A Letter of Thanks to the Volunteers

Volunteer and runner, Damon Maher
Volunteer and runner, Damon Maher

Thank you P2P Volunteers!

Unfortunately I don’t know enough superlatives in the English language to express my thanks to the volunteers. As I have said many times, this doesn’t happen without you.

Time and again in emails to me, Facebook comments and face-to-face at the finish line, runners just gushed about the volunteers.

How do I top what the runners themselves have to say? I can’t.

While all of you deserve a shout-out by name, with almost 200 volunteers this year it is impossible, and you would stop reading right here.

But these were some… and it gives you an idea of the scope of what we were able to do as a group for a community event since many of them were leading a team of people:

Volunteers, race logistics, planning: Greg Stern
Registration, treasurer, mass email: Matt Lewis
Finish line and sponsor coordinator: Michele Stevens
Website maintenance: Penny Shima Glanz
Water stop logistics: Wayne Rubin
Parking plan creator/coordinator: Joe Tait
Trail Flagging and de-flagging: Nina Steinberg
Sign placement/removal: Karen Murray
Wave management and sweepers: Darren Peister
Kid races: Rich Alter and Tailwind Track Club
Mamaroneck Cheerleaders: Lisa Ferraro
Iona College Cross-Country & Track: Ricardo Santos and Tony Mihalich
Iona Prep and Ursuline: Dina Cannistraci
Finish line set-up: Sy Gruza
Communications – Kathleen O’Connor and Westchester Emergency Comm. Assoc.
EMTs at aid stations – Jeff Pitonza and Transcare
Finish Line medical – Dr. Gigi Madore and Montefiore Hospital

What Can I Do To Help? — Steven Stein, David Brot, Mark Medin, and a cast of many NewRo Runners, neighbors, friends and their children.

Edmund Dee
Volunteer and runner Edmund Dee escorts the army to the start. Dee is the one on the right.

And then there are the many, many people needed to implement the actual plans we put together – working bib/packet pick-ups at WRR, doing race day registration, setting up and managing waves, checking and organizing bags, positioning cheerleaders in Mamaroneck and Iona students on the trails, manning the intersections, manning the water stops, assisting sponsors, positioning ham radio operators around the course, stocking water (and running for more mid-race!), fetching food, serving food, shopping for goods, packing and unpacking boxes of race related goods, handing out medals, sweeping the course, breaking down, cleaning up, putting up with me, lending medical assistance, and, of course, doing the play-by-play as runners steamed home on the track.

Many of you were repeat volunteers who would see a problem and just fix it. When our water delivery came in at only 10% of what we needed, Michele Stevens quickly sent family off to Costco — while the race was in progress! — to supply us.

It’s the one thing people have stressed over and over: how great the volunteers are. But don’t take my word for it, read what others have written about you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.