The North Face Challenge

After recently reading "Born to Run" I was not necessarily inspired to run barefoot (except on the beach or grass which I've always enjoyed) but I was inspired to volunteer at an ultra. I think its really important as runners to give back to the rest of the running community when possible. A friend in my running group Inwood Hill Runners mentioned an opportunity to get involved with the upcoming North Face Endurance Challenge up at Bear Mountain, NY and I thought- here's my chance! With the trail run comes many opportunities for helping out including trail marking AND volunteering on the day of the race. After discussing the options for vols with Jim Kerlin (vol coordinator) he suggested that if I got together a group of people we could all man an aid station together. The race is May 8-9 (there are various distances) at Bear Mountain, just an hour or so north of the city by car (which I will provide).

Now I know many of you are thinking "can't do it... I have a training run, etc etc" but don't forget- without volunteers at your upcoming marathon- there would be no race at all! So here are some details, including the perks of being a volunteer!

From Jim Kerlin:

We are looking for any and all folks interested in joining the awesome team of volunteers responsible for bringing the biggest and baddest trail running event to the northeast - The North Face Endurance Challenge on May 8th and 9th at Bear Mountain State Park in NY.

Want to be part of the excitement? Want to get an inside look into this world class event? Want to get into the action and give encouragement to all the hundreds of athletes participating in this epic test of endurance? Then come join our team.......

Contact Jim Kerlin at NFVolunteers@gmail.com to volunteer or for more information...

Volunteer benefits include:

– Free The North Face Race Crew T-shirt ($20 value)
– Free ticket to The North Face Event Festival post-race meal ($15 value)
– E50 "green" water bottle ($19)
– Special volunteer "goodie bag"
– North Face Gift Cards (for certain key positions) *Harder to fill positions get more goodies*
– 10% Off all adventure trips at Outdoor Connections (www.OutdoorConnectionsNYC.com)
– Being a part of the excitement of the biggest and baddest trail running event in the Northeast
– Satisfaction of helping participants achieve their goals

This event would not take place without the help of our many hard-working and selfless volunteers. We sincerely appreciate the time, effort and sacrifice from the hundreds of people that help make The North Face® Endurance Challenge a series of world-class events. Thank you for being an important part of ensuring the Endurance Challenge athlete experience is second to none!

Thanks,
Jim Kerlin
TNF Volunteer Coordinator - NY
NFVolunteers@gmail.com

My plan for race weekend is to go up on Friday and help with trail marking, return to the city for the night and head up to the Mt again on Saturday to volunteer and also to help transport a friend who is running the 50K.

If you're at all interested, let me know and we can figure out the details!! It sounds like a blast, and trail marking is also a great workout/hike!

Shoot me an email if you'd like to join via comments or on twitter @RunAmyRun