Why this year's National Volunteer Week was so special
- Lucy Cousins
- May 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 27
Like a lot of sporting events, the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS simply couldn’t happen without our volunteers, says Melissa Farrelly, Pont3 Workforce Manager. So to celebrate National Volunteer Week, we sat down with Mel to find out why volunteering is so popular, how essential it is to the TCS Sydney Marathon and what’s so special about this year’s official volunteer t-shirt.
Mel, tell us why are volunteers so important to the Sydney Marathon?
“Great question! Volunteers are essential for the whole event to run – they are there from the start, helping participants collect their bib, making sure that they know how to get to the start line and also helping at the start line itself, making sure everyone's in the right place. During the race, they’re helping at the drink stations along the course, and then at the finish line, they are also handing out medals. So from start to finish, they are always there.”
Can you explain a little bit about what National Volunteer Week is?
“So National Volunteer Week recognises the work volunteers do across Australia. Here at the TCS Sydney Marathon, we see it as a time to highlight the impact that volunteers have, not just on our running events, but in just about every industry across Australia. We're just one small event, but a lot of our volunteers also donate their time at other events and charities.”
Why is this particular National Volunteer Week important?
“This year is really special to us because the theme is ‘Connecting Communities’, which I think is a really cool theme. We have a lot of volunteers that are runners, so they've seen how impactful volunteers can be when they are running an event. We also love that a lot of our volunteers have made friends through the event and have created an incredible volunteer community. A lot of our volunteers help out year after year, so we really get to know them well, and the community that’s formed throughout our candidacy period from 2022 to 2025 has been incredible.”
Why should people consider volunteering this year at the TCS Sydney Marathon?
“Yes, volunteers give up their time, but in turn, they make great friendships, get experience in lots of different areas and have a ball on the day. This year, in particular, is our most important year as it’s the first year being an Abbott World Marathon Major, so now more than ever, volunteers are needed because we're growing so rapidly. So, yeah, this is a massive year for us!”
If someone is wanting to volunteer this year, is it too late to sign up?
“Not at all! We generally need around 4000 volunteers to help make the TCS Sydney Marathon happen. All you have to do is visit our volunteer page and read about the different ways you can get involved. There's also group volunteering roles available, so for example, if there's a run club or a community group that wants to get involved in the event, we have plenty of group roles where everyone can volunteer in the same area.”
And just lastly, what's happening with the volunteer shirts this year?
“So this year is the 25-year anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, which is what inspired the TCS Sydney Marathon. To celebrate, we’re launching a new volunteer shirt that’s dedicated to those original volunteers and inspired by the 2000 Olympics volunteer shirt. We actually have volunteers who started helping out at those Olympics, 25 years ago, who are still helping out now. We know that the Sydney Olympics was a turning point for many Australians when it came to the idea of volunteering at major events, so all of our volunteers will be wearing this newly designed shirt as a nod to 25 years of volunteering.”
Interested in volunteering? Visit our Volunteer With Us page or email us at volunteers@sydneymarathon.com for more information
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