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The magic of volunteering in Amateur Radio
By Devon Day, KF6KEE
 It was 12:15 p.m., 10 July. The
first runner, Randy Isler, had just crossed the fast-moving Cataract Creek
toward the Sherman Aid Station, the fourth out of thirteen along the course.
He moved with confidence and clarity. His personal support team stood
by with warm food and words of encouragement. The team of volunteer Amateur
Radio operators was also ready. Jerry Gray, an EMT from nearby Lake City,
stood by with food, medical supplies, and the athletes drop bags. Our
four-element beam was in place. We stood by, monitoring the race net control
in Silverton on our 25-watt, Midland-13-510 mobile. Carol Lewin, KC6ECO,
clutched her clipboard, ready to check off incoming runners. I stood by
the large, laminated chart, ready to check in the first of the 82 runners
scheduled to pass our check-in point in the next seven hours.
Ticket to adventure
My experiences as a ham operator over the
past year and a half have been extraordinary! When I first began studying
for my license, I had no idea what wonderful experiences lay before me,
adventures made possible because of my ability to use Amateur Radio. I
was about to travel 853 miles from my home near the Queen Mary in Long
Beach, California, to become part of a team of over 50 volunteer Amateur
Radio operators who all serve as a part of a huge support team of over
225 that make the Hardrock 100 race possible.
The Hardrock story
The Hardrock 100 is the most challenging
"ultra" foot race in America. It began eight years ago and has
grown in international popularity ever since. Experienced runners from
Great Britain, New Zealand, and Germany participated with experienced
Americans. The 82 starters began the race from Silverton, Colorado. This
year the race began in the rain on Friday at 6:02 a.m. The winner, Ricky
Denesik, of Telluride, Colorado, cruised into Silverton 31 hours, 12 minutes,
and 31 seconds later. Our challenge, as communicators, was to ensure the
safety of the runners throughout the weekend.
The race
The racecourse snakes its way from 7,500
feet to 14,000 feet across Handies Peak. The route forces runners to climb
a total of 33,015 feet and descend the same in the course of the grueling
race. In one challenging, 10-mile segment, runners climbed from 9,500
feet to 14,000 feet. It is a grueling race. Running at an average altitude
of over 11,000 feet above sea level, breathing is a challenge in itself.
But the challenge of running a total of 101.3 miles without sleep, and
without any time out for lengthy rest, leaves some runners disoriented.
The elevation changes also pose problems for the communications team,
but years of experience by the race organizers have resulted in a nearly
perfect system that is as efficient as it is effective. Two teams of Hams
had to hike all of their equipment into their aid station site.
Historically, only one third to one half
of the starters finish before the predetermined time limit. this year,
there were 38 finishers who crossed the finish line in Silverton before
the 48-hour cutoff time. Any runner who checks into an Aid Station later
than the designated time limit is pulled from the race at that point.
Our aid station
The Sherman Aid Station was graced by tall
aspens and pine as well as beautiful flowers including the famous Colorado
Columbine, wild pink roses, blue bells, and painted brush. One of thirteen
such Aid Stations along the racecourse, Sherman is an abandoned mining
camp, where gold, silver, copper, and lead were pulled from the ground
as far back as 1877.
The site was divided from the incoming
runners by the fast-running Catarack Creek. Runners could walk over a
large fallen pine tree or brave the icy creek. The stream was only about
30 inches deep but the fast-moving water made it tough for some of the
tired participants.
Rain poured on the runners and the station
volunteers at about four in the afternoon on race day but the Aid Station
was well covered, thanks to the volunteer fire fighters from Lake City
who built a yurt, whose original design dates back to the nomadic Chinese
of Khengis Khan. It is a covered dome that provided excellent protection
in the country of extreme terrain and weather conditions. The runners
stayed nice and dry while they ate and refreshed themselves.
 I worked Sherman
Townsite with Jim Lewin, WD6FET, and Carol Lewin, KC6ECO. Carol and I
would check in the runners as they crossed Cataract Creek; my son, Chris
and EMT Jerry Gray took over from there. Chris gave the runners their
drop bags and poured water into the runners' bottles. Jerry's niece, along
with her friend plus three volunteer fire fighters from Lake City, would
give the runners sandwiches, feed them soup and all the Gatorade they
could drink. When they thought they were ready, the runners checked out
with Carol and me and took off for the next 10 miles of the race. Some
stayed with us for only two minutes. As runners left, one of our communications
team would call in athlete's numbers, their time in and out to net control
in Silverton operated by tireless Molly Hardman, N3CHZ, Steve Blaylock,
NØHGV, Jerome Janisse, KAØUMT, Jim Scott, W9KV, and a host
of others.
The top finishers had family at Sherman
Townsight. Moms and dads, coaches and friends set up their own aid station.
They had burgers cooking, dry clothes waiting, hugs, and words of encouragement.
