GMARA, the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association, seeks a volunteer Social Media Manager to build and maintain our online identity, including relationships with like-minded organizations, local and national sponsors and potential sponsors, and interested individuals. This position is ideal for an intelligent candidate with enthusiasm but little experience.

About the Position

As GMARA is a small non-profit entirely run by volunteers, the Social Media Manager will be expected to take the initiative in establishing and growing the organization’s online presence. Specifically, the position involves the following tasks and duties:

• Regularly update the GMARA website and social media profiles with news, events, sponsor information, and photos.
• Promote GMARA sponsors and sponsors’ events on GMARA’s online properties.
• Identify and establish online relationships with related organizations, current and potential local and national sponsor companies, and former and potential GMARA event participants.
• Promote GMARA events and initiatives on appropriate third-party websites.

The following skills are necessary:

• Solid grasp of online marketing strategies and event promotion on a nonexistent budget.
• Thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Quora, and other popular social media websites.
• Strong command of the English language, including solid grammar, spelling, punctuation, and editing.
• Ability to use Google Analytics to perform content optimization, research incoming links, etc. to more effectively promote GMARA.
• Must be a self-starter, eager to take the initiative and help a small organization grow.

Additionally, skill or interest in the following is desirable:

• Outdoor activities including hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, navigation and orienteering, and wilderness survival.
• A good sense of the organizations, businesses, and facilities related to outdoor activities in Vermont, New England, New York, and Quebec.
• Web and graphic design.
• Advertising design and copywriting.

Compensation

Since GMARA is non-profit, this is a volunteer position without financial compensation. We treat our volunteers well: you’ll receive GMARA swag including race T-shirts; at GMARA events you’ll be entitled to make use of donated or rented facilities or gear; you’ll be fed alongside our racers; and you’ll be invited to take part in any GMARA-run event at a discounted rate.

Further, as a GMARA member you’ll be eligible for member benefits at local sponsor businesses such as Eastern Mountain Sports, as well as national brand sponsors such as Julbo USA and TrailRunner Magazine.

About GMARA

GMARA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization devoted to encouraging appreciation of Vermont’s natural resources and the enjoyment of healthy outdoor activities. Volunteer-run since its founding in 2003, GMARA typically runs at least two adventure races annually in Vermont: the winter Frigid Infliction (the largest winter adventure race in the United States), and the summer Bitter Pill, both of which are regional qualifiers for the United States Adventure Racing Association’s National Championship.

Learn more about GMARA and adventure racing at http://gmara.org.

How to Apply

Please email a cover letter and résumé to volunteers@gmara.org before December 31, 2012. All applications will receive a response.

We are happy to announce that Julbo, makers of some of the best adventure-ready eyewear available, have joined us as sponsors of this year’s MVP Health Care Bitter Pill!

Julbo makes eyewear of remarkable durability, so you don’t need to worry about breakage on the trail. Full-coverage photochromic lenses protect your eyes from sun and stray branches, and from morning to night.

Julbo USA is based is Williston, VT, and they will be providing some of their high-end gear as prizes to our racers.

We’re excited to announce that Ski Vermont has joined the list of sponsors for this year’s MVP Health Care Bitter Pill. You might expect them to sponsor the Frigid Infliction (and perhaps they will), but Ski VT works year round to support the nordic and alpine ski resorts in Vermont – many of which have fabulous programs all summer. Case in point, the Blueberry Hill Inn is a nordic ski center when there’s snow on the ground… but in the summer, they host events like our adventure race and the Goshen Gallop.

In addition to our usual prize pool (including gear from EMS and that $500 sponsorship to USARA nationals) you can expect things like lift tickets to VT ski areas, fischer nordic ski bags, and backpacks from Burton!

We all have friends who would race if they just had a little motivation. Now, you’ve got a reason to motivate them:

For every team you refer that signs up (and pays) by July 4th, we’ll knock $150 off your team’s entry fee! (Or if you prefer, $75 for you and $75 for your friends.)

We’ve still got six weeks until this year’s MVP Health Care “Bitter Pill” and we want to get a few more teams signed up, and hopefully a few new racers. The Moosalamoo is absolutely gorgeous, first time racers will have a lovely day in the woods no matter how competitive they are.

