THE VIEW FROM THE CREW

WHY YOU SHOULD CLOSE THAT “ENTER RACE HERE” TAB AND VOLUNTEER TO CREW IT INSTEAD

I just got back to Birmingham after my annual pilgrimage to Cornwall to crew at the Arc of Attrition. Forty plus unbroken hours of chasing runners round the coast, managing mobile crew locations and supply top ups, dealing with dropped runners and manning checkpoints has left me a little bit broken in the best way, and I’m here to tell you why skipping on racing an event that you’re eyeing and crewing for it instead may just be the very best thing you can do for your running.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – trail races, and especially the long events in beautiful places which many of us love to do, are dependent on volunteers to function. All those people handing out snacks, refilling your flasks, making sure you take the correct turning and giving you pep talks are volunteers, and if we want our favourite events to keep going then giving our time, energy and experience as runners back into the ecosystem is being a good citizen of the trail community.

But what you don’t often hear people talking about is the massive benefits that spending that time at a checkpoint, in a race control vehicle or broom wagon, or sweeping the back runners can bring to your own running the next time you toe a start line. So, let’s get into it.

DE-FANGING YOUR FEARS!

How many times have you eyed up a new distance, or a course that looks incredible and then held back from trying it because of some fear holding you back? Whether you’re worried about being able to take on technical terrain, getting through within cut offs, or just terrified of looking like an idiot because you’ve DNF’d, those gremlins can really do a number on you and sometimes the thing to ditch them is not to metaphorically jump in with both feet but to come and see that event from a crew perspective.

When you’re on the other side of a race you get to see not just the front runners nimbly bouncing over the trails like they’re made of air, but also the mid pack gritters and the folks right at the back end of the field, gutting it out for every mile they can get. You’ll see what it really takes to finish that event – how fast you actually have to be moving, how people handle the tougher sections, and realistically what you can and can’t come back from when things go wrong.

If you’re scared that you don’t belong on that start line, being on race crew you’ll see people of every shape, size, age and otherwise who finish. If the thing that scares you is being sick, or getting hurt or blisters, you will get a ringside seat to people overcoming all the things that worry you and coming out on top (more on that later). And if you’re worried about timing out or just not being tough enough to do it, you will be front and centre watching people triumph, and watching people drop out – and seeing who falls into those categories may well surprise you.

Fear is a good thing – it’s a healthy response to challenge and risk. But if you want to find a way to figure out a way through those fears so that you know whether you do really want to do that event you’re so scared of, then I implore you to email the race director and volunteer for the longest, gnarliest shift you can get away with, and jump into that experience with your entire chest. Either you’ll come out of it feeling like you’ve unmasked the villain in a Scooby Doo story and be super ready to get into training for the next year’s event… or you will come away having had an amazing weekend and knowing that you made the right call because running this event really isn’t for you. And both of those outcomes are fantastic.

FREE COURSE RECCE

If you’ve had your eye on an event that’s intrigued you but wanted to get more information on the route, vibe or required pace for cut offs, then a shift on either mobile crew (race control vehicle, mobile aid stations or broom wagon), course marking or sweeping/tail running is for you.

This kind of crewing is intense, especially mobile crewing, but gives you a sampling of the whole course and the conditions you are likely to face if you race it. Trail runners and course markers tend to work in pairs, and if you’re new to the course then you will also likely be paired up with an experienced local who has no doubt run the race, and probably lives and trains on the route you’re doing so will know every rock, rabbit hole and bit of bramble you will have to contend with.

The advantage of course marking, and tail running is that you get a good easy paced run in yourself, and you get to really get to know the route. If sections are technical, you’ll get a chance to see how best to tackle them efficiently. If you ran the race before and wonder how you finished without getting lost (all those who fear the Dunes of Doom at the Arc, represent!), then this will also be invaluable especially if you’re doing that part of the course in the dark.

THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ARE INCREDIBLE – AND FULL OF KNOWLEDGE

We’ve talked about being paired up with a local or an old hand when tail running, but the information you get out of being on race crew go way beyond that.

Races with a strong volunteer contingent and a solid community relationship bring in a whole host of people who are often runners and/or seasoned crew at ultras. All those people have a wealth of knowledge, and when you’re on the team you get access to the ultimate running library. Want to do a certain race? There’s probably someone on the team who has done it or crewed it and can tell you everything you want to know. Wondering what the running is like in a fun new location? Someone there will know, and probably get misty-eyed while enthusiastically recommending a trail to try out or a race there that you’ve never heard of before.

