Ham Radio in the spot light for Glass City Marathon support

The Lucas County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) and ham radio are in the spot light this year for providing Glass City Marathon radio communications support. The marathon race was held on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 and race day weather was much warmer than normal. Ham radio operators worked from various fixed and mobile locations all along the 26 mile marathon race course that crossed through both Lucas County and Wood County in the Greater Toledo Ohio area.

This year thanks to Jim Duggan, KD8CIJ, ARRL Public Information Officer for Ohio ARES District One, we also had plenty of media coverage and articles high lighting our ham radio communications support role.

Local Toledo television station WTOL Channel 11 featured two live shots and on air interviews regarding ARES support and ham radio on their Your Day Friday, April 24th, 2009 morning program:
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?s=10242385

The American Radio Relay League's national weekly ARES electronic "E-Letter" newsletter on May 20th, 2009 features a "Hams Rally for Glass City Marathon" article:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/index.html?issue=2009-05-20#toc04

And the Ohio ARRL website includes a more detailed article with additional pictures from marathon race day operations:
http://www.arrlohio.org/glass_city_marathon_09.htm

Thanks go out to all the Lucas County ARES members who volunteered, including those operators from Wood County, Hancock County, and Monroe County (Michigan) that came out to help as well. And special thanks to Rick Sharpe, K8RKS, our ARES Race Coordinator from Lucas County.

Photo by KD8CIJ: Jeff Pryor (KC8NNO) Handles radio traffic for race officials / ARES Net Control--Command Center in background.