With so many different race events happening over the next few months, it brings a few challenges to race coordinators. One of the bigger hurdles to any race is recruiting enough volunteers to have a safe and successful race. Without volunteers, these many events we enjoy so much could not happen. Volunteers are the core to any event - from small 5K races to marathons and triathlons, volunteers make events flow smoothly.

The one thing about racing events is there are more people who do not do them than people who do. That leaves a pretty large pool of folks who have an interest, but do not participate. So why not jump in, get involved and lend a helping hand? Here are a few good reasons to be a volunteer.

Many who volunteer have friends and family in the race and races can be dangerous, making volunteers key to racers' safety. Each year, many of our local races have injury accidents and without you, the volunteer, it would be far worse. The other interesting aspect to volunteering is a high conversion rate from volunteer to athlete. So many volunteers get inspired to sign up for races themselves.

Then there are all the other perks such as free shirts, no cost race entries, and/or guaranteed entry for next year's race, and in the case of Ironman, access to a huge post-race party. With some events, they feed you and offer beverages which is always a great addition for your efforts.

Volunteers not only consist of friends and family, but many volunteers are injured athletes who have to sit out a few races to heal or former athletes that due to medical reason can't race any longer. These athletes can stay connected to racing or running while they are recovering or if they no longer compete and stay connected to the running community. In our area, running groups and clubs are very tight-knit, so the connection with these groups doesn't stop because you have retired from racing or are injured.

Many people who volunteer can bring their expertise to the table.

A good example of this is physical therapists, doctors and EMT folks. Many of these medically trained people work the aid stations along the course and the post race finish areas helping athletes recover. The other group that does a great job as volunteers are business professionals helping with registration and logistics.

The diversity of each community brings out an amazing cross section of skills that are truly amazing within the volunteer groups.

If I am not competing, I for one volunteer myself and my paddleboard for a number of events and with that comes a great view of the action. As a spectator, it can be tough to get a good view of the course. But as a volunteer in many cases, you can get front row access to the action. There's no better way to feel the energy of a race than by being right in the middle of the event, up close and personal. Most find this benefit to volunteering to be very gratifying.

One of the best reasons to volunteer is the people. You get to meet so many people and with that comes a huge sense of community. If you are new to running or multi-sport events, you learn so much from the athletes and other event veterans it becomes a big educational opportunity. Meeting all these people with similar interests lead to new friendships, new running partners and perhaps a future soul mate.

With all the really great reasons to be an event volunteer, there are a few unsettling aspects to volunteering. The first one is the chaos factor. With some newer events, it can be poorly organized and event staff can mistreat volunteers. This happens and can leave a very bad taste for some who volunteer. The other part that can bother some is the fact that many events are for profit like Ironman. This brings up the point that in some volunteer cases you are working for free to help someone else make a profit. However, the bigger point to this is each race is about the athletes, their safety and cheering them to a memorable finish.

Overall, volunteering for racing events is about people, community and the satisfaction you get from helping others. These short-term commitments are a great why to experience new things, enjoy a great adventure so to speak that benefits so many including you. Our local race organizers need good volunteers, so if you have an interest in an event please consider donating a little of your time and have a ton of fun doing it!

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.