You’ll get to work alongside people who will have ways of troubleshooting issues you have never thought of. They’ll have stories from previous years at that event, and other events they’ve run themselves or helped at. They’ll probably know a bunch of people running and you’ll get to meet elite runners and incredibly inspiring folks throughout the field. Your new hero might well be making 200 cups of instant noodles in the middle of the woods at 4am. Or they might be coming in to a wind-blasted mountain hut at a barely civilised breakfast hour with a huge smile on their face having slogged it out through the night, exchange a few jokes and then shuffle their way out again. Or they might currently be sat on the floor of a village hall halfway along a course wrapped in a foil blanket having just handed in their tracker, puking into a bowl and apologising for being a nuisance.

Spend a long shift with a race crew team and I guarantee you will come out of it inspired, with a head crammed full of more useful information than you know what to do with.

YOU GET A CHEAT SHEET FOR HOW TO DEAL WITH ISSUES IN-RACE

On that note – the great thing about getting up close and personal with the business end of a tough event is that you get to watch all the other people have (and solve) problems, so you don’t have to.

You’ll get to see patterns come out of how issues come about and how mistakes play out. Maybe someone misjudged pacing and blew up. Maybe they decided to ignore a small hotspot and ended up with blisters that should have their own postcode. Maybe they messed up their nutrition and now they’re dry heaving in the corner because they spent the last 15 miles projectile vomiting. Maybe they underestimated how boggy conditions would be and they’ve taken off their sock to find the bottom of their foot went with it. (Yes, I have seen all of these happen, sometimes in the same race)

Whatever comes in to you as a crew, I guarantee that if you don’t know how to fix it, one of those wonderful people we just talked about will. Chances are that at least one person has made that mistake before. If we’re honest, they’ve probably made it several times and so have you. And somewhere along the line, between your crew team, somebody will have found a fix. It might be something you’ve never seen or heard of, it might look or sound crazy, but it’ll work.

All those things that have gone wrong in your own races will come up and you’ll have hours of practice troubleshooting and triaging them over and over until it’s automatic. You will be doing all this while tired and likely working through sleep deprivation yourself, and unlike the runners you don’t have the luxury of being able to go zombie and stop functioning, so you’ll also get the benefit of learning ways of making sure you can still make good logical decisions while tired, and have to learn how to look after yourself so that you can take care of the runners on the course. And you can then take that knowledge forward into your own running to help prevent and deal with problems you face yourself.

IT’S GREAT PRACTICE FOR YOUR OWN RACES

We’ve talked about seeing the issues that can come up when taking on big, scary events. But there’s also all the boring maintenance that goes into a successful finish, and that doesn’t always require you to be taking part in the event to practice it.

If you’ve done as suggested above and volunteered for the longest, gnarliest stint you can then you get to practice all the things that you inevitably skip over in your usual training. Things like checking in with your body and making sure you fuel well – yes, even if you’re just in a checkpoint! It’s surprisingly easy to get caught up in all the excitement and forget to eat for hours, and then you’re dealing with being cranky and befuddled at a time when you really can’t afford to be because other people’s wellbeing and safety is relying on you having your stuff together. Also: learning to kit up well so that you can withstand being out in the cold while sleep deprived and not moving much for hours; figuring out if you’re the kind of person who can catnap and how to maximise the benefit from it; and how to maximise efficiency when going through an aid station. You’ll learn how to refill flasks, get someone some hot food, stuff their pockets with snacks and have them out again in under five minutes.

Plus, if you’re sweeping and you’ve got somebody working their tail off to make it within cut off with you, now is the time to bring out all the mantras and positive self-talk that you use to keep yourself going – but to help someone else realise their goal. Don’t have that in your arsenal? You will by the end of it, because you’re going to have to learn on the fly.

All of these skills are learned – nobody just has them from the get-go. But learning them makes you not only a better crew member, but also a better runner because you are more able to take care of yourself while tired, and handle your own bullshit. Never underestimate how far that will take you.

YOU GET A WHOLE SLEW OF FRESH IDEAS TO TRY OUT

You’re going to see a lot on crew. Some of it will be inspiring, some will be scarring (epic trench foot, I’m looking at you /shudder), and some will have you itching to try it out on your next easy long run.

Maybe someone was eating something that you haven’t tried or thought of but sounded great. Maybe it’s a new way of organising your pack so that you’re more likely to fuel well, or can easily access what you need to. Maybe it’s a new mental strategy to get through the dark moments on a race.

The great thing about coming out of a weekend absorbing all these lessons and nuggets of knowledge is that you then get to go forth and bring that to your next run, race or project.

I always tell people that you will learn more from crewing one event than you will from racing three, and I mean it every time.

