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Sacramento is fortunate to enjoy "The Noon Time Net" which meets daily on 146.910 MHz, W6AK repeater, and provides daily communications and disaster preparedness between public agencies, ham radio organizations, and individual amateur radio operators, such as myself, WS6L. Not only does it help to keep our emcomm skills active, but it's a clearinghouse for "what's going on" in the world of amateur radio, in the greater Sacramento area. I'm a member of the net, and a regular check-in, and one day in early November, 2009, I heard Frank, N6SNO make the announcement that he was looking for volunteers to provide radio communications for the 27th California International Marathon, to be held on Sunday, December 6th... when the net was over, I called in on the repeater, told him I was interested in becoming part of the team, and the rest is history.
Photo: Frank, N6SNO, conducts the meeting the day before the race, in the Home Depot parking log. Each team member received a memo, outlining station assignments, course information, and event protocol. Fast forward to Saturday morning, December 5, 2009, to the northwest corner of Home Depot's parking lot, on Folsom Blvd., in east Sacramento, the day before the race. Over the years, it's been the custom for the communications team to meet in the parking lot, and receive assignments, instructions and T-shirts (I volunteer strictly to receive a complementary T-shirt, since I can't afford to purchase one, hi hi) and for "newbies" like me, to get introduced to the team. Most of the team members I'd never met before, but they were easy to spot, as how often do you see a group of predominantly males, with handheld transceivers strapped to their belts, and vehicles bristling with antennas? There was no confusion between the group amateur radio operators, and a group of day laborers nearby, who were hoping to gain temporary employment from many of the customers purchasing materials and supplies from Home Depot, that foggy Saturday morning.
Photo: During a rare sunny moment, station WATT AVENUE, at mile marker 19.4 is being set up, as the CHP starts to block busy Watt Ave. for the race. I introduced myself to N6SNO, the manager of the event, and other team members and received an information packet, a T-shirt (my reason for being there!) and my assignment: The Chevron station at the corner of Watt Ave. and Fair Oaks Blvd., about the halfway point of the race. When I signed up to volunteer my services, I told Frank that I had to go to work that afternoon, and that I'd need an assignment that wouldn't take me much past noon, and he graciously assigned me a position that worked with my schedule. During the meeting, I learned: *
I received a very busy assignment... at least I wouldn't
get bored Special attention was given to the fact that we were to contact Net Control as soon as leaders in each division passed our location. We were told not to guess, even if we couldn't see the numbers of the runners, and it was suggested, if at all possible, to bring binoculars. In my case, I made plans to enlist the support of the Aid Captain, or any other race officials on hand.
Photo: WATT AVENUE aid station Captain, Doug, to the left, and fellow team member fill water cups for runners who will soon be running by the aid station. I also learned that I was to be on-station at 0715... yawn... as I wouldn't get off of work until midnight, which would make for a short night's sleep, an early morning, a long day, and an even longer evening at work on Sunday. Such is the life of an amateur radio operator who loves to provide public service! Sunday, December 6, 2009 found me up and at 'em at the very early hour of 0600. After an uneventful drive, I arrived at my assigned station fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, and carefully placed the "Official" sign on the dash of my car, so I wouldn't get towed, or ticketed. The California International Marathon is a HUGE event, and like the name implies, it attracts runners from all over the country, and the world, and with along with the event, come HUGE crowds and lots of congestion, and the local police are very proficient at enforcing parking regulations, and keeping traffic moving efficiently.
Photo: Aid station team members hold out cups of water for an approaching runner. The aid station team was kept very busy for the next three hours filling up cups of water and handing out to passing runners.
Photo: This runner accepts a cup of water, offered by one of the WATT AVENUE aid station team members. The starting time for the race was to be precisely at 0700, at Folsom Dam, in the city of Folsom. The course of the race roughly parallels the American River and Highway 50, before ending at the west end of the California State Capitol building, in Capitol Park, in downtown Sacramento. The elevation at the starting point of the race is 366 feet, dropping down to 26 feet at the steps of the state capitol. Despite the fact that the course is mostly down hill, there are hills, rough streets, turns and other obstacles for the runners to negotiate. Even if it was simply a "walk in the park," 26 miles is a long way to walk, even in the park, and I can't imagine running 26 miles, especially on a chilly December morning. The weather service said that this Sunday morning would be cold, and they were right, as the sky was cloudy, there was a light breeze, and the temperature was about 30 degrees. OK, if you're from Montana, you're probably laughing, but if you had been standing at the corner of Fair Oaks Blvd. and Watt Ave., in east Sacramento this early Sunday morning, you would have felt the chill. As for me, I heeded the advice of the weather service, and dressed for the occasion, bundled from head to toe, and topped off by my down-filled, Gore-Tex parka.
