Tamarack Ottaw a Race Weekend
Hydration Station Instructions
STATION LEADER SUMMARY
It is the station leader’s responsibility to:
a) Arrive at the station well in advance of the first runners
b) Ensure all volunteers arrive at the station at least one hour prior to the
athletes
c) Assign duties to all volunteers. Touch base with medical staff if located close
by.
d) Ensure the installation of all equipment, making sure table legs are locked
e) Ensure the proper mixing of the NUUN product (described further)
f) Ensure every table has 3 layers of cups filled with liquids prior to the start of
the race
g) Ensure the cups are handed properly to athletes
h) Ensure the volunteers encourage the athletes
i) Ensure that all discarded cups, and garbage are picked-up
j) Encourage everyone to have fun!
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES DELIVERY
Deliveries to each water station will begin before 2:30 PM on Saturday and before
5:00 AM on Sunday morning. We will be using dedicated trucks for the equipment
delivery. The tables are being delivered separately by the rental company. All equipment
should be in place by no later than 7:00 AM, however glitches sometimes occur. If your
equipment is not in place, please call Dave Morrow on the radio or at 613-620-3283 and
you will be advised on its E.T.A.
In your pile of equipment, there will be a bag full of smaller items. You will find your
radio in this bag. As soon as possible, please let Dave know that you have arrived.
STATION LAYOUT
. The general layout for each station is as follows
SATURDAY:
 Main water station area, space tables out with tables on both sides of the road.
Water only is provided . Ensure these tables are well spaced out, to ensure that
runners can easily access them.
 Recycling and Garbage collection area
SUNDAY
 Main water station area, with first 4 tables on either side of the road for NUUN,
and remaining tables for water. Ensure the tables are well spaced out, to ensure
that runners can easily access them.
 Recycling and Garbage collection area
HATS/SHIRTS
All water station volunteers will be provided with a hat and shirt, unless the group is
wearing their own. If hats are provided, please ensure the volunteers wear the hat during
Water Station Instructions – Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
the race. Shirts from your organization can be worn in place of the one provided.
Otherwise it would be a nice touch to wear the TORW one .
VOLUNTEER HYGIENE
Non-latex gloves are provided for all volunteers. All volunteers are requested to
wear the gloves prior to filling water cups, mixing the NUUN or handing the cups to the
athletes. This is to avoid bacterial propagation and also projects a professional image to
the athletes.
CUPS & TABLES
All stations will be provided with an allotment of cups based on their stage of the
race based on anticipated temperature on Race Day (i.e. early stations are allotted 11.5 cups per runner, later ones up to 2 – 2.5 cups per runner).
All stations will be provided with NUUN product, barrels and 18 litre bottles. The
“recipe” is as follows:
Fill the Barrel half full with water. Drop in one package of NUUN .
Fill the barrel with water. No stirring is required
All stations will be provided with clean Coroplast (corrugated plastic) pieces. Use
these to double and triple stack the cups on the tables. Should it be windy during the
races, remove the sheet when very few cups remain on it to avoid it blowing away.
Beware of soft ground as three layers of cups might start sinking the table into the
ground and possibly tipping it over. DO NOT PLACE FILLED CUPS ON THE
GROUND!!!
When installing the tables, please ensure they are completely off the course and
well inside any racing tangents (i.e. the most direct route that a runner can take).
All water stations will be provided with 18-litre water bottles.. Use the containers to
stockpile water as a simple garden hose will not be sufficient during high athlete flow
moments. The best course of action is to immediately refill a container the moment it is
emptied.
PROPER POSITION FOR VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers should stay off the course as much as possible. Suggested position is
to stand at the curb with one foot in the gutter, within reach of the water table. However
in the instance where their presence is required on the course, they should always face
the runners to avoid potential painful collisions. If they absolutely must cross the course
during the race (not advised), they should start running with the runners and gradually
make their way across the course, being careful not to collide with the runners.
PROPER CUP HANDING TECHNIQUE
Wheelchair athletes generally have their own water, but they should also be offered
cups. Some wheelchair competitors arrive at speeds greater than 20 kph!
For all cups, the volunteers should YELL! what they are holding so that athletes
know in advance what liquids they’re getting. Cups should be filled no less than half
but no more than two thirds. Some athletes prefer to pick up their own cups, which is
perfectly acceptable. For the NUUN - It’s “NUUN ELECTROLYTES”
Water Station Instructions – Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
Although some parents would like to expose their small young children to running,
it is preferable that they not be assisting at the stations. There have been instances in
the past years where small children ran in front of athletes on the course. All volunteers
should be at least 10 years old.
WASHROOMS
Go-Huts are provided at each water station. These are provided primarily for the
athletes so please tell your volunteers to use these facilities before the athletes arrive,
and if they must use them during the competition to do so when there is no line-up.
RECYCLING AND GARBAGE PICK UP
We have a company that will recycle the cups and cardboard. It is essential that
only cups and cardboard get into the CLEAR recycling bags – no bottles, no gloves, no
food, no plastic - no non paper waste. Black garbage bags are provided for all other
waste
Recycling and Garbage trucks will be around after the race to collect the bags of
cups. Hockey sticks are a great way to get cups off the course and onto the side so that
they may be picked up with wide snow shovels. At no time should volunteers be
impeding the athletes while picking up cups. It is better to wait for lulls in the stream of
athletes to pick up garbage on the course.
Please empty and compress all cups – you can simply step on them – or stack
them so that they occupy less garbage bags!
A station’s volunteers are responsible of all garbage produced by the station – i.e.
some cups may be discarded several hundred metres past the station.
EQUIPMENT PICKUP
Trucks will be around after the race to pick up the equipment. Try to pile the
equipment in an orderly fashion, as this helps when we store it for next year.
For hoses, try to drain them of water, then coil them up. All equipment, except
the tables and the garbage, should be loaded back into the trucks for transport back to
storage. It would be appreciated if volunteers are available to help load the trucks.
EXTRA SUPPLIES
If you are a group sponsoring a Station you may wish to bring some other supplies
to make the station operate more smoothly. The following items are suggestions:

portable picnic table with umbrella (the ones they now sell at Canadian Tire
that fold down into a suitcase type box). This can be for use if you provide
muffins, juice, coffee, etc. for your volunteers
 an assortment of lawn chairs (the ones that fold into a carry bag), during 'down
time’.
 2 coolers (one for juice and one for the soda) and bags of ice for each
 snow shovels for scooping the cups
 kleenex, toilet tissue, hand soap, towels
Water Station Instructions – Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend

banner with the organization name, poles, ropes, pegs, etc. to secure it
OTHER HELPFUL HINTS:
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If trying to pour cups in a wind, have a second person hold a coroplast sheet as a
shield and pour the cups. Also, pour the wind-ward side first.
If windy, place the coroplast sheet on top of a layer of cups then try taping it to the
table with duct-tape to prevent it from blowing away
When you remove cups from their boxes, place a garbage bag inside the box and
place it down the road as a garbage bin
When placing cups on a table, pack them as tightly as possible so that you can
stockpile more on the table.
nuun electrolytes
 nuun is pronounced “noon”
 nuun is not gatorade!
 please don’t refer to nuun as gatorade!
mixing instructions
 please put two foil packages into each of our ten gallon
 coolers and add water. they take about 10 mins to
dissolve
 no stirring or shaking needed.
 make sure that both foil packages are the same
 flavor (either lemon-lime or tri-berry).
 if you notice the color of nuun fading after sitting in
 the sun for a while don’t worry! the sun just fades our
 natural colors.
when yelling to participants please say
“nuun electrolytes”
Water Station Instructions – Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend