Can You Spare a Couple of Hours?

[+Fraz]

Hi 

 

Caley Jags Together are looking for some people to help out at a water station for the Loch Ness Marathon. The marathon is on Sunday the 29th of September and the station will be running 10am until 4pm, it's located on Dores Road near the entrance to Holm Park just in front of the power sub-station.

 

You don't have to do the full 6 hours! (though you can if you're keen) even just an hour or two would be fantastic.

 

It's just handing out bottles of water and energy gel pouches, nothing too arduous and the runners also really appreciate it.

 

If you'd like to help out please post below and mention what time you could manage. Thanks. 

[Eye Settee]

Happy to help if needed. Preferably 12-2pm but can fit in with others.

[+Fraz]

Happy to help if needed. Preferably 12-2pm but can fit in with others.

 

Thanks, that time's fine, just pop along. Look forward to seeing you.

[Charles Bannerman]

An informed financial health warning here, perhaps, from within the sport of athletics.

Firstly, I would ask how much the Loch Ness Marathon organisers are paying CJT for this service, and for how many person-hours of work?

There are a few things that not enough people know about this event. In particular, it is (unlike ICT's operation most years) run for profit by a company called Caledonian Concepts who charge among the highest entry fees in the country along with various other cash raising dodges which I won't detail. At around £25 and £45, it is two or three times as expensive to enter this event than very many other 10Ks and marathons. In my view, this event is a rip off and it's a pity more of the unsuspecting public don't realise this.

This is partly because the company also issues a great deal of overhyped spin about charities. But let's make no mistake about it - the fundamental purpose of this event is a business undertaking for Caledonian Concepts.

Yes, some runners do get sponsored for charities but they could do that anywhere, and more cheaply elsewhere. The spin invites the impresson that the driving force here is good causes. I would beg to differ. It would be very wrong, for instance, to believe that the very high entry fees etc have anything to do with charities.

Caledonian Concepts has basically jumped on the running bandwagon to make a profit out of it and as such has become deeply unpopular within the sport of athletics, of which, I would stress, it is most definitely not a part. Volunteers working for a peanuts donation to their organisation hence merely boost the profit.

So before volunteering for this, it might be a good idea to find out how much is being paid by this for-profit company to CJT for every hour of your time, and consider whether that time might better be spent volunteering to help the non-profit making football club you support rather than to make more bucks for this company.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Charles Bannerman

[L_G]

Point taken CB.  We did receive a donation in return for our time when we did this last year.  We stepped in at the last minute and it is a welcome boost to our coffers.  I'm not sure that it would equate to minimum wage for the amount of people per hour but it was a donation we were happy with. Sadly we live in a world that is money motivated.  I hope that lots of charities and good causes make a lot of money from the runners. 

 

I think you will find that the people who will give a couple of hours on this day already give a lot of hours to the football club

[+Fraz]

I don't know the figures and I see what your saying Mr B in terms of hours to income. However other than finding people who will kindly donate their time on the day there is next to no organisation/planning required same goes for post event evaluation etc. So it's really just an on the day thing.

 

I could be well off the mark but on the flip side I think that in terms of other fund raising events (say quiz nights, or even something 'simple' like doing a large raffle) if you took into account the big picture with all the time, energy and materials invested in the planning before the event from volunteers, the actual doing from volunteers and all the sorting out afterward from volunteers it's not likely to be a kings ransom per hour per person either. As a former teacher I'm sure you can appreciate that the planning and evaluation can at times be more time consuming that the actual delivery.

 

So will you be down as a maybe and the club should expect your call to volunteer in the near future? 

[davie]

Charles, yes we are being paid to man this feeding station for the marathon. As someone who regularly participates in the cycling equivalent of this kind of mass participation event, I am aware that the companies ( caledonian concepts, hands on events, etape caledonia etc) make a living out of putting these things together and people can make their own decisions about whether or not they want to buy into it. I ain't going to defend this company, because I'm sure that they can do that themselves, but the entry fee you quote is actually a lot cheaper than some and dearer than some. As you know, supplying infrastructure, gaining permissions, organising road closures, marshalling all cost money. I'd prefer it didn't but there you are. I'm personally happy with the deal that CJT are getting from this event.

Your final remark is a bit off, with all due respect. The people who will man this feeding station give a phenomenal amount of time, expertise and support to ICT for no gain or publicity whatsoever and really don't need to be told where their priorities lie. They are firmly with Caley thistle.

[Charles Bannerman]

Davie... I can't speak for anything other than running events and as far as they are concerned, the prices charged for Loch Ness Marathon day are right at the top of the range, with the Inverness Half Marathon, which the same company took over a couple of years ago, now rapidly heading in the same direction.

One of the things that irritates me about this event is the manner in which bodies with large numbers of basically public spirited people within their ranks seem to end up providing cheap labour in a situation where the organisers are laughing all the way to the bank as a result. Could you imagine Caley Thistle, which doesn't even make a profit, recruiting - for instance - hospitality staff on match days on such a basis? But on the other hand ICT doesn't promote its business on an aura of being a paragon of good cause promotion.

Regarding my final statement earlier, of course I appreciate that CJT puts a lot of time into Caley Thistle. All I was suggesting was that the time involved in this enterprise might better also be used instead in direct support of ICT rather than as cheap labour for a company whose finances are almost certainly a lot more positive than the football club's tend to be. There is a rather acute irony there!

