A Love for Logistics Led Margo Chaly to Volunteering with NYRR

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month this April, New York Road Runners volunteer Margo Chaly shares with us a story of inspiration and dedication to giving back to the running community. Outside of volunteering with NYRR, Margo is the founder of a nonprofit that brings women in business together to network and volunteer in their communities.

On a freezing cold morning in March 2014, just after twilight, I exited the South Ferry subway station to find the Financial District wide awake with excitement. The finish line of the NYC Half was ready for runners, baggage areas were being constructed, amenities were set up, and volunteers were eagerly awaiting the arrival of 20,000 runners. I jumped right in, helping in any way that I could.

What happened next was a moment that changed my life: A caravan of UPS trucks arrived on Water Street. Volunteers were pulled from whatever they were doing to unload trucks and arrange bags in numerical order. The logistics of this operation made me deliriously giddy! See, I thoroughly enjoy organized, structured assignments and events. The level of attention to detail for such a complex event was mind-blowing! Now, I've come to learn this is the routine at every NYRR event, but the 2014 NYC Half was my first experience with NYRR as a volunteer, runner, or spectator.

The impact of this event continued. I was eventually posted near the finish line. Seeing the runners cross the line was overwhelmingly inspirational. These "superhumans" completed a 13.1-mile run in the bitter cold, and I remember I commented to more than a few of them that it didn't even look as if they had broken a sweat! This feat was unimaginable to me. I wouldn't run to catch a train leaving the platform, let alone for exercise or for what many half-marathoners call "fun."