Volunteers needed

Here’s a message from Redforkhippiechick about Saturday’s Mother Road 100 ultramarathon in Oklahoma:

The Mother Road 100 organizers need volunteers to man an aid station at the Citgo in Kellyville from 5:45 p.m. Saturday to 8:45 a.m. Sunday. The most critical hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., but volunteers are needed for the entire time. Basically, what they need people to do is show up, bring a lawn chair (or several, if possible!) and hand out Gatorade, snacks, and encouragement to the runners who are coming through.

There will be very little lighting out there after the Citgo closes, so we need folks to come out, park their cars, turn on their lights, and just hang out on the Mother Road for an hour or two (or longer, if they're willing).

If you can't physically be there to help Saturday night, there are
three other ways to help:

1. Donate food to the aid station. These items are needed:

* 30 oranges
* 30 bananas
* 30 bagels
* Three packages of Fig Newtons
* 30 energy bars (Powerbar, Marathon, or whatever; an assortment would
be nice so the runners have a choice)
* Jellybeans
* Gummy bears
* Trail mix
* Two boxes of saltines
* Two big bags of pretzels
* Two big bags of salty chips
* Bottled water
* Bottled Gatorade
* Flat cola

If you want to donate food, please post a reply saying what you plan to contribute so we can update the list regularly and avoid duplication. Contact me at sundayjohn66 (at) mac (dot) com to arrange for pickup/delivery. I am making a grocery run at 8 p.m. today, so I need to know before that time what you plan to provide so I don't buy things we already have. If I could get one volunteer to help coordinate all this, maybe make a few pickups, put out the food, and take the first shift at the aid station (from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 or 8 p.m. -- I'm pacing Dan Threlkeld from 6 to 7 and won't be able to get back to the station by the time the first few runners come through), that would be awesome.

2. Make signs and posters encouraging the runners and put them up along the Mother Road 100 route, which stretches from Arcadia to Sapulpa and generally follows the oldest available alignments. If somebody (maybe a lot of somebodies) could go out tonight or very early tomorrow and tie signs to trees or tape them to light posts along the route, that would be cool. Things you might put on the signs include short Bible verses, inspirational quotes, words of encouragement ("Way to go!" "Keep it up!" "Andy Payne would be proud!" or whatever), or silly questions for them to think about (maybe some of Jack Handy's "Deep Thoughts," or questions like, "What's your favorite 'Seinfeld' episode?" or "What's your
favorite 'SNL' sketch?" or whatever). The idea is to take their minds off their aches and pains, make them smile, and let them know someone is thinking of them while they're chugging along out there on the road.

3. Say a prayer, light a candle, think good thoughts, or send out good vibes for the runners' safety and encouragement. These folks can use all the help they can get. As you think of it in the next couple of days, send some positive energy out in their direction.

And, of course, if you happen to live or work along the route, be sure to come outside and cheer for the runners you see jogging past, and offer them a cup of cold water or whatever else you can provide if they seem to need it. If there are any certified massage therapists who would like to come out and donate a little time, I'm sure that would also be deeply appreciated.

Thanks in advance for being willing to help on such short notice. These aid stations are very important to the runners' morale -- and their personal safety.

Emily (the Red Fork Hippie Chick)

UPDATE: We’ve got everything covered but the oranges and the energy bars. We still need volunteers — and lots of them — so if you’re in that neck of the woods between 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday, we could really use the help.