SPOKANE, Wash. – Since 1977, Bloomsday has been the pulse of the Lilac City as thousands of people embrace the course. With just days left until the 47th run, generations of volunteers are eager to lend their hands and hearts to keep the beloved tradition going.
“It’s the key part of all Bloomsday running, the volunteers,” Patti Bailey, a Bloomsday volunteer since 1987, said.
While running Bloomsday is a tradition for many, volunteering is a tradition for Patti Bailey.
“It’s hard to remember all of the fun stuff,” she said.
Since 1987, ten years after Bloomsday was born, Bailey has worn that hat with pride.
“Because it’s probably one of the happiest times that there is, and you just feel the rush,” she said.
From the second the first shoe crosses the starting line to the last crossing the finish, the Lilac City booms on the first Sunday of May. As for Bailey, her beginning is in the distant past, details of her first volunteering gig slightly fading from memory.
“I don’t even remember how it happened or where we did it, but we were all sitting behind a curtain, filling a bag, handing it out, and they’d give it to runners,” Bailey said.
The woman’s role in the race has bumped up a few levels since back then, and now, Bailey is lending her 37 years of experience to those who have many more to go.
“I don’t even know how long I’ve been volunteering; I’d say probably since 2009 is the earliest that I can remember,” Jack Warner, a Bloomsday volunteer since 2009, said.
Jack Warner has about a decade under his belt, and he’s in good company; around 4,000 people volunteer to lend a helping hand during Bloomsday. Responsibilities include handing out race numbers, organizing competitors at the starting line, handing out water to winded runners and walkers – not to mention, handing out the world-famous finishers shirts to those who cross the finish line of the 12k.
Some volunteers, like Bailey, have been taking on these responsibilities for over three decades. Some, since the first race kicked off in 1977.
“It’s so weird to think that there are people that I work with here that have been here since the start, they’re kind of handing off the torch to the second generation,” Warner said.
And that torch shines bright, so a nearly 50-year tradition can stay alive.
“They have to have the next generation to get in there, and it is exciting to see the changes like that… Because we’re not all as young as we used to be,” Bailey said.
Time marches on, just like the runners making their way up Doomsday Hill; slowly, but surely.
And though they’re years apart in age and experience, Warner and Bailey didn’t miss a beat when answering this simple question: what makes Bloomsday so special?
“Honestly, it’s just the people, it’s a great community,” Warner said. “The people that just come together and put it together, that’s what makes Bloomsday.”
“It’s just something that Spokane is,” Bailey said. “Spokane is Bloomsday thanks to Don Kardong.”
There is still time left to register to run, walk, or volunteer for Bloomsday. If you’d like to register to compete, click here. If you’d like to volunteer, click here.
