Shaping up for the Games

Jason Bryant, Senior Rehabilitation Consultant and Exercise Physiologist, for APM shares his experience of volunteering at this year's Commonwealth Games.

During April this year, I had the opportunity to contribute as a 'Game Shaper' with the 20km Race Walk and Wheelchair Marathon events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

It was a fantastic experience to be involved with such a large event, and to work closely with an inspirational team of volunteers and Paralympians. Volunteering during the Wheelchair Marathon was a true highlight.

The Wheelchair Marathon consisted of five volunteers (including the Wheelchair Marathon Coordinator) and 17 athletes.

Our role was to meet and escort all the athletes and team officials behind the scenes and attend to the immediate care of the athletes after finishing.

We also managed the wheelchair athletes participating in the Gold Run 2018 5km event.

The Gold Run was a fun run held on a section of the Marathon Course at the same time the Marathon runners were going for gold.

This was a paid public event for 6,600 participants (a figure that represented the number of athletes and officials coming to the games), and Kurt Fearnley assisted in the development of participating athletes following his Wheelchair Marathon victory.

Incorporating para and able-bodied sports into this one event was well received by fans and officials, and an experience like no other.