HMF Staff Spotlight: Ellen Smith

One of the greatest aspects of my job is the opportunity to work with really talented people, who want to work very flexible, part time hours. Because of the ability to offer this type of job, we get the best and brightest, who normally would be scooped up for big jobs by big employers with big budgets. One such great employee is Ellen Smith, who has worked with HMF for over 12 years. We are so lucky!

Ellen helps HMF throughout the year and can expertly tackle any task we throw at her. On race day she can be found managing (wrangling!) HMF FitKids races, coordinating food for athletes or working the bike course for duathlons and triathlons. For the ING Hartford Marathon, she coordinates athlete hotels, supervises the Official Charity program, helps run the Elite programs including New England’s Finest, and manages the Athlete Food Tent.

More about Ellen:

Favorite HMF race to work:  
The Shamrock Duathlon! I have managed the bike course for this Glastonbury race for over 10 years. It is held in my town, so I always see people I know, I am very familiar with the course and it's a challenging race for both beginners and experienced athletes.

All-time best race experiences:  
My best personal experience was running the 2013 VT City Marathon. I set this as a goal for my 50th birthday year, and beat my 1999 marathon time by 13 minutes! My best professional race experience was working at the 2013 Sandy Hook Run for the Families. It was amazing to see the huge turnout of runners and spectators for this event. They never stopped coming!

Oddest thing on your race day check list:  
I always make sure to bring a bottle of champagne to the Manchester Road Race each year to celebrate the race after everyone is finished.

What most people don’t know to make a successful event:  
Act and be prepared. Make all runners, volunteers and spectators feel that the race staff has thought of everything and that we're here to put on the best race that we can each and every time.

Favorite post-workout snack:  
Chocolate milk and bananas