She is, in essence, the Ultimate Volunteer, doing everything from preparing the aid stations, to cleaning up after the post-race party. The responsibility of directing a race for over 75 entrants covering a 12 mile course entails preparation, precision, little sleep and a lot of stress.
Yet, since 2003, Solomon has done it all, with a division-winning smile on her face throughout the seemingly endless Patch Sprint weekend.
The best part of the Patch Sprint is being able to provide a great
event to bring together Pok-O staff and alumni! It's great to see how psyched
people are to participate in the event, from the trekkers all the way to the
kids. Everyone can come and be involved in some way! It also gives people a
great reason to make sure they get up to camp and the mountains at least once
during the summer!
2. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF THE PATCH SPRINT?
The biggest challenge has always been getting enough volunteer help for
the event. A lot of people come to either participate in the Patch Sprint
or have a relaxing and fun weekend, but I don't think people realize how
much work can go into the event and how having even just a few great
volunteers can make a huge difference in making the weekend a success.
3. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A VOLUNTEER FOR THIS EVENT.
A volunteer can help out in many different ways! Help is always needed
to prepare the different aid stations and putting them out in the
course on race morning, and helping to pick them up at the end of the day.
Also, we need people to help sherpa or carry up the gear of the runners. This
is the area that is most challenging because as the years go by and the race
becomes more successful we have more runners but not more volunteers to carry
their gear to the top of Pok-o. Also people are needed to help with the post
race party at camp and this can include cooking or setting up and cleaning
the dining hall. We've always had a lot of great volunteers to help take
pictures during the race and throughout the weekend. Those photographers
have been great and helped to put together a slide show for the camp to
enjoy at the post-race dinner. Most volunteers help out with more than
one area, which is always a great help but a few more hands would always
help and make the event run smoother!
4. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE 2006 EVENT?
My goal for the 2006 Patch Sprint is to have the race (and volunteers)
very organized ahead of time so that race day is fun for everyone and not
stressful! Last year’s race was great and a lot of that was because of
a great team of volunteers that helped out so much! I want everyone,
from racers to volunteers, to have a great time at the Patch Sprint, so
organization is the key to that! Greg and I adopted the philosophy of
"More fun, less stress" a few years ago so I hope to live that out again this
year!
5. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER DONE THE PATCH SPRINT?
If someone has never been to the Patch Sprint I'd advise them to
Register early and to train appropriately for their event. We base the amount
Of food to buy on our registration numbers so when lots of people show up
without registering in advance it's hard to make sure we have enough food for
everyone! If you don't know the race course find someone to run with or to explain
the route to you ahead of time! It's a great event and I love that people
bring friends to the event so they can enjoy the Adirondacks too! Can't wait
to see everyone this May!!
