Volunteers make the race!

In order to execute a race with a small full-time staff, we have to rely heavily on our strong corp of volunteers. We know these groups and individuals are the “face” of the company that you will encounter throughout your race day, and they can make or break the race experience. Luckily, we have some incredible groups and volunteer chairs – we receive a great many compliments about our volunteers and we feel we have some of the best people around. We are so grateful to them for giving our participants the type of race that we work all year towards.

We try to use the same groups from race to race for a number of reasons – they know the courses, the volunteer protocols, and the standards to which we like to adhere. Plus, we know they are happy, smiling, and fun – just what a runner needs when they are fighting through the grueling miles!

There are two groups that go above and beyond that we would like to formally recognize – Portsmouth HS Cross Country, led by Coach Shawn Horgan, and Mt Hope HS Lacrosse, led by Coach Jay Spina. These two groups are at nearly EVERY race we execute, often in multiple roles. We know that if we need a spot filled, we can always count on Jay and Shawn. They are generally the first to arrive and the last to leave, they have high standards, have employed their own family members if need be, and are just genuinely nice guys who surround themselves with a great team of high school students. We know that if we need anything – we can always count on these guys to help. We are truly in their debt.

At the Ocean State Rhode Races – we have a volunteer contest going on in celebration of Halloween being right around the corner: The Volunteer group that is the MOST fun, as voted by our participants, will be given an additional donation to their charity. This allows us to give back to YOU, our participants, by providing a great race experience – as well as our volunteers – who go over and above!

THANK YOU!