On Saturday, April 21, in the wee hours of the morning, dozens and eventually hundreds of people will come together not to run or walk the Run Seal Beach race, but to simply staff it. It is a mountainous task for all of those who pull it off, but as my mother always said, “many hands make light work.”
Quite a few people ask during the year, “Why don’t you do more events? Why don’t we do a marathon or at least a half marathon in Seal Beach? What about a triathlon?” and my personal favorite, “It isn’t that hard to run the race, is it?”
Actually, it is that challenging. Run Seal Beach is an all-volunteer run community event that over 400 people just to staff it. The Kids Fun Run will have over a hundred volunteers ensuring their safety and security. The course has water stations, pacers, set up and break down crews. We have volunteers like Mike Bremser who coordinates the hundreds of high school students and parents. You don’t embark on that task lightly.
Mike has been part of the race for the last five years and has really gotten the event dialed in. With entire teams like the Los Alamitos football, volleyball and song and cheer groups plugged into the volunteer system, dozens of shifts and tasks are monitored. Children are corralled and adults lined up at the start line. Mike spends months working the other organizing committee leads to ensure their volunteer needs are met.
Audrey Hauth, a lifelong runner and now power walker helps head up the finish line. She has been part of the organizing team for the last several years, and though she doesn’t run, she loves the race. She said, “I just love seeing all the people finish the race. Last year we had to remove every chip, but this year, because we will have disposable chips, I will just get to cheer them on and get them over to the fruit and water stands!” This year, there will be fewer volunteers at the finish because of the change, but those will just be reassigned to other areas.
The size of the event utilizes much of Old Town and much of our major arterial, Seal Beach Boulevard. Due to the layout of our town, trying to run a half marathon or marathon just isn’t feasible. Currently, the race is over 50% full and registrations continue to be brisk, so if you haven’t registered or are interested in volunteering, please visit www.runsealbeach.com.
See you at the starting line.