Edited September 6, 2013 by Charles Bannerman

[Alex MacLeod]

Charles, why are you trying to stir up something thats not there. We all know that the organisers of major events are out to make money. Are you aware that if people want to run the London marathon on behalf of a charity the charity has to pay £250 per place. The participant has to be able to raise a deal more than £250 in donations to make that viable. All the charities know the organisers are running a bona fide business and are out to make money for themselves. I dont have a clue what % of income for each event the organisers take but I cant imagine its a great amount considering the cost of running such an event.

I think, if you really look into it Charles, you'll find that the cost of entry to this event is on a par with all the others that happen around Britian. That all the event organisers make a profit and that many charities benefit from the sponsorship of the participant and the generosity of those who sponsor. Our football club will also benefit from whatever amount is paid to CJT and all those who volunteer on behalf of CJT do so knowing that their generous giving of their time is for the good of our club.

[Yngwie]

 

One of the things that irritates me about this event is the manner in which bodies with large numbers of basically public spirited people within their ranks seem to end up providing cheap labour in a situation where the organisers are laughing all the way to the bank 

 

They have a cool £1/4 mill in their last balance sheet, by the way.  I know what you are saying, but this is a win-win situation in that participants are clearly willing to pay the entry fees and organisations like CJT get an additional source of income.

 

The CJT volunteers should also have quite a satisfying time in helping grateful runners - and I say that as a world record breaking athlete myself (work that one out, Charles!)

[old caley girl]

I'm with Yngwie on this one. I helped last year and had a great day! I understand what you are saying Charles but I'm personally happy with the deal CJT get and at least it's a fun way for us to earn a bit of money.

With regards to Caledonian Concepts I don't know a large amount about them but I have worked with them before. I was in charge of the Invermoriston Marshall stages at the First Monster Challenge a couple of years ago. They were very professional to deal with and those helping got fairly well renumerated. However, what impressed me most was how safety conscious they were even moving a first aid team into my area as the road was so slippy. Just my limited impressions!

[Charles Bannerman]

Are you aware that if people want to run the London marathon on behalf of a charity the charity has to pay £250 per place.

 

I think, if you really look into it Charles, you'll find that the cost of entry to this event is on a par with all the others that happen around Britian.

Alex... we are talking here about a sport I have been deeply involved in for over 40 years. So yes, I am more than aware that commercial race organisers as a whole are also ripping off charities by charging them even more for places. And please be in no doubt that what the Loch Ness people charge runners is well, well above the norm for road races. I see far too many entry forms in the course of a year to believe otherwise.

 

But please just understand that, having seen one sport taken for a financial ride by this company, the only reason I posted and all I am concerned about here is that my good friends in another one do not suffer the same fate - which more or less sums up the first couple of sentences of my first post.

[old caley girl]

Are you aware that if people want to run the London marathon on behalf of a charity the charity has to pay £250 per place.

 

I think, if you really look into it Charles, you'll find that the cost of entry to this event is on a par with all the others that happen around Britian.

Alex... we are talking here about a sport I have been deeply involved in for over 40 years. So yes, I am more than aware that commercial race organisers as a whole are also ripping off charities by charging them even more for places. And please be in no doubt that what the Loch Ness people charge runners is well, well above the norm for road races. I see far too many entry forms in the course of a year to believe otherwise.

 

But please just understand that, having seen one sport taken for a financial ride by this company, the only reason I posted and all I am concerned about here is that my good friends in another one do not suffer the same fate - which more or less sums up the first couple of sentences of my first post.

Don't think that anyone is questioning your motives Charles.? I think we all understand what you are saying especially with regards to the athletics angle.

[+Fraz]

Anyhoo...

Does anyone else fancy helping out?

[old caley girl]

Remember an hour to two is fine.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Perhaps we should be charging Cb for entry to the TCS in future.

[CaleyD]

Charles, I get where you're coming from in regards to the organisers of the event...however you could have made your point without insulting the intelligence of the CJT board and those choosing to assist them.

 

The bottom line is that CJT will finish the day better off (financially) than they started it....and a few fans will have got together, maybe met some new faces, made some new friends and had a bit of fun in the process.

[dougal]

Surely it would have been more appropriate for caleyjagsforever to approach their own membership about the recruitment rather than post on here considering that it will be their group who are going to gain financially or have they already done so with very little or no success

Dougal

[old caley girl]

Jeez who would have thought handing out a few bottles of water could be so controversial.

[Petal]

I'm sure the runners will appreciate any assistance at the water stations, regardless of how much they paid to run.... I'll try to get along with HeScoresWhenHeWants for a couple of hours :)

[+Fraz]

I'm sure the runners will appreciate any assistance at the water stations, regardless of how much they paid to run.... I'll try to get along with HeScoresWhenHeWants for a couple of hours :)

Thank you, that would be great.

[HeScoresWhenHeWants]

I'm sure the runners will appreciate any assistance at the water stations, regardless of how much they paid to run.... I'll try to get along with HeScoresWhenHeWants for a couple of hours :)

Yep worth two hours I'm sure

[PaderbornCaley]

I do hope you get enough volunteers.  I'm one of these so called 'unsuspecting members of the public' running it.  Aye, it is quite pricey to enter compared to other races.  Marathons around the world are getting more and more commercial and run for profit.  I couldn't care less.  I'll have my running shoes on and will be looking out for the CJT station and some friendly faces :)

[lukemackay]

Remember to Stock a Guinness for capital caley.

[PaderbornCaley]

How are you getting on with volunteers?

 

Charles, have you signed up yet?

 

Any other CTO members running it?