Ultra Marathon Crew Checklist

A good crew checklist is about much more than making sure the spare socks made it into the car.

I have been on both sides of this. I have been the runner arriving at a checkpoint with a very different idea of what I need than the one I had before the race, and I have been part of the crew trying to stay one step ahead while tired, cold and working out where everything is.

The best crew setups remove as many unnecessary decisions and frustrations as possible before race day. Know the rules. Know the checkpoints. Organise the gear. Look after the crew. Then, when the runner arrives three hours later than expected and the plan has changed completely, you have enough capacity left to deal with the problem that actually matters.

Know the race before you pack the car

The first crew job is not packing. It is understanding what the race actually allows.

Outside assistance rules vary enormously. A crew that is trying to help can create a penalty or disqualification if they provide assistance somewhere it is not permitted. Read the current race guide and understand the rules for the event you are actually attending.

• Identify every checkpoint where crew assistance is allowed. Do not assume every aid station is crew accessible.
• Check where assistance can physically be given. Some races restrict crew to a defined area around the checkpoint.
• Check pacer rules. Know whether pacers are permitted, where they can join and any registration or equipment requirements.
• Record every checkpoint cutoff and the overall race cutoff.
• Check mandatory gear rules. Know what the runner must leave each checkpoint carrying.
• Check crew passes, permits, shuttle requirements and road closures.
• Save the official race guide and important instructions offline. Do not rely on mobile reception at a remote checkpoint.
• Save race emergency and headquarters contact details.

Have the crew conversation before race day

A checklist can tell the crew what to carry. It cannot tell them how the runner wants to be treated when they are exhausted, hurting and telling everyone they are done.

Talk about that while everyone is rested and rational. Who talks to the runner? Do they want reassurance or tough love? What normally gets them out of a bad patch? What makes things worse? When they say they want to stop, do they want the crew to accept it immediately or help them solve the immediate problem first?

• Agree who is the main voice with the runner.
• Agree how the runner wants to be spoken to when things get hard.
• Agree what the crew should do if the runner says they want to quit.
• Agree the safety boundary. Genuine medical concerns and race medical advice come before finishing the race.
• Record anything the runner does not want to hear in a low patch.

The full discussion is covered in Never Quit in the Chair: Crewing an Ultra.

Map every crew checkpoint

The checkpoint name and the place you can park are often not the same thing. Sometimes they are not even particularly close.

For every crew accessible checkpoint, work out the complete crew journey before race day.

• Checkpoint address or location.
• Actual crew parking location. Verify this against the race instructions.
• Walking distance from the car to the checkpoint.
• Expected road travel time from the previous crew point.
• Road closures, one way traffic plans or shuttle requirements.
• Toilets and available shelter.
• Likely weather exposure.
• Mobile reception, if known.
• Whether a foldable buggy or wagon is practical on the approach.
• How much gear you realistically want to carry in.

Download offline maps for remote areas and keep the race instructions available without an internet connection. Do not rely on following another crew car. They may be just as lost as you are.

Organise runner gear by checkpoint

Do not put everything the runner owns into one giant container and expect the crew to find the right item in the dark.

Think in checkpoints. What is expected to happen at CP3? What changes at CP5? Where does the runner pick up the head torch? Where are the poles? When are the warm layers expected? Which stop is likely to need fresh socks or a shoe change?

• Label checkpoint specific bags.
• Keep the most frequently used items easy to reach.
• Separate wet and dirty gear from clean gear as the race progresses.
• Keep a simple inventory of critical spares.
• Do not bury the next checkpoint bag under everything else in the car.

Pack the crew kit

The crew needs its own equipment. This is not luxury gear. A crew that is cold, hungry, wet and exhausted makes worse decisions.

Pack for the crew to be out there for the duration of the race, not for the weather at the start line.

Food, weather, feet and electronics

Food and fluid for the runner

Start with what the runner has planned, then pack alternatives. The food they loved in training may become completely unacceptable halfway through the race.

