Volunteering at the London Moonwalk last month...

This morning, the 2010 Moonwalk took place in Edinburgh. I wish I had the energy to volunteer for this event as well! I was looking at running and walking events in the UK this year, when I suddenly chanced upon the Playtex London Moonwalk web pages a few weeks ago. At that point in time, the organisers were still looking for volunteers. So, all I did was click on the link, add my details and skills and interests, and chose the times I would like to volunteer.

The very next day, I received an email, confirming my application had been received and that I would shortly be receiving details of my volunteering stint. I was absolutely delighted to get them by post a few days later, informing me that I was to be a Marshall along the route! There was a booklet answering FAQs, so I knew what to expect.

The night of the London Moonwalk, I took the train from Essex up to London Liverpool Street. At the station in my tiny town, I met a handful of other runners and their family members and was chatting to them. The excitement had already begun for me. Once in London, I decided to have a good meal, and so, wandered into Ravi Shankar, one of the many Indian restaurants on Drummond Street near Euston Station. They had recently introduced 2 new dishes, and I was happy to try one of them. As I ate, I realised that as a new food blogger, my responsibilities increased with each meal that I ate out! So, I did my duty by informing the management that while the dish was good on the whole, one item had a bit too much salt in it. The reaction I got from the staff had me in splits later on: while some were plain stunned that a lone diner was making herself heard, the Manager was gobsmacked when I told him I am also a food blogger! But, they immediately took my comment into consideration, and thanked me for it. I wish them well.

From there, it was a short walk to Marble Arch, near Hyde Park where the organisers had sent up a huge pink tent. The atmosphere was awesome...milling with excited runners and volunteers. I made my way to the volunteer tent, where I was given my t-shirt, waterproof jacket, cap and a magazine to keep me occupied till the first runner made her way to where I was standing! All volunteers could also have tea/coffee and fresh soup. My team quickly got together, and were briefed by our team leaders. All that needed to be done was wait for the coach that would take us to our final positions.

Once at the stretch of the route which we were patrolling, the team was further divided into groups of 2-3 persons, as we were not to stand alone anywhere, for reasons of safety. My team was posted in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, near the Yacht Club. The three of us waited for a while, and before long, the first runner arrived...and then, a slow trickle, which then turned into a massive avalanche of runners over several hours of the early morning, that slowly trickled again into a dwindling number of walkers and then the last few...We were on our feet for a good 7 hours that night, helping runners and walkers cross one of the busiest roads of central London, for a good cause - fighting against breast cancer. We were witness to all kinds of emotions - from sheer exhilaration and happiness, to sorrow at the memory of the loss of a loved one, to tiredness and exhaustion. I spotted the ladies I had met earlier at the train station and they shouted out to me:-) I met a few Indian runners too, one of whom, a Bengali gentleman, asked me how I was - in Bengali! I smiled and waved back. I saw a grandmum n grandaughter hugging each other as they passed us, in tears, and we knew a loved mother was not there to see this and was greatly missed...

It was an unforgettable experience for me. The high points were the fantastic costumes some of the runners had created and worn, and the blasting of horns by passing drivers who wanted to salute the spirit of the runners. There were one or two ugly turns as well, as some drivers stubbornly refused to stop for the hordes of runners and walkers - nothing but bad manners, considering they also broke traffic rules: Zebra crossings had to be heeded. The Met Police did a great job of coming around often to see if things were running smoothly. Hats off to you officers! At about 4am, the organisers sent around fresh steaming hot coffee for the Marshalls along the route...And at about 7:30am, it was all over for my team. The coach collected us once again, and we made our way back to Hyde Park. We were offered hot tea and coffee once again along with sandwiches, including vegetarian options...which I think was rather thoughtful of the organisers. Thank you, Tina.

I would love to do this time and again, schedule permitting! The next one is coming up in Bristol, and for those who are interested, please check out the website below:

http://www.walkthewalk.org/home

I hope this blog post inspires readers to try and do their own little something for charities. Its not always about money; sometimes, just giving your time is enough...