Making sure big race stays on pace

Orchestrating The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is no small feat. In addition to the paid staff and city employees, the work of putting on the race falls on the shoulders of 10,000 volunteers.

Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski and his staff begin work months in advance to ensure a great race day for the expected 37,500 or so runners who make it to the starting line for the 26.3-mile run in front of more than a million spectators. But they couldn't do it alone.

"Volunteers are the heart and soul of our event," Pinkowski said.

He said they have been pivotal to the growth and success of the Chicago Marathon, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday, he said. They will perform a variety of tasks this year such as handing out runner bags at The LaSalle Bank Health & Fitness Expo and working the on-course runner aid stations.

"The success that we have is a direct response to the volunteers that we have," Pinkowski said. "If I am at another marathon or I talk to people on the street, they say that our volunteers are unbelievable and have a lot of energy."

Two of the groups that have been part of the Chicago Marathon since he became race director in 1990 are the Alpine Runners out of Lake Zurich and the Arlington Trotters from Arlington Heights. Members of Alpine will manage the first two aid stations while the Arlington Trotters will be at mile 11.

"They are two great clubs and are a wonderful part of our success," Pinkowski said. "They remember when it was a couple thousand people. … They are part of the marathon family."

The Alpine Runners will have 500 volunteers handing out water and Gatorade to the runners, according to club president Beth Onines. It is the only club that is staffing two aid stations.

"There is so much energy out on the course," said Onines, who founded the group in 1982 with her husband Pat. "All of the volunteers have a blast."

Arlington Trotters captain Trisha Dean and coordinator Michele Malo will lead 300 volunteers who will be going nonstop making sure the runners replace the fluids lost during the run.

"I like to give back to the sport and it is great to be part of the whole running community," Dean said. "This is a world-class event."

Onines has run 94 marathons and considers the Chicago Marathon to be the best organized one in the world, especially the way the aid stations are set up in a consistent way. At each aid station, runners know where to get water and Gatorade.

For more information on the Alpine Runners and Arlington Trotters running clubs, visit www.alpinerunners.com and www.arlingtontrotters.com. The marathon Web site is www.chicagomarathon.com.