I felt those runners had a big advantage. I learned to quickly look up
the runner's number, who had no support people waiting for him or her,
and call out the runner's name for encouragement. A runner would come
in and shout out his number. "76 in." I'd call back, "Got
you, Bill. We're ready for you." The runner's face would break from
the concentration of the race for just a minute and smile. The Amateur
Radio team did more than communicate "check in" and "check
out" times, we became the surrogate family and friends. Most of the
runners smiled as they left. They knew the Amateur Radio team was there
for them and thanked us as they left.
One runner came in with wobbly legs, who
was obviously suffering from the demands of the first thirty miles. He
departed from Sherman Aid Station only to return two hours later, withdrawing
from the race. These "extreme" runners seem to know their limitations.
We had one competitor who failed to show
up at our Aid Station by the cutoff time at 7:30 p.m. He had left Pole
Creek Aid Station, ten miles back, but never made it to us. Nine-and-a-half
hours into the race, there was no sign of the runner. I stood by the stream
with a flashlight, hoping to help the runner find his way. I continued
to monitor the race frequency, but I knew there was nothing I could do.
Jerry Gray headed into the woods and came back with the runner 30 minutes
later.
Jerry is not only well trained in medical
emergency procedure, he is a long distance runner himself. In another
30 minutes it would have been pitch black. That runner was dropped from
the race and went back to town, safe and sound.
A runner is missing!
The next morning, we were awakened by pounding
on the RV door. It was the Lake City Sheriff. One man never made it from
our sight to Grouse Gulch. He was five hours overdue. A search party had
been formed on either side of that leg of the race. The sheriff wanted
us to run communications with Silverton. We jumped up and got the radios
on, as the search commenced. They found the runner an hour later, asleep.
The organizers of the race take great pride in that they have never lost
a runner. Given the immensity of the challenge, it is amazing. It is due
to the incredible team of volunteers who work behind the scenes to coordinate
the movements of the runners with race headquarters in Silverton.
 The magic of Joel Zucker
One runner, Joel Zucker, stood out from
the others. Joel immediately touched the hearts of the Amateur Radio operators
and aid station volunteers who met him. It was Joel's third Hardrock 100
race. Joel was a librarian from Freeville, New York. Joel came into camp,
I quickly checked out his number and said, "We got you Joel. How
are you doing?" Smiling, Joel said, "Great and you need to treat
me special. I'm the shortest runner here." I turned and looked at
him and started laughing with him. His eyes were bright and after 30 miles
of hard running, he was in a great mood. He unloaded his fanny pack and
sat down to eat and get ready for the next leg of the race. He told us
it was his third race and he would finish this one under the cutoff time,
too. Unlike some of the other runners, Joel was relaxed and had time to
talk to the others who were running the race for the first time. When
he left, I shouted words of encouragement and watched him start off for
the trail leading to Handies Peak.
On Sunday, during the awards ceremony,
I saw Joel sitting by himself in the bleachers in the high school gym
in Silverton. I asked him if I could take a picture of my favorite runner.
The other runners hooted and teased him. He smiled and said, "I'd
be honored." Later when Joel went up to get his lithograph for finishing
the race, I snapped pictures like he was part of my family.
Two weeks later when I returned to Durango,
Colorado, for a vacation with my family, I was devastated when handed
a copy of the Durango Herald. There in the Sports Section was an article
written by Eric Davidson announcing the death of Joel Zucker en route
to the Albuquerque Airport from Silverton. My favorite runner was gone
but he had touched my life in a special way. I was able to send my memories
and those last pictures to his family, who were overwhelmed by the response
of the running and Amateur Radio community after his death. Plans are
being made to name a trail of the race in Joel's memory.
Victory!
At the awards ceremony on Sunday in Silverton,
the Hardrock 100 winners received a signed, numbered lithograph created
especially for the race. Six women ran the race and four finished. The
top female runner came in fifteenth overall. Eliza MacLean, from Mebane,
North Carolina, looked radiant as she accepted her awards. The top male
runner, Ricky Denesik, walked easily up to the awards table, grinning
broadly. He looked like he just took a walk in the park. The conditioning
of these athletes is awesome. In addition to the lithographs that all
of the finishers received, both Eliza and Ricky won a golden mining pan
for top overall times.
The rewards of being an Amateur Radio operator
It was an important experience to be able
to be a part of such a wonderful team of volunteers, to be treated as
if I were part of the race family, to get some top-notch practice working
Amateur Radio in a well-organized communications net, and to help to the
runners. I was able to see some "knock-down" gorgeous country,
that, as a tourist from California, I would probably never know about.
I have become "rich in experiences" as result of being a volunteer
in radio communications and was touched by the special magic of knowing
Joel Zucker. Of all of my volunteer experiences in Amateur Radio, working
radio for the Hardrock 100 has been the most rewarding. We were able to
keep the runners safe, serve as encouragers, and assist the local sheriffs
when one runner was lost. All of this occurred as a result of my new skills
in Amateur Radio. It has been marvelous and completely rewarding, going
far beyond my expectations. Amateur Radio is more than just technical
operation; it's about people, too!
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