It Takes a Village, and People Like Cass!

There are runners.

There are volunteers. There are ambassadors.

And there are the special folk who run and volunteer at Twin Cities In Motion events and are also #TCMbassadors.

Cass Casarez, for one.

Cass was an active runner until they took “an unintentional hiatus” from running after 2017. Volunteering at the 2019 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon helped bring Cass back into the running community fold.

“It was my first time ever volunteering at a water station and the energy was incredible,” Cass shared. “We cheered loud for everyone who ran or walked by regardless of their time. I remember being awestruck at how some of the runners were able to take our paper cups of water and/or Gatorade and still keep running!”

When Cass got back in stride as a runner recently, they were armed with the newfound perspective of a running event volunteer.

“Volunteering with TCM gave me more of an appreciation for how the events we know and love come to be,” Cass said. “The saying "it takes a village" could not be more true.”

Volunteering with TCM gave me more of an appreciation for how the events we know and love come to be. The saying "it takes a village" could not be more true.

And Cass is a fully activated member of “that village” these days, serving for the second consecutive year as a TCM Ambassador. Cass ran the Get in Gear 5K last spring and then completed the three-race TC Loony Challenge on marathon weekend.

Cass has a similar plan for 2025, running the 10K at Get in Gear along with the Loony Challenge this fall.

“I helped work the TCM tent at Twin Cities Pride last year as one of the TCMbassadors. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it meant a lot to have TCM at the event,” Cass noted. “I was also able to tell passersby about the nonbinary option in our events and that we're more than just the marathon people.”

Not surprisingly, Cass also recommends volunteering.

“Volunteering with TCM is such a fun way to give back! There's no prior experience required for most positions, just a want to support the local running and movement communities,” they said. “If you have a friend or loved one running, chances are you can get a front-row spot to cheer them on.”

“There's no weeks of training required, either, though you might get inspired to run yourself afterward!”

Just like Cass Casarez.

This article originally appeared in The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.