[ARRL-OK] OKC Marathon

[ClayMayrose at aol.com]

It's that time of year to get ready for the 2005 OKC Memorial Marathon on 24
April, 2005.  Amateur radio has been an important part of the Marathon since
it began in 2000 and our presence and contribution have grown each year.

The Oklahoma City Marathon has taken on the nickname, "The Run To Remember".
To remember the 168 people killed, the hundreds injured, the lost of
property and livelihoods, and the thousands of volunteers who gave of their
time, talents, treasure to help.

This year is significant as it is the 10th anniversary of the Murrah
Building bombing.  The Memorial Marathon has been identified by a leading
running magazine as one of the "Twelve Must Run Marathons"; quite an honor
for an event so new.

As many of you are aware, within 15 minutes of the blast which destroyed the
Murrah Building, the Oklahoma County ARES Net was up and running.  The net
continued for over 300 hours.  Over 330 amateur radio operators from
Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas came to Oklahoma City to lend their
assistance.

Amateur radio support is a vital part of the Marathon.  Our contribution is
greatly appreciated by the Marathon directors, public safety officials,
volunteers and participants.  So once again, we need your assistance.  About
55-60 radio operators are needed to assure an efficient and professional
operation.

If you would like to volunteer, contact Tom Webb, WA9AFM/5 (tmwebb at cox.net).
Even if you can't stay for the entire event, i.e. leave early or come late,
jump in anyway!....and here's the best part, you get a free T-shirt for
volunteering!

Mobile rigs will be the order of the day, but HT's are always welcome.  We
will also be making increased use of APRS.  The police/fire/EMSA dispatchers
were VERY impressed with our ability to show them where the runners were on
the course; we had APRS on the lead and 'tail-end Charlie' vehicles.  This
allowed emergency vehicles to be dispatched along routes to avoid the
Marathon course.  There were over 28 emergency vehicles dispatched during
last year's Marathon.

The primary route for the Marathon remains the same.  Go to
www.okcmarathon.com to see a route map.

There are some changes to the organization of this year's Marathon...

The 2-Person Relay will become a 'Half-Marathon', i.e. a 13 mile run.  Full,
Half Marathon and Five-Person Relay Runners will start together and follow
the same course till NW 50th Street where the Half-Marathon Runners will
cross over to Classen and proceed south on the established route to the
finish line; Full Marathon and Five-Person Relay Runners will continue on
the established course.  First arrivals at the Finish Line could be as early
as 8:30 AM.  Thus, the aid/water stations from about Mile Marker 22 will
have to be open earlier.

There will also be an 'early start' for those runners/walkers who
acknowledge they can not complete the course within 7 hours.  Their start
time will be around 4:30 AM.  They will have to acknowledge there will be
minimal or no support for the first two hours on the course.  That early in
the morning, temperatures nor traffic shouldn't be a factor.  Radio
operators will be in position by 6:15 AM; the primary run will begin at 6:30
AM.  Our responsibilities will not begin till the regular start.  Many
marathons have adopted this procedure.

To help in safety, coordination and identification, radio operators, course
marshals and medical personnel will be wearing safety vests.  The vests for
radio operators will have 'Communications' printed on the back.

The relay exchange supervisors have been appointed for this year's event.
This will prevent the last minute search for supervisors and give volunteers
an immediate point of contact.  With the switch to the Half-Marathon, there
will only be four relay exchanges which will be for the 5-Person Relay.
Five-Person Relay exchange points will remain in the same locations.

A bus 'dispatcher'(not a radio operator) will be assigned to the bus loading
area to expedite bus departure and assure (as much as possible) relay
runners get on the right bus.  Buses will be labeled 'Leg 1, 2, 3, 4' to
match the listing of 5-Person Relay legs shown on the Marathon webpage.
There will be a 'escort' on each bus to make sure relay runners are on the
right bus and disembark at the right relay point.

The Race Director reports a huge volume of e-mails complimenting the OKC
Marathon on it's organization and course support.  At present, about 2,500
runners/walkers have already registered for this event.  Runners from 48
states and 5 countries have already registered.

As mentioned, we need about 55-60 operators to make our portion of the
Marathon go smoothly.  This is your chance to celebrate the lives lost and
keep their memory and the legacy of the 'Heroes Of April 19th' alive.  Come
out and be a part of "The Run To Remember".