Volunteers Info
We love our Volunteers!
It is the people behind the scenes that make a race great. As you can well imagine it takes a small army of volunteers to safely stage an event of this magnitude. We recruit approximately 250 reliable and motivated individuals for the Canadian Death Race to handle a variety of functions. Although volunteering can be challenging and exhausting in some cases, the rewards for the adventurous at heart are immense, leaving one with lasting memories. Some say that the only thing harder than competing in the Death Race is volunteering for the Death Race. So right they are! The race is epic and so is the challenge for the people behind the scenes.
If you have a partner, family or friend not racing, they can help us out with various tasks any time between Saturday morning and Sunday morning in approximately 5 to 8 hour shifts. Volunteers get an ultra-cool special Canadian Death Race T-shirt, ticket to the pizza lunch on Saturday, and many, many smiles for helping at least 5 hours. Helping out with the race is actually lots of fun.
Special Skills
To Volunteer, all you need is a great attitude and willingness to help!
We are in need of people with these special skills, please let us know if you have one of these special skills/qualifications!
- expert quaders
- medical experts (doctors, nurses, EMT)
- People with search and rescue experience
Volunteer Meeting - 5 pm Friday
This meeting is mandatory for all volunteers. This is where you check in, receive your volunteer assignment and any special equipment required. Details about the location of the meeting are sent to registered volunteers by email pre-race. If you are unable to attend, please send a delegate or make alternative arrangements with us to get your volunteer information and appreciation package.
Volunteer Mega Draw Prize!
All weekend volunteers for the Death Race will be giving a chance to win a free five person relay entry into the Canadian Death Race, to be given away at our awards banquet in September. Be part of the action, we have lots of volunteer positions waiting for you.
Racers – Win back your entry fee!
For those volunteers that are also racing (or crew members of racers) here is your chance to win your relay entry fee back. It's easy Sign up to volunteer! For every 4 hour period of race weekend volunteer activity you or your team/crew members participate in, your name will be entered into a draw to win your entry fee back. Don't just stand around watching, be part of the action, we have lots of volunteer positions waiting for you. Helping with race activities is lots of fun and you get a chance to win a free team entry. Draw will be made at the awards presentation on Monday morning following the race.
Volunteer Appreciation Banquet
There is a volunteer banquet held in September in appreciation of the volunteers with lots of great food, fun and prizes. Dates will be posted online and we will attempt to notify you of the dates by email, so check back and plan to come and visit us again in September.
Volunteering positions fall into 12 broad categories as follows:
1) Registration and Check-in - duties include registering Death Racers, giving out racer's kits and providing race information. Approx time from 12noon until 9pm on the Friday prior to the race.
2) Start Ceremony/ Festival Downtown area - Various jobs helping organize the starting of the Death Race and helping in the Grande Cache Downtown area with the Festival of Adventure - including security, crowd control, cleanup, etc. Approximate time from Friday morning 7am until Monday at 6pm
3) Timing & Number Crew - Timers and number takers are at the finish line, aid stations and at various points on the trail system to ensure racers receive a time for the various legs of the race and so they do not take short cuts. Timers also register relay teams in and out of the Aid stations, verify the relay baton/coin is passed from runner to runner, and verify that soloists have their coin with them at each check point. Approximate time from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am, and Sunday at 1pm to 4pm for the Kids run.
4) Search & Rescue & Communications - Members of Search & Rescue require assistance. This team ensures that the race is safe for all competitors, and there are good lines of communications at major check points on the race course. If you have special skills in this area, either with first aid or radio communications this is an asset for the job but not necessary. Only Search & Rescue and EMS personnel can make a determination if a racer must drop out of the race due to injury. Approximate time from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am, and Sunday at 1pm to 4pm for the Kids run.
5) Emergency Medical Services - Members of Grande Cache EMS provide medical attention to racers that have injured themselves and are in need of medical aid. People with first-aid experience or medical background (nurse, doctor, etc) are preferred but not necessary. Only Search & Rescue and EMS personnel can make a determination if a racer must drop out of the race due to injury. Approximate time from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am, and Sunday at 1pm to 4pm for the Kids run.
6) Marshalling crew - Marshal jobs are to make sure racers go the right way. Marshals get to wear bright orange reflective vests, use giant full arm jesters to indicate the way, cheer racers on, give racers verbal direction when required, and are important sources of information for racers (what kilometer they are at, how far to the next aid station, etc). Quads, 4x4 vehicles and, in some cases, good hiking skills are required for Marshals to get to remote locations. Approximate time from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am, and Sunday at 1pm to 4pm for the kids run.
7) Sweep Crew - The sweep crew follows the last racer and closes the race course, taking down RACE signage, picking up pylons, and making sure the last person is okay. In most cases a quad is required for this job to carry the pylons and signage to the next aid station. The sweep person has a radio and reports any racers that are found injured, etc. Approximate time from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am.
8) Aid Station Crew - Help organize aid stations, all food and equipment provided. Bring a Chair. Crew members hand out water and Gatorade and food to racers. Help racers with gear and filling water bottles, etc. Approximate times will vary depending on the aid station but generally speaking from Saturday at 7am to Sunday at 9:30am for the run.
9) Media Crew - the media crew helps coordinate aspects of the media, getting the media in Quads and 4x4 vehicles to interesting locations to film and photograph racers. Several TV, newspaper and magazine crews will be here. Volunteers must have knowledge of the race course and area to complete this function as well as good interpersonal and communication skills.
10) Rapid response team - on race day there is always a series of unforeseen problems that arise that require rapid intervention (an aid station requires more water, a radio in the field stops working, a racer gets hurt, timing equipment malfunctions, all of which requires quick intervention.
11) Command Central – command central is the hub of Death Race Operations. We need phone operators, people with computer skills to compile results, and basically spare bodies to provide assistance when necessary. This is a busy place and very exciting to watch the race unfold behind the scenes.
We ask that people that volunteer for the race please show up for your shift as scheduled. If you are unable to attend the shift, for any reason, please notify us so we are not left scrambling at the last minute. Saying you will show up and then not showing up for your shift has really left us in some bad spots in the past, so please let us know if you cannot attend. Death Race Central: 780 827 5413.
Remember this is the Death Race we encourage a Halloween style/Mardi Gras atmosphere on race weekend. For anyone out in the field we strongly encourage all volunteers to dress up and play the part - costumes, masks, face paint, and noise makers all add to the extra special nature of the Canadian Death Race – have fun with it, but please make sure your costume is functional.