So for those of you who follow my Tweets, you will know that the last month I had been quite tied up with Ironman Sri Lanka. Here is an article that I wrote for the Sunday Times (Education Times) that summarizes my experience:
A week ago today, an amazing event took
place in Colombo that changed the face of volunteering and sport in Sri Lanka.
The inaugural Ironman Sri Lanka 70.3 and 5150 took place on 19th
February, 2012 with Galle Face Green as the centerpiece of the event. Two
triathlon races of different distances took place at the same time with the
first swim start at 6:30am. The pier and the path on the seawall of Galle Face
Green was packed with local and foreign spectators early on to watch the swim
and cheer on local and foreign athletes alike. As the swimmers transitioned to
the cycle portion of the race, then from the cycle to the run, spectators
dispersed to other areas of the course while others carried on with their day
like any other day. However, one thing stayed constant: the volunteers of
Ironman Sri Lanka.
Having been a volunteer manager for more
than four years and a volunteer for many more, I can say with confidence that
the volunteers I worked with during Ironman Sri Lanka were some of the most
enthusiastic, dedicated, and hard working I have encountered. The willingness
to help anywhere and at anytime was key to the event as our needs changed from
one area to another. The generosity and flexibility of the volunteers was
unparalleled. With staff from Australia, Malaysia, USA, and Canada running the
event – all said they have rarely worked with such easy going volunteers. On
top of that, many athletes from the 35 nations that participated echoed the
same sentiments.
The success of the event can easily be
attributed to the cooperation and teamwork exhibited by the volunteers at this
event. Many started off as strangers at the beginning of the day and then ended
the day as a single team. From the start where we had lifeguards in the water
and volunteers lining the route to the transition to the finish line where volunteers
collected all the timing tags and ensured athletes rehydrated, the volunteers
communicated where they needed help with each other and with event staff. Many
volunteers had the opportunity to learn some new skills and of course, learn
more about the sport of triathlon!
Our goal was to make this event a memorable
one for the participants. According to all the staff, the volunteers exceeded
expectations and extended the memorable experience to everyone – including
spectators, supporters, and family members . The generosity and hospitality
that Sri Lankans are known for shined bright during this event. All Ironman Sri
Lanka volunteers can be proud that they were described as incredible, amazing,
friendly, helpful, cheerful, and nice. What a fantastic way to represent your
country and be ambassadors for this event.
The Education Times club had a strong
presence sending out about 80 volunteers for the event. Additionally, we had
strong representation from the Rotoract Club of Colombo Fort, University of Colombo
Senior Oarsmen Club, Hearts and Hands of Humanity, and Rainbow Aquatics Club. Thank you to these organisations for recruiting
and bringing your groups out to participate!
A big thank you goes out to all the
volunteers for working tirelessly to make this event a success. Also, thank you
for all the feedback you have provided to us to help us make next year an even
better event. The next Ironman Sri Lanka is set to take place February 2013.
Keep checking into www.ironmansrilanka.com
for the latest news about the event. We hope to see all of you and more out again
next year!
Some photos can be found here:
