On Sunday 28th February, Cadets and staff from 84 (Coventry Airport) and 2286 (Arden) Squadrons helped out at Decathlon's Half Marathon event in Coventry city centre. Working through the chilly morning to assist the race organisers to host one of the earliest half-marathon events of the season.
They were solely responsible for managing and organising the baggage area where runners could deposit their bags for the duration of the race. This meant each bag was tagged wit the runner's own ID before being stacked in one of 4 large open-sided lorry trailers. After the main rush to deposit their belongings, the runners drifted off to the start line and cadets were able to reorganise and prepare for the returning owners.
Keeping warm in the bitter wind was the biggest challenge but the cadets managed to work through the cold and successfully ran the operation like true professionals. Dealing with the public can often be unpredictable and with many runners getting 'in-the-zone' pre race or feeling the adrenalin rush afterwards, they managed to keep a professional approach to their task.
Well done and thank you to all those who came to help out today it certainly felt like we moved a marathon of bags!
