The Mark Ellis Blog

The World Athletics Championships in London were a unique opportunity to take on a volunteering role with a difference.   I was part of Track Team 500, a group of volunteers who complete the roles that stadium staff would normally fill.   This includes all the heavy lifting stuff of moving pole vault beds and uprights, building throws cages, moving steeplechase barriers as well as the more visible roles of blocks and hurdles teams. I was in the hurdles team and I worked throughout the Championships with the exception of the first two sessions which we enjoyed from the stands. With the hurdles team, we had 400m and 100/110m events to sort out with the team carrying out different roles for each of the events.  For the 400m events, I had the fun job of driving the buggy that carried two trailers of hurdles, with us looking after putting the hurdles out for rows 3 to 8.  For the 100/110m events, I had a range of jobs from dumping (getting the...