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Meet volunteer Hill Runners, Eric and Lily Ash. As part of the Eaton Volunteer Program, the Hill Runners commit to encouraging participants up and down some of the biggest hills on the course by running with them. Over 4,000 volunteers are needed for the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events. From the Hill Runners to water stations, learn more about volunteer opportunities here.

How long have you volunteered as a Hill Runner?

Eric: I’ve been a Hill Runner, I think, two out of the last three years.I had a friend of mine who told me about it and signed up, and just had so much fun the first time out that the second time around I brought my daughter.

What does race day look like for the Hill Runners?

Usually we meet up on the South Side sometime around maybe 6:30 or so and typically ride our bikes over to the start right on the other side of the Birmingham Bridge. Kind of set up a little bit of a base camp there, if you will, and the cool thing about it is, you know, we get to see like the front runners, the men's, the women's competition, which is really neat to see. And then as everybody starts filtering out, you really start to see kind of the middle-of-the-pack folks that maybe this is their first marathon. You maybe see kind of some grimace on their faces as they get to the bottom of the hill and know they've got this big hill going up into Oakland. And so, you know, then you start to kind of latch onto some of these folks and encourage them to get up the hill. Some folks you may just run a couple hundred feet with, some folks you may run from the turn of the bridge the whole way up into Oakland. And you know, people are like so appreciative, so thankful, and the gratitude's flowing. And then even people just seeing you with your Hill Runner shirt on get excited about just you coming out and being here in support.

How many times do you run up the hill, and how far do you run on race day?

Lily: I would say probably like 30, and it’s about 10 miles.

How do you encourage participants?

Eric: I try and, you know, maybe seek out an individual that might be struggling a little bit and try and, you know, strike up a conversation with them. Maybe they have a running shirt on that's, you know, a marathon that they've done previously or a half marathon. Kind of use that as an icebreaker. And then once you kind of break through, then they kind of let down their guard a little bit, relax a little bit, and I think that mentally helps them get up the hill.

Do you have any advice for training hills?

Eric: As far as training for hills, we live in Elizabeth, which is just outside of about 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh and there's plenty of hills to discover there. There's not really much flat unless you're on the Yough River Trail. But really, I like to incorporate that into my running because whenever we're setting out to run a 5k or a half marathon or marathon, it just makes it so much easier because you've trained not at level, but doing hill workouts and maybe some interval workouts and things and some stair climbing. We'll do the Cathedral of Learning as well sometimes. And yeah, I feel like that just builds up a good, good base while some of that may be intimidating for some folks, you just, you know, kind of take some baby steps. But, you know, just even working, you know, 100 feet of vertical into a 5 mile run and then building up from there, it'll make things so much easier.

Why should someone volunteer for the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon?

Eric: One of the, one of the great things about the Pittsburgh Marathon is the number of volunteers that come out every year. The marathon needs roughly about 4,000 volunteers to make the race happen annually. And you know, just being a small part of that makes you feel good. The community of volunteers that are out here, whether it’s the Hill Runners or somebody that might be working a nutrition or a water station, just makes all the difference. And seeing the smiles on the participants' faces just brightens the day and makes it such a great experience. And I encourage you to get out and volunteer if you can.