Celebrating Our Volunteers
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and we’re celebrating all those who show up on race day or at our Open Run sessions sharing time and talents—handing out much-needed hydration on the course or supporting the community on runs or walks in their local parks.
To show our appreciation, we held a Volunteer Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 20. During the ceremony, which took place virtually, inductees and guests were addressed by Director of Volunteer Operations Mary Haskins, NYRR CEO Kerin Hempel, Director of Open Run Program Shelly Licorish, Senior Vice President of Community Impact Marissa Munoz, and Vice President of Events, Development and Production and TCS New York City Marathon Race Director Ted Metellus. All thanked the volunteers for their incredible service.
Check out the video below of some of the inductees talking about their most memorable moments while volunteering that was shared during the program.
Learn more about our Hall of Fame inductees below and join us in congratulating them for their dedication to keep NYRR running!
Find out how to volunteer for NYRR.
RACE-DAY VOLUNTEERS
Jerald Abrams
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Working the ham (short for "amateur") radio at races.
Jerald started volunteering in 1976 as a ham radio operator when the New York City Marathon course covered all five boroughs of NYC for the first time.
Barbara Alpert
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Works at the TCS New York City Marathon finish walk-off area.
“Most rewarding and fun [thing about volunteering] is getting to know the other volunteers as well as the chance to be part of the runners' greatest times of their lives.”
Barbara started volunteering in 1979, stuffing envelopes filled with race applications when the NYRR office was still located at the West Side YMCA. She also volunteered at a few races and even ran the Mini 10K, known then as the L’eggs Mini-Marathon. Now, she volunteers at the TCS New York City Marathon in the finish walk-off area every year and leads volunteers in doing bib pickup at the marathon expo.
Some of her most memorable moments volunteering are seeing celebrities like Tom Cruise on the course, welcoming amazing wheelchair athletes and other Achilles competitors, and witnessing world records get broken year after year.
Her advice to volunteers? “Come early, come often, and bring your best self and tons of energy—you will feel great!”
Ivan Black
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Working the fluid stations, handing out medals, and supporting the marathon finish walk-off area.
“The most rewarding [experience] is [seeing] the look on the runners' faces when I put the medals around their necks. I also enjoy seeing and meeting people from other countries and saying something to them in their native language.”
Ivan was a track and field athlete and track and field official which inspired him to volunteer for the New York City Marathon for the first time in 1977. He’s points out that a lot of work goes into volunteering at the races like carrying six to eight recovery bags at once to hand out to runners because they are too exhausted to ask for them.
His advice to volunteers? “Get a good night's sleep the night before, wear very comfortable shoes, and wear multiple layers because it's going to be a long day.”
William Butler
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Working the ham radio at races.
Michael Campbell
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Works at mile 21 on the TCS New York City Marathon course.
“The most fun thing about volunteering is cheering on the runners and celebrating them coming through the 21-mile mark and being able to bring my daughter to enjoy the experience with me.”
Michael became a volunteer in the 1970s alongside the United Block Association after he answered a call for people to volunteer in the Harlem section of the New York City Marathon course. He remembers having to find creative ways to keep cups filled on windy days because there would be a “cup tornado” whenever the wind picked up and water and cups flew everywhere.
“Our ponchos and jackets definitely came in handy!”
Steve Grumbach
Years volunteering with NYRR: 40
Role: Works at mile 3A on the TCS New York City Marathon course.
“Every year there is a new story or experience.”
Steve started volunteering with NYRR in the early ‘80s providing much-needed support on the New York City Marathon course. He said the best part of volunteering is when runners from around the world thank you in different languages.
Michelle Randall-Williams
(pictured on the right)
Years volunteering with NYRR: 45
Role: Works at mile 8 on the TCS New York City Marathon course.
"[The marathon] has given me so many opportunities and so much joy to bring unity to the community. I have been at this station (mile 8 in Brooklyn) for 43 years and each year is more exciting than the next. We brought music to the station which was something new for the marathon.”
Bob Sklar
Years volunteering with NYRR: 28
Role: Handing out race medals at various races in all five boroughs.
“The rewards [of volunteering] are meeting great volunteers, runners, and staff.”
Bob has done it all as a volunteer for NYRR—from handing out medals alongside Meb Keflezighi, Jared Ward, and Des Linden to keeping things going during relentless rainstorms at the Staten Island Half. He started volunteering in 1994 and those first few years worked at the New York City Marathon. But as medals races grew in number, he volunteered at other races including the NYC Half, the Brooklyn Half, the Mini 10K, the Queens 10K, and the Bronx 10 Mile.
Emmet Washington
Years volunteering with NYRR: 31
Role: Works at the TCS New York City Marathon finish area handing out recovery bags.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
Barbara Brauner-Klasewitz
Number of Open Runs: 243
Role: Captain at Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.
“Be supportive of all runners."
Barbara started volunteering at the Open Run sessions in Canarsie Park to give back to what Open Run had given her. She said she likes sharing what the program has done for her and cheering on the slower runners because “it is not how fast you finish but that you do finish.”
Horace Bush
Number of Open Runs: 274
Role: Captain at Cunningham Park in Queens.
Ellen Mendez
Number of Open Runs: 205
Role: Volunteers at Marine Park in Brooklyn.
“You will meet some great people.”
Ellen started volunteering at Open Run sessions in May 2016 at Marine Park in Brooklyn. She said you make friends at the runs that encourage you to keep running. For her, one of the highlights of volunteering is seeing people at the marathon, wishing them luck, and giving them a hug. She tells runners if they are asked about their finish time to say they did a “fun time.”