• Planned race food by checkpoint.
• Alternative sweet and savoury options.
• Fluids and mixes the runner has already chosen to use.
• Spare bottles, soft flasks and caps where appropriate.
• Simple food that can be prepared quickly.

Food and fluid for the crew

Bring proper crew food and enough water. Do not discover at midnight that everyone has been living on the runner's carefully counted gels and aid station lollies.

• Real meals or substantial food for the crew.
• Easy snacks for driving and waiting.
• Water for the crew.
• Hot drinks if the conditions make them useful.

Feet, clothing and basic care

• Spare socks and shoes if the runner wants them available.
• Dry and warm layers.
• Wet weather gear.
• Foot care supplies the runner already knows how they want to use.
• Sunscreen and other normal race supplies.
• Personal medical supplies or medications the runner has chosen as part of their own plan.

Lighting and electronics

• Runner head torches and backup lights.
• Crew head torches.
• Phone chargers.
• Watch charger.
• Head torch charging cables.
• USB C cables and any other cable your crew actually needs.
• Car charging adapters.
• Power banks.
• Spare batteries where the equipment uses them.
• A small charging hub if several devices need power at once.

Small repair kit

You do not need a workshop in the boot, but a small repair box can save a race day problem.

• Duct tape.
• Cable ties.
• Scissors.
• Safety pins.
• Spare laces.
• Small equipment specific spares that are easy to lose or break.

Vehicle, parking and the beach buggy

The vehicle is effectively crew headquarters. Keep it organised enough that you can still find things after a full day and night of people throwing wet clothes, empty bottles and half used food into it.

• Fill the vehicle before race day or before the long overnight section.
• Know where the keys are at all times.
• Keep the next checkpoint gear accessible.
• Keep rubbish under control.
• Separate clean gear from wet and dirty gear.
• Keep crew food and water reachable without unpacking the car.

And seriously consider a foldable beach buggy or wagon.

Where you can park and where the checkpoint is can be two completely different places. Walking a long distance with chairs, food, water, spare clothes, shoes and everything else is annoying in daylight. At 3 am, when you have already been awake most of the day, it becomes a genuine test of your sanity.

If the checkpoint has stairs, rough single track, a shuttle or other access restrictions, the buggy may be useless. That is why you work this out before race day.

Race morning checks

Before the runner starts, do one clean check of the system. Race morning is not the time to discover the crew phone is nearly flat or nobody downloaded the race guide.

• Runner has all mandatory start gear.
• Runner phone, watch, head torch and tracking equipment are charged.
• Tracking sources have been tested end to end before race day.
• Crew phones and power banks are charged.
• Official race guide and offline maps are downloaded.
• Emergency numbers are saved.
• Checkpoint bags are loaded in race order.
• First crew checkpoint and parking plan are understood.
• Vehicle has fuel.
• Crew has food, water, warm clothes and wet weather gear.
• Finish bag is in the car.
• Everyone knows their role.

The repeatable checkpoint routine

The most useful crew checklist is the one you can repeat at every checkpoint without having to reinvent the process.

Reset the crew between checkpoints

Once the runner leaves, do not immediately throw everything in the car and race to the next stop unless you actually need to.

• Pack the checkpoint gear properly.
• Separate dirty and wet runner gear.
• Refill crew water.
• Make the crew eat.
• Charge phones, watch batteries, lights and power banks as required.
• Check fuel.
• Review what changed at the last checkpoint.
• Review the next checkpoint checklist and notes.
• Check the current arrival estimate before deciding when to leave.
• Use any realistic opportunity for crew members to sleep.

Overnight and the finish

Overnight crew survival

Night is where a well organised crew setup starts paying for itself.

