EACH year the teams of eager Sydney Scouts who volunteer to work at The Sun-Herald City2Surf become unofficial race guides.

Youngsters from the 3rd and 4th Kensington Scouts, who help race officials by pouring Gatorade and filling water cups at a starting line drink station, also provide information for runners looking for toilets, clothing bags or where to find their correct starting group.

"It is all part of the service," said Kensington Scout leader Chris Maher, who will manage the group during the City2Surf on Sunday, August 10.

"We are based at the start so we meet at the Scout hall at 6am, go into the city and set up our drink station at 6.30am and have three or four hours of fairly frenetic activity before we pack up," Mr Maher said.

"The kids like doing it and Scouting, as an organisation, likes to be a part of community events.

"We volunteer at the ANZAC Day march and collect for the Salvation Army but, at the City2Surf, the challenge is to get water from somewhere.

"Last year we got it from the basement of the building we were located at and carried it up in [clean] garbage bins on a trolley. That was a challenge in itself."

Volunteers are an integral component of The Sun-Herald City2Surf. This year, with an expected 70,000 entrants, there will be more than 3000 volunteers from community groups such as Scouts, Guides, the State Emergency Service, St John Ambulance and Lions clubs.

They will pour water and Gatorade into thousands of cups along the course, collect and distribute runners' clothing bags, act as traffic and start-group marshals, collect timing chips, hand out medallions, put out road barriers and more.

Mr Maher, an accountant, began volunteering with Scouts at the City2Surf in the 1970s.

There is still time to enter the event, so why not join the Charity Challenge?

Simply enter online and follow the easy steps to set up a personalised fund-raising web page in support of a favourite charity, which can be emailed to friends.

Those who entered the race after June 27 must collect their race packs and special timing chip from the new Sun-Herald City2Surf Expo at Hyde Park Barracks, on the corner of College and Macquarie streets, from Monday August 4 to Saturday August 9 from 8.30am to 4pm.

The 2008 Sun-Herald City2Surf is proudly sponsored by New Balance, Singapore Airlines, Gatorade, Rebel Sport, Hahn Super Dry, Nova FM, Network Ten, 2UE, Sheraton on the Park, Fitness First, RSVP and Run Fatboy Run on DVD.