Whitestone man named Volunteer of the Year

Whitestone resident Randy Savitt was recently named Volunteer of the Year by the New York Road Runners Club (NYRRC). He was presented with the award, an engraved Tiffany apple, by the NYRRC volunteer coordinator Steve Boland.
“I thought that getting the award was very nice of them,” Savitt said. “When they telephoned me that I would get this award, I was a little bit surprised. An individual can only win it once. It’s not like the Oscars where an individual can win it many times.”
Besides working at various races, Savitt, himself, is also a runner. He ran his 21st consecutive New York City Marathon last year. He also officiates at various track meets, including high school, college and masters ones, and helps in different ways at many events conducted by the New York Road Runners Club.
“I think that I volunteered two years earlier when we wrote down the numbers,” the 50-year-old Savitt recalled. “Now it’s all chips and bar codes. My first race I worked at was the Legs Mini-marathon. I’ve been working at the marathon ever since. Now my days are [working at a] road race on the weekends or at a track meet. It’s rarely that I get a Saturday or Sunday off.”
A former officer and a member of the College Point Road Runners Track Club for about 10 years, Savitt now runs without the affiliation of a track club. A graduate of Bayside High School and Baruch College, he never ran until after finishing school.
“I used to go out and run,” he recalled. “The next thing you know you get caught in the ‘moment.’ Even though I’m 50 and I’ve done 21 straight marathons since the day I started in 1986, I’m still looking to break four hours. That’s my goal.”