Help Out at Turtleman
Jump To: Packet Stuffing • Packet Pickup • Park Preparation • Post Race Tear Down • Bike Course Signage • Run Course Set-Up/Tear-Down • Volunteer Check In • Pontoon Volunteers • Motorcyclists • Bike Course Marshal • Run Course Marshal • Run Course Water Stops • Finish Line • Food Tent • Body Marker/Cap & Chip Distributor • Park Volunteer • Transition Area • Drink Delivery
Packet Stuffing:
We would welcome 6-8 people to assist with stuffing race packets on Wednesday, July 30th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. back to top
Packet Pick-up:
We need 4-5 people to assist at packet pick-up at Gear West on Thursday, August 7th. We need 6-8 people to assist with packet pick-up at Shoreview Community Center on Friday, August 8th. Food provided! back to top
Park Preparation:
We need 6-10 people to help at Turtle Lake Park on Friday, August 8th. Duties include raking the beach, sweeping the lower parking lot in preparation for transition, setting up bike racks and setting up the swim course. Food provided! back to top
Post-Race Tear-Down:
Come cheer on your favorite athlete and then assist the board members in cleaning up the park. This is a HUGELY important role! We need 10-15 people willing to assist with cleaning up garbage, tearing down the food and medical tents, tearing down bike racks, and delivering race supplies to our storage facility. The time commitment for this position is 11 am – 3 pm. Scouting or other charity groups would be well-suited for these positions, as long as they arrive with able-bodied adults for the heavy lifting. back to top
Bike Course Signage:
There are two signage positions needed. The first begins at 5 am and finishes by 8 am. This position will assist the bike course director in placing signs out on the course, including road markings with chalk and warnings on roads exiting from neighborhoods out onto the course. The second position, starting at approximately 11 am and finishing at approximately 1:30 pm, will assist the bike course director in removing all of the signs after the race. Two to four people are desired for each position, so that the course can be divided into zones. back to top
Run Course Set-up and Tear-Down:
We need 3-4 people to assist the run course director with setting up the water stops prior to the beginning of the race. We also need 3-4 people that can assist the run course director with re-stocking of the water stops during the race and tearing down the stops after the race. The total time commitment would be 6:30 am – 1:00 pm. Alternatively, the shifts would be 6:30 am – 9:00 am and 10:30 am – 1:30 pm. back to top
Volunteer Check-In:
We need 4-5 people that can assist us in checking in volunteers. The time requirement for this position is 5:30 am – 8:30 am. back to top
Pontoon Volunteers:
Boat owners on Turtle Lake. We need 6-8 pontoon boat owners to assist in spotting during the swim race. The time commitment is approximately 7:15 am – 10:00 am.
The swimmers are encouraged to locate a lifeguard or boat in the event they become distressed. A swimmer can hang on a paddleboard or boat until he/she feels able (and when the person assisting feels they are able) to proceed. The swimmer cannot be advanced by the boat or paddleboard, or they will be disqualified.
The lifeguards are responsible for administering care/emergency assistance to distressed swimmers. Volunteer boaters are directed to notify a lifeguard as quickly as possible, and to use good and reasonable judgment in an emergency situation. Volunteer boaters should be mindful of not putting themselves in a threatening situation in attempting to help another. A panicking swimmer should be considered a dangerous situation, and a lifeguard, not a volunteer, should assist as soon as possible. It is recommended that a volunteer throw a life vest to a swimmer in distress, and pull them to the side of the boat, rather than jump in to attempt a rescue. back to top
Motorcyclists:
So you couldn’t make it to Sturgis this year? We need 5-6 motorcyclists (preferably with a passenger seat) to escort race course judges and a photographer during the bike event. The time commitment is 7:45 am – 11:00 am. back to top
Bike Course Marshal:
We need 36-40 individuals to help with directing racers on the bike course, assisting uniformed police officers who will be directing traffic out of the course, and directing traffic at neighborhood corners that enter onto the course. Some of these positions overlap with the run course. The time commitment will vary with the course location. You will be informed of your course location prior to race day.
Please plan to bring a broom (the course will have been machine-swept, but some gravel or stones may remain near corners, which can pose a hazard to racing bicycles), a chair and reading material to await the first competitor, a cold drink (history dictates that it will be a fairly warm day) and your cell phone so that you can contact race officials in case of an emergency.
Also included is a need for one person to ride with the bike course director as they lead the first biker through the course. This person needs to be willing to be dropped along the course if an un-manned intersection is identified. back to top
Run Course Marshal:
We need 6 individuals to assist in alerting runners to turns on the run course. The time commitment will vary slightly depending upon course location. Volunteers in these positions may wish to bring a folding chair and cold drink with them. Adults may bring children with them in this position as the volunteers are positioned near the sidewalks rather than out on the roads. Please bring your cell phone so that you may alert race officials in the event of an emergency.
We need 1-3 additional people willing to ride bikes along the run course to escort the lead and last runners on the course. back to top
Run Course Water Stops:
We need a total of 35 people to staff the 6 water stops that are included on the race course. You will be serving water and/or an electrolyte drink to the racers. The majority of the water stops are on the run course, although one may be included on the bike course. Two stops are located within the park at the run exit and the finish line. As with the bike and run course marshals, the time commitment varies with the course location. This is a child-friendly position, as long as there is a responsible adult with them in this position. back to top
Finish Line Volunteers:
We need 10-12 people to assist at the finish line with the removal of timing chips and the distribution of finisher medals. The time commitment is from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm. This is another great area for kids to volunteer. back to top
Food Tent Volunteers:
We need 6-8 people to assist with cutting up fruit and distributing post-race food to the athletes and volunteers. Please note that this food is not for the spectators. The time commitment for this position is from 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. back to top
Body markers/Swim Cap and Timing Chip Distribution:
We need 20 people to assist with marking race numbers on the athletes, as well as distribution of swim caps and timing chips. These are early morning positions starting at 5:45 am and ending at 7:45 am. Due to the timing of this position, we would welcome those with time available to assist in another course position after completion of the pre-race duties. back to top
Park volunteers:
We need 8-10 people starting at 6:00 am to address a number of various duties within the park: assist with parking in local parking lots, sweep the bike area, set up the water station in park. guard the park entrance, place cones inside the park, alert incoming bikers to the no pedal zone entering transition, assist the official timer, etc. Some of these positions will require coverage until 12:30, and we ask the people willing to work in this area be flexible with their job duties as we may move people to areas of greater need as we see fit. back to top
Transition area volunteers:
We need 10 people to guard the transition areas (individual and relay) and assist in the gear bag area. These positions require coverage from 5:30 am – 12:30 pm. Athletes are not allowed to remove their items from transition until the last athlete has started the run course in order to allow a safe transition area for everyone. back to top
Volunteer Drink Delivery:
We need 2-3 people willing to drive out onto the bike and run courses to delivery water and snacks to our volunteers. The time commitment for this position is 9:30 am – 11:30 am. back to top
