31,000 participants, 31,000 different reasons – 1 unforgettable experience

I've go to pinch myself that I was part of the ‘HBF Run for a Reason’ that took place on Sunday 24 May. Over 31,000 Western Australians participated, each with their own reason. On the day I was managing HBF’s Instagram and Twitter accounts to ensure there was real-time posts of the event. It sounds easy enough, (Instagram for work, hell yeah!) but a lot of thinking went into each post to ensure different groups were targeted, that the picture or tweet captured the essence of HBF and its objectives of the day, not to mention  being careful not to ‘overkill’ the newsfeeds.

7:30AM marked the start of the first race – the first ever half marathon for HBF. My preparation time started much earlier. After a restless sleep (anxious I would not wake up or would make a critical error on the day), I got out of bed in the pitch black and made the commute into the city on my push bike, battling against the blistering cold wind. I arrived to see thousands of participants already preparing for the 21.1km run. Okay, it was crunch time. Time to start capturing ‘in the moment’ photos of the various sights and runners. I was so nervous to post my first picture and tweet without any guidance, however I got a great shot of the first race at the start line and shared this to social media. 

Sunrise saw more participants and spectators merge from far and wide covering the town in blue. The atmosphere was simply electric. While it was fantastic fun, it was also important to maintain focused about what had to be done while also helping people, answering questions, giving directions and making sure everybody was enjoying the day.

I had the privilege of being in the lead car heading the 4km run. We mapped the way to the finish line where I was exposed to even more hype amongst thousands of people at the finish line. There were fantastic stalls set up and it was important that I captured these to show the measures that HBF had gone to facilitate such a fantastic event for the community.

The event was an absolute thrill that taught me many valuable lessons:
- The importance of being organised prior to an event
- Have a plan in mind, but be open to change if necessary
- Ensure phone is fully charged when running social media channels!!!
- Know the area you are working and important points on the map
- Not everybody works well under stress, but it’s important note to retaliate
- Smile and enjoy the experience

Seeing thousands of people smiling and having fun made the early starts, the commitment and the moments of stress truly worth it. I could not account for such a rewarding experience; to be part of something that means so much to so many people. It is something that will stay with me for a very long time and I feel very proud to have been part of the magic.


Follow the magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gewYvLdvXpQ