Photo: This gal definitely knows how to drink a cup of water, while on the run, literally. I introduced myself to Doug, the Aid Station captain, and to Jen, who headed the medical team, from Kaiser Permanente. Doug and his crew had already set up folding tables, and they were loading plates of candy, pretzels and cups of water and energy drink to hand out to the runners who would soon be passing by. Doug and Jen were familiar with what my role was to be, so I merely told them that I'd be observing what was going on, reporting in when necessary, and for them to call me if anything came up that I didn't notice. Normally I prefer to dress in subdued colors, but today, I wore a bright red ball cap, so I could be easily spotted. Using my Vertex VH-150 handheld VHF transceiver and a speaker microphone, I called into Net Control, and officially put Aid Station WATT AVENUE into the race.
Photo: Looking west on Fair Oaks Blvd. as a fresh wave of runners approach the WATT AVENUE aid station. During the beginning and end of the race, runners tended to approach as individuals, or in small groups, but the majority of the time, the runners came in waves.
Photo: You know it's the Holiday Season when reindeers run in a marathon. There were even two Elvis impersonators, but I was unable to capture them on my digital camera. I was able to listen to the stations east of me on my VHF ham radio, so I was able to give progress reports of the race to the officials at my station. They seemed to appreciate my progress reports, and I'd like to think that I provided a good example of what ham radio can do, in the public service sector. The CHP blocked off both Fair Oaks Blvd. and Watt Ave., as 7500 runners, hundreds of spectators, and a whole lot of traffic don't mix very well. As usual, the CHP did a very efficient and professional job. The first "runner" who reached WATT AVENUE, around 0830, wasn't a runner at all, but one of the wheelchair contestants. The word "wheelchair" isn't entirely accurate, as the contraption that he was powering, by hand, resembled a low-slung, racing tricycle, pumped full of steroids. I dutifully reported him to Net Control, and shortly afterwards, he was followed by the first male runner, then the second male runner... and then things got hectic. Things happened so fast that I missed seeing the first female runner pass my through my station, but thanks to Nurse Jen, at the Medical Aid Station, she had taken a photo of the runner, and the runner's number was clearly visible as the photo was played back.
Photo: This gal has lots to smile about, as she passes our aid station. Perhaps she was pleased that she was nearing the three-quarter mark of the race...or maybe she was glad that I snapped her photo and posted it on the Internet?
Photo: Nurse Jen and the volunteer medical team from Kaiser Permanente apply a bandage to a runner who had a minor mishap. During the beginning of the race, black ice was a problem, and a few runners slipped and fell on the ice, which is difficult to see. Much of the time went by in a blur, with the team at the Aid Station passing out drinks to the runners, runners stopping to rest, and a few making a stop at the Medical Aid Station to get checked over by the competent staff. After the first three runners of each division had passed checkpoint WATT AVENUE, things were quite quiet for me, as despite the waves of runners who kept passing through our station, and the many spectators, not much happened. Of course the radio was buzzing with activity, as other stations made their reports, and there were a few instances of ambulances being summoned. (Note: It seemed that most of those runners who dropped out of the race dropped out in the first few miles, before coming to WATT AVENUE, at mile marker 19.4) We only had one runner who dropped out at our station, and he was well attended taken care of by the medical staff. As per the protocol, when it was apparent that he didn't plan to continue, I asked him to give me his chip, which promptly did, and I returned it to Doug, the Aid Station captain. I congratulated the runner on doing a fine job, which he did, and joked with him that I was saving him five bucks by returning his chip to the station captain.
Left: It's almost Christmas, and Mrs. Santa Claus manages to slip away from the North Pole to run in the 27th California International Marathon. Right: Nurse Jen managed snap this photo of this patriotic runner, and was gracious to allow me to publish her outstanding photo. Practically on the advertised time of 1130, the last runner passed through aid station WATT AVENUE, and I received permission from Net Control to secure the station, as the CHP opened the busy streets to traffic. John, KI6ZWW, who was operating as Net Control, thanked me for my participation, and wished me a pleasant afternoon. I returned the compliment to him, but remarked that the "pleasant" part of my afternoon would be short, as I had to report to work at 1600. The best part about work is that it provides the money to purchase ham radio gear! I truly can say that I admire the athletes who participate in marathons. I can't imagine running for over 26 miles, on city streets, in cold, freezing weather like we experienced on the day of the race. Every athlete who participated in this race, no matter what position they ended up in, or if they didn't finish, deserves recognition, as anybody who even contemplates enduring an event like this, deserves recognition. It is truly an achievement, and something to be proud of.
Photo: WS6L, webmaster, photographer, author of this article, and provider of ham radio communications to the WATT AVENUE aid station during the race. Photo taken by Nurse Jen. The radio communications team was only one division in a whole army of volunteers who made this event happen, and I was only one of about thirty radio personnel, so I played a only very small part in making this event run smoothly. Despite my very small role, I came away from the event tired, but extremely satisfied, knowing that I played a part in making this whole event happen. California
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