• Rotate drivers where possible.
• Do not drive when you are dangerously tired.
• Use gaps between checkpoints for sleep instead of keeping everyone awake because the runner is awake.
• Keep warm clothes and crew head torches immediately accessible.
• Keep the car organised enough to work in the dark.
• Keep eating and drinking.
• Charge devices whenever you have the opportunity.

There is no prize for arriving at the next checkpoint with the entire crew wrecked. The runner needs the crew functioning when they get there.

The finish bag

• Dry clothes.
• Warm jacket.
• Comfortable shoes.
• Towel.
• Food the runner is likely to tolerate after finishing.
• Drink.
• Phone charger.
• Anything the runner specifically wants immediately after the race.

Do not spend twenty hours being perfectly organised at checkpoints and then discover the warm clothes are buried underneath every wet bag in the car when the runner finishes.

When the plan changes

It will.

The runner may be hours ahead or behind the original schedule. The planned food may suddenly be disgusting. The weather can change. Shoes that were meant to be swapped may be working perfectly. A checkpoint that looked simple on paper may take much longer than expected.

The crew checklist is there to give you structure, not to force the runner back onto a plan that no longer makes sense.

• Work from the current runner, not the expected runner.
• Preserve the intent of the plan rather than every original detail.
• Keep the next checkpoint and cutoff in focus.
• Update checkpoint needs when the runner tells you something has changed.
• Do not keep reminding the runner how far behind the original target they are.

Never Quit in the Chair

This checklist handles the practical side of crewing. It does not replace the conversation about what to do when the runner arrives exhausted, hurting and absolutely certain they are finished.

That philosophy, the limits around it, and the much harder question of when to push and when to stop are covered in Never Quit in the Chair: Crewing an Ultra.

Master race day checklist

This is the condensed version. Use the sections above to decide what each item means for your race.

Race and checkpoint planning

• Current race guide saved offline.
• Crew assistance rules checked.
• Pacer rules checked if relevant.
• Crew accessible checkpoints identified.
• Cutoffs recorded.
• Mandatory gear understood.
• Checkpoint addresses saved.
• Parking locations checked.
• Walking distances understood.
• Road travel times checked.
• Shuttles, closures and permits checked.
• Offline maps downloaded.
• Emergency numbers saved.

Runner gear

• Checkpoint bags labelled and loaded in race order.
• Food and fluid plan packed by checkpoint.
• Alternative food packed.
• Spare bottles and flasks packed.
• Spare shoes and socks packed if wanted.
• Warm and wet weather clothing packed.
• Runner lights and charging gear packed.
• Foot care supplies packed.
• Backup equipment packed.
• Mandatory gear spares considered.
• Finish bag packed and accessible.

Crew gear

• Chairs.
• Foldable beach buggy or wagon where useful.
• Small table or shelter if useful and permitted.
• Crew head torches.
• Warm and wet weather clothing.
• Blankets, sleeping bags or pillows.
• Crew food and water.
• Esky or cooler and thermos if useful.
• Sunscreen and insect repellent.
• Wipes, toilet paper, paper towel and rubbish bags.
• Small repair kit.

Electronics and vehicle

• Phones charged.
• Power banks charged.
• Required charging cables packed.
• Car chargers packed.
• Runner watch and tracking equipment tested.
• Crew tracking view tested.
• Vehicle fuelled.
• Keys controlled.

At every checkpoint

• Check current ETA.
• Check cutoff context.
• Read checkpoint checklist and notes.
• Prepare required gear.
• Prepare food and fluid.
• Listen when the runner arrives.
• Fix the immediate problems.
• Keep decisions simple.
• Confirm mandatory gear.
• Get the runner moving when safe.
• Record what changed.
• Reset crew food, water and charging.
• Review the next checkpoint before moving.

Look after the crew

• Eat.
• Drink.
• Stay warm and dry.
• Sleep when there is an opportunity.
• Rotate drivers where possible.
• Do not drive dangerously tired.
• Keep the car organised.
• Keep charging the things you will need next.