U.S. Air Force Marathon Seeks Volunteers Published May 13, 2015 By Brian Brackens 88th ABW Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Looking for a way to experience a marathon without having to run it? The U.S. Air Force Marathon is looking for more than 2,300 volunteers to help. Volunteers are needed to help manage a variety of important functions including handing out shirts, bibs and meal tickets to the more than 15,000 runners who will be participating in the race. They are also needed to staff the hydration stations that are located throughout the course. Jeanette Monaghan, the volunteer coordinator for the Air Force Marathon said that volunteers are crucial to the success of the marathon. "We rely heavily on our volunteers to manage our runners and customers," she said. "From helping us with our set-up to unwrapping the thousands of medals that will be presented to the runners, and staffing our information area, volunteers play a large role in the marathon." As the volunteer coordinator, Monaghan is responsible for recruiting, training and coordinating more than 2,000 volunteers throughout the year. "There's a job for everybody," said Monaghan. "We just need a positive, happy person that wants to support the community and support the runners by providing encouragement, and morale support." According to Monaghan, being a volunteer is a lot of fun and many come back year after year. "The Air Force Marathon is such an exciting event to be a part of," Monaghan said. "A lot of people don't know how festive the atmosphere is -- it's contagious. Ninety-five percent of our volunteers have volunteered with us before, and 25 percent having been volunteering for more than 15 years." Volunteering for the marathon offers an opportunity for team building, with organizations signing up to volunteer as a group. "We've beefed up our group involvement," said Monaghan. "We have a lot of companies that come and volunteer as a team. We encourage people to come with a large group and work together." The Air Force Marathon will be held Sept. 19 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The Sports & Fitness Expo is held at Wright State University's Nutter Center and will be Sept. 17-18. For more information about the race and to sign up to volunteer, visit http://www.usafmarathon.com/