If you’re a long-time GMARA racer who can’t make it to this year’s Bitter Pill, don’t let that stop you from talking your friends into it. We’ll do our best to give you a decent discount on one of our 2013 races.

Fine print: This is not a complicated promotional program, just have your friends mention you in the comments when they sign up. If you refer ten new teams, we’re not going to hand you a pile of cash, but you will get to race for free. We really do need teams to pay us promptly, too – money for shirts (and permits, maps, food, prizes, insurance, massage therapists) has to come from somewhere!

We’re excited to have BEVO catering for the Bitter Pill again this year. Here’s our tentative menu – subject to change, but you can see how awesome it’s likely to be:

Appetizers:

• Artisan Vermont Cheeses, Roasted Garlic, Grilled Bread, Olives and Crackers
• Freshly made Salsas with Crunchy Corn Chips
• Coconut Marinated Chicken Skewers with Cilantro and Mint

Entrees:

• Vermont Cheese Tortellini with Garlicky Mushrooms, Peas and Cream
• Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder with Bevo’s Tangy Sauce and Soft Rolls
• Classic Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs, Parsley & Scallions
• Baby Greens with Carrots, Celery & Ginger Vinaigrette

We’ll have something sweet for dessert, and a decent bar. Kathleen has promised Vermont favorite Switchback beer will be available, too!

Registration is now open for this year’s MVP Health Care Bitter Pill!

The registration form can be found here and there are more details as well.

We’ll be back at the Blueberry Hill Inn in the middle of the gorgeous Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. If you haven’t seen this part of Vermont, you’re missing out – and those who joined us last year know just how picturesque (and challenging) the terrain can be. You may want to check out their promotional video of the area – if you raced last year, you might see yourself in a couple shots.

Blueberry Hill is giving racers a great discount on rooms, and they’re offering camping on their property again. We (the race directors and volunteers) loved staying there – the pre-race breakfast was an awesome way to start the day. They do require a two-night stay, but anyone who stays at the inn gets breakfast the next morning, and a chance to hang out with course designers discussing all the fun we put you through. (And if 12 hours of racing isn’t enough for you, after breakfast on Sunday we all go out to retrieve flags from checkpoints!)

We’re planning to have Bevo catering the post-race party again, so you can look forward to another fantastic locally-sourced meal. When we finalize our menu we’ll post it here.

Sign up soon to reserve your spot and take advantage of the early registration rates!

Those of you who are frequent visitors will notice a marked improvement in the structure and layout of the entire GMARA website. Shawn Freebern and David Coutu have put in numerous hours to update pretty much everything. In addition to what you can see, there are several key changes behind the scenes to make facilitating the site more straightforward as well.

Please let us know your thoughts or any issues; we would love feedback on the updates. Thanks again to Shawn and David for all their efforts!

Want to race at night?  The 2012 Murky Excursion is for you!

Over the years we’ve received requests from racers to put on all sorts of different events. One of the most repeated asks was for a night-time race. A good number of you want to get the feel for what racing through the night is like without committing to the time or cost involved with a multi-day event. Some of you want a shorter tune-up event for a longer race. And several people just thought it would be awesome to be out racing under the stars – and you’d be right!

Registration for our inaugural Murky Excursion, taking place on June 8-9, is now open. As it’s the first time we’re hosting this event, the cost will be lower than our other events. We’ll still have an awesome, very remote, course, a great post-race meal, and everything else you’d expect from GMARA – just in the dark! More details are at the link; let us know if you have any questions.

We have dates and locations for our 2012 races:

• The 2012 MVP Health Care Frigid Infliction will be on February 3rd, 2012 at The Bolton Valley Resort.
• The 2012 MVP Health Care Bitter Pill will be on July 28th, 2012 at The Blueberry Hill Inn.

If this wasn’t enough, we have a major announcement in the works. This will be our biggest news since we created the Frigid Infliction – stay tuned!

GMARA will be partnering with Northern Lights Rock and Ice to provide a special nighttime high ropes challenge for GMARA members on August 20th 2011 at 7:45 p.m.

GMARA is covering the bulk of the costs; you only pay $20. Email chris@gmara.org if interested.