On November 1, the annual NYC Marathon drew millions of spectators to watch thousands of runners challenge themselves to complete the 26.2-mile course across all five boroughs.
One of the runners posted a task on Airtasker, offering $120 per Tasker to be their personal cheer squad on their second NYC Marathon. Each Tasker would be stationed at a different point along the course, with spots agreed in advance, to keep them motivated to finish the race.
Taskers were also asked to make a fun, creative sign with their name on it so they could spot them in the crowd, and to bring plenty of positive energy as she ran past. Plus, they should “be ready to take a few photos or videos of [their] cheering setup to share afterwards.”
The post drew plenty of enthusiastic replies. One Tasker offered to cheer “at mile seven in Brooklyn with a big sign and some friends,” while another promised to “scream at the top of my lungs, do a happy dance, and make sure my sign is the funniest one at Mile 7!”
Others had personal reasons to join. One said cheering would motivate them to run their own marathon someday. Another Tasker even made it a family outing, offering $240 to cover two spots with his wife and son. “This would be a fun event for us, and you would be covering dinner,” he wrote, asking to be stationed at locations close to each other so the family could easily meet back up.
Hiring Taskers for the annual marathon goes beyond cheering for the runners. Months before the big event, one Poster was looking for someone to help set up a training program and run with them to prepare for the marathon, offering $100 for the task. They’ve also asked for help preparing a week’s worth of healthy, nutritionally balanced meals to keep up with their training.
The marathon cheer squad isn’t the only time this kind of role has popped up on Airtasker. The company itself has paid Taskers $500 to make signs cheering on the teams at its booth for The Hospitality Cup, a football tournament series it sponsors, with stops in Round Rock in September and Miami on November 9.
Get help for your next big event
Whether you need a cheer squad for race day or you’re the one who wants to bring the energy, Airtasker is the place to start. Post a task today, or browse jobs you can do on your own schedule.
About Airtasker
Airtasker is a trusted community marketplace that connects people who need work done with people who want to work, with its mission being to empower people to realise the full value of their skills. People and businesses can simply post a task and then choose from rated, verified and reviewed people ready to work straight away. Founded in 2012, Airtasker has grown to support more than 10 million people in the Airtasker community across Australia, UK and US, with nearly 40,000 monthly active Taskers.
Airtasker is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
