VOLUNTEER OPTIONS

In order to ensure that the Wild West Relay is a quality event, over 250 volunteers are needed to act as race marshals. As the WWR travels through remote rural areas in Colorado and Wyoming, it is necessary to enlist the help of the participating teams to make the staging of the Wild West Relay possible. Therefore, all teams need to choose one of the two options to help with the staffing of volunteers:

1. to recruit friends or family to be their volunteers
2. make a tax-deductible donation to Volunteers With A Purpose (IRS 501(c)(3) status). These funds go to local non-profit organizations that volunteer during the relay as a fund-raising opportunity.

To read an opinion piece to help understand Timberline Events' volunteer model, please click here.

OPTION #1- RECRUIT YOUR VOLUNTEERS

12-person teams provide three (3) volunteers, ultra teams one (1), for the relay. These volunteers cannot be team-running members. Also, team van drivers do not count as relay volunteers. High School teams are excused from this requirement.

• Each volunteer works a shift of 4 - 6 hours in length.

• Volunteers need to be flexible. As the relay route is from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs and takes place from early Friday morning until late Saturday afternoon, the race marshal assignments can be anywhere along the route and at any time during the relay.

• The majority of assignments are at the Runner Exchanges for each leg. Responsibilities include maintaining order at the Runner Exchange, checking in each runner, calling out the race number of the incoming runner, or directing relay traffic in the Exchange areas. Go to Volunteer Duties for more information.

• Volunteers or their team captain will be able to select the location of their assignment online when the selection process opens 2 - 3 weeks before the relay.

• Any volunteer failing to show up for their assignment will cause their team to be disqualified. If the volunteer arrives late, their team will receive a time penalty equal to how late the volunteer was.

• Absolutely no young children or pets may be brought along to the assignment! A race marshal's responsibility has to be on the safety and the smooth running of the relay.

• Alcohol consumption during the relay by the volunteer is prohibited. Any volunteer who shows up intoxicated will be sent home and their team disqualified. The race marshall position involves the safety of the relay participants, so volunteers need to show up in an appropriate condition.

OFFICIAL VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:

Volunteers are required to:

• Be at least 14 years old. If under the age of 16, the volunteers MUST be accompanied by their parent or guardian.

• Sign and submit waivers that the team turns in during the check-in the morning of the relay.

• Provide their own transportation to and from their volunteer assignment location.

• Wear the provided reflective safety vests and volunteer T-shirt while at their assigned location. This is very important, as it will identify the volunteer as a "Race Official."

• Not have any physical limitations that would hinder them from performing the job assigned (approximately four to six consecutive hours in length).

• Be flexible and willing to fulfill any selected volunteer time throughout the entire 32+-hour race length. This means that many volunteers will be working between the hours of midnight and dawn.

• Be responsible for staying at their assigned location until relieved by the following shift of volunteers, or until the Zone Coordinator or WWR sweep vehicle releases them.

OPTION #2 - VOLUNTEERS WITH A PURPOSE

In lieu of supplying their own volunteers, teams may choose to make a 100% tax-deductible donation to Volunteers With A Purpose (IRS 501(c)(3)).

The Wild West Relay passes through several small mountain and ranching communities between Fort Collins and Steamboat Springs. As a way to provide a fund-raising opportunity to deserving non-profit organizations in these areas, Timberline Events created a program called Volunteers With A Purpose. Funds donated to VWAP are then passed on to local non-profit organizations that volunteer to be race marshals during the relay as a fund-raising opportunity. The Wild West Relay has partnered with United Way 2-1-1 to coordinate these non-profit groups.

Be sure to select your preferred volunteer option when registering. The team will be billed the supplemental donation along with their registration fee. Separate payment from the registration is required.

Volunteer Option #2 donation:

*A team can decide to change from Volunteer Option #1 to Volunteer Option #2 up until 2 months before race day without penalty - you need to contact the race director to make this switch.
**Only if non-profit volunteers are available.
*** Teams who selected the option to supply their volunteers may choose to make a donation for individual non-profit volunteers if they are having problems filling their requirement. This option is only available if non-profit volunteers are available. The first price is if the request is made less than two months but more than three weeks before race day; the second price is if request is made within three weeks of race day.

If teams are having difficulty finding all of their volunteers, there may be the opportunity to make a $240 donation to VWAP for an individual non-profit volunteer. This is only an option if we have non-profit volunteers available.

PLEASE NOTE:

A team's failure to fulfill their volunteer requirement will result in the team being unable to start or in its’ disqualification.

Last updated 10/31/2008