with all the volunteers, the first time we would “meet” most of them. During a somewhat messy Skype call we got a bit more context of the role of the volunteers during the event and through e-mail we received a nicely prepared planning for all the volunteers.<\/p>\n![\"Groceries\"](\"http:\/\/www.outonthetrails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/12802845_10207955520301399_8460587372570147787_n-225x300.jpg\")
Of course the check points would be sufficiently supplied with everything the runners would need, but we wanted to make their experience at check point 2 even better and so we created a shopping list:<\/p>\n\n
\nThe weekend started on Friday the 4th of March. And so after my morning run we started loading up our car to head out from Utrecht (Netherlands) to Achouffe (Belgium) were the start of the Legends Trail would be.<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n \n
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![\"Rinus](\"http:\/\/www.outonthetrails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/legendstrail2016\/startandcheckin\/LegendsTrail2016-1.jpg\")
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