RUNDetroit Recruiting Army Of Volunteers To Become Marathon Course Marshals

DETROIT (WWJ) - Do you have what it takes to join Detroit's newest army?

Justin Craig, with the RUNDetroit shoe store, is seeking volunteers to learn how to work various road races across Metro Detroit. Craig said the idea is to solve the dilemma of runs that don't have enough volunteers or police coverage.

"Getting folks out on the course that know what to do on race day -- that ensures that we can keep runners safe from traffic and just keep them on course, so people don't take a wrong turn," Craig told WWJ's Scott Ryan.

Volunteers will be trained in the art of being a course marshal, which deals with directing runners along a race course without speaking one word.

"We try to promote very big arm motions -- everything is sort of exaggerated because when runners are running, they often get this tunnel vision and it's hard to see what's going on around them," said Craig. "So, they'll learn how to communicate non-verbally to runners, as well as how to interact with residents and drivers."

And while you won't get paid in cash, you will get paid with the chance to run other races for free.

"If you volunteer at my race, you can get a free entry into an upcoming race that is put on by another race director," he said. "So, we're creating this co-op so we can reward and share quality people back and forth."

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, send an email with "Pilot Program" in the subject line, to info@run-detroit.com.