Volunteer on the Marathon Course and Get a Front-Row Seat to All the Action!

Want to volunteer along the course of the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon, the event's 50th running? We'd love to have you!

Volunteers get a front-row seat to all the action and one of the most thrilling sporting events on the planet, and you'll stay safe, meet great people, and enjoy a preview if you're thinking about running in 2022 or another future year!

Read on to learn more and get inspired—or sign up right now for your volunteer spot on November 7!

What to Expect When You Volunteer on the Course

What will I do?

Volunteers on the course of the TCS New York City Marathon distribute water and Gatorade to runners from stations along the sidelines.

The work is in two shifts—you can choose either an early or late shift. For the early shift, you’ll help unpack supplies, set up tables, and keep cups of fluid available to the runners. Late-shift volunteers continue to keep cups of fluid available and then help with breakdown and cleanup.

For both shifts, volunteers cheer for and encourage the marathoners—this is a very important part of volunteering!

How long are the shifts?

The time commitment is typically about six hours.

How will I stay safe and protected, especially from COVID-19?

At NYRR, the safety of our volunteers is a top priority. We will have health and safety protocols in place, including the following:

• Volunteers wear latex gloves and may change their gloves as often as they wish.
• Volunteers are not required to hand fluids to the runners (though they may do so if they wish); the water and Gatorade is dispensed in cups that volunteers place on tables.
• Volunteers and spectators are separated by barricades.
• Volunteering is entirely outdoors, where COVID-19 transmission has been shown to be extremely rare.
• All marathoners this year will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test in order to pick up their runner number (bib).

If you have additional questions about safety, reach out to volunteers@nyrr.org. Please note that safety protocols may continue to evolve and NYRR will revise its operational plans as necessary in collaboration with medical and public health experts and state and local government officials.

Do I need to have any special skills?

No previous experience is required. “All it takes is a positive attitude and energy,” said Michael Thomas, the volunteer co-captain at Mile 17 on First Avenue. “My advice for someone wanting to volunteer at the marathon is sign up, show up, and have fun.”

Volunteers are invited to attend an online orientation before race day, but this is not mandatory; the information is shared again when they check in on race morning.

Do I get anything for volunteering?

Course volunteers receive a tote bag, as well as latex gloves for their protection and safety.

What’s rewarding about volunteering?

For Thomas Miller, also a longtime volunteer captain, connecting to the runners and responding to their needs extremely rewarding. “Many of the runners are still strong, but others are starting to feel the effects of their efforts,” he said. “As a volunteer, sometimes seeing the appreciation in a runner’s eyes can make your whole month!”

“You will meet people from around the world and you will definitely want to keep coming back,” said Michael Thomas.

He added, “Anyone can volunteer—really the only skills needed are the desire to help others and the ability to be ready to work, because race day is all about the runners.”

Michael Thomas and Thomas Miller: Volunteer Co-Captains

Michael Thomas and Thomas Miller are the co-captains of the fluid station at mile 17 on Manhattan’s First Avenue. Here’s why volunteering is special to them.

Michael: “I Want to Be a Part of This”

Michael Thomas first volunteered in 2014. “I remember sitting in my apartment the year before and watching the thousands of runners on TV and saying to myself, ‘I want to be a part of this,’” he said. “Watching the volunteers along the course handing out water and Gatorade, being moral support, and cheering them on is what inspired me.”

A year later, Michael showed up for his shift feeling a bit nervous. “I felt like it was my first day of class,” he said. “I did not know what to expect, but I was excited and eager.”

The nerves didn’t last long, as he immediately felt a sense of purpose. “The greatest feeling in the world is to know that you are doing meaningful work for others,” he said. “Some may say that we are only handing out water, but it is much bigger than that.”

Michael also felt an instant connection to his fellow volunteers—a bond that has grown stronger over time. “Mile 17 is like a family to me,” he said. “Although we may see each other once a year, we always pick up where we left off the year before and give Marathon Sunday our all.”

He added, “We have volunteers that live in other countries and come back year after year to volunteer at Mile 17. We see a lot of returning volunteers.”

Thomas: “I Would Volunteer and Do Something Useful”

Thomas Miller was an occasional “jogger” back in the 1970s, but by the late 80s he’d gotten out of shape. “Then one Sunday I saw the New York City Marathon on TV, and thought, ‘I wish I could do that,’” he said.

He joined a local fitness club and started running 5K and 10K races. In 1992, he ran the New York City Marathon—and kept running it every year for the next 16 years.

Injuries kept Thomas out of the 2008 race, so he watched from the sidelines. “I decided then and there that if I couldn’t run in 2009, I would volunteer and do something useful,” he said.

Thomas has been volunteering on the course every year since. “Frankly, I get as much self-satisfaction, and get just as tired—if not more so—volunteering than I did running,” he said.

“Mile 17 is special to me,” he added. “Not only do I remember it well as a runner, but we seem to always have a great group there.”

Sign up now to volunteer—registration closes September 30!