Volunteers eager for marathon

More than 1,400 volunteers will attempt the difficult task of hydrating 13,000 runners during the upcoming AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon.

Volunteer coordinators from the 26 organizations that will help with the marathon met at RunTex on Riverside Drive on Saturday to prepare for the Feb. 17 event.

Volunteer directors Ainsley Williams and Staci Wimbush said this year's "26 Miles for 26 Charities" theme was created to give local nonprofits exposure at one of Austin's largest events.

"Each group has a theme for their mile-long tract, so runners experience the Austin community throwughout the 26 miles," Williams said.

Charities that will be volunteering at the marathon include Austin Music Foundation, the Armwy National Guard, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Easter Seals of Central Texas, a group that provides rehabilitation services to people with mental and physical disabilities.

Laura Alvarado, spokeswoman for Easter Seals, said UT students comprise the majority of her volunteer team.

"We haven't ever done a race event before, and we're hoping to have a lot of energy and signage that will spread our mission," she said.

Easter Seals Development and Volunteer Coordinator Veronica De La Rosa said the Texas Wrangler efforts are no surprise.

Last year, the group volunteered nearly 8,000 hours of service through manual labor and fundraising, she said.

Texas Wranglers secretary James Richards said he hopes the marathon will help Easter Seals gain some publicity.

"Our objective is to do whatever we can to help the Easter Seals get their name out there so they can continue helping the individuals and families who need them," Richards said.

Representatives from all 26 organizations seemed to be looking forward to an early race-day morning and were eager to make the event memorable for the runners.

"Volunteers are a critical part of the success of this marathon," Williams said. "We're doing a lot of new and exciting things this year, and we're really bringing Austin to life."

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