SO, YOU’RE GOING TO SIGN UP AS CREW – HERE’S WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY

I reached out to the Flying Angels mobile crews from the Arc of Attrition – most of whom are old hands and have done this many times and asked them what they’d want to tell all of you about the experience. Here’s what a few of them had to say:

DAWN & ANDY Y

“We love being Flying Angels. Have done it for 8 years after crewing before then. Some tips from old hand angels:

If you’ve got a water can, bring it full. Take a stove, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for yourself. Take food for yourselves and give yourselves time to eat properly – basically be as self-sufficient as you can. Make use of the checkpoints for hot food and drinks and to top up provisions. Take plenty of warm clothes for standing around for hours, usually on exposed areas where it’s blowing a hooley. Take extra blankets and coats for DNFs to keep warm while waiting to be extracted. Make sure you have charged head torches and are wearing the correct clothing/shoes to have to trek out on the coast path to help extract a runner in trouble. Some basic additions like KT tape are handy for runners where packs are starting to rub, and spare safety pins are handy. If you get the opportunity to take a nap, take it – you never know how long you’ll be out there.

This year we were called out to help a runner, the spreadsheet went out the window for us and other crews had to step in whilst we were ‘out of action’. Be prepared to go anywhere and fill in, or to help when things don’t go to plan.”

LOTTIE R

“We thoroughly enjoy our Arc Angel duties supporting the running community is something I love doing. I had great feedback from runners about the use of the cowbells! Watermelon, oranges and Jaffa cakes were the most popular choice from our table of goodies.”

KATH T

“You definitely have to consider your own rest time too. We had a ball as always!”

EMILY S

“Favourite thing about crewing is knowing you’re able to make a huge difference to someone’s race experience, you can be the difference between someone wanting to quit or carry on. And I love being able to turn someone around and send them off with a smile when they might’ve arrived worse for wear. Hardest part is keeping the energy and the hype up, but it’s always worth it to see the runners smiling and pushing on – I always think, whatever we’re feeling is nothing in comparison to how they’re feeling, and they really need us to be there for them. Best bit of advice would be to remember to pack a good lunch, fuel well – drink plenty, and bring your best cheerleader game, the runners will thank you for it and may even dance with you too! Oh and don’t forget your Bluetooth speaker on the roof of your car (RIP to my race speaker ha). Good job I had a spare!”

AMANDA P

“Absolutely loved yesterday!!

Loved being able to provide support and fuel for unsupported runners and those just in need. Wearing the angel hoodie with such pride! Having inexhaustible hugs for those who needed a boost, a moment or a shoulder to cry on.

There is always something we don’t have!! SALT TABLETS!! So hard in the dark to know who’s coming in for top ups so difficult to be more personal (knowing names).

Best advice… bring a big flask, a big lunch, a big coat and a head torch and full tank of fuel. And always expect the unexpected!”

MIKE T

“What an amazing experience overall. Favourite things – camaraderie from all the Arc Angels and the love from all of the runners too over the day. Really great to see everyone making the most of the opportunities. It was great to chat to so many members of the public asking about the races and about ultra running generally. Hardest parts – having all the right things to offer the runners. I would echo the point about salt tablets but also blister packs – oh and cheese. Quite a few runners asked for some – presumably with a glass of red wine and some crackers too!! (It’s understandable as after all the sweet stuff and performance drinks/gels etc some normal tasting food is pretty important later on) Have the meeting/parking locations on What3Words.

Best advice – pack lots of very warm gear, head torch and portable lighting, phone and electronic chargers and bring your A game to the whole day to support everyone whether they are a front runner or down the back! Overall a real pleasure and very happy to get involved again next year.”

TORIA L

“It’s always a good weekend when I come for the Arc and this year didn’t disappoint. A friendly bunch of running enthusiasts as crew and an inspiring bunch of runners. Those who run fast are incredible… And those who run slower for hours and hours and hours are just as worthy of huge kudos. My favourite thing: the opportunity to connect with other likeminded people from all over the place, to be inspired by others and to contribute to supporting them to have the best run they can… and witnessing the highs and lows of endurance.

Hardest thing: keeping warm! Best advice: lots of layers of clothing, have a good flask, comfy shoes, a head torch and be prepared to be friendly and cheerful to runners, crews and the public.

As for things we get asked for – fruit like melon, savoury snacks (I made lots of boiled, salted potatoes this year and they were very popular). I have crewed for a couple of other ultras where we made sandwiches (also my ultra snacks of choice)… oh and new legs!

See you all again next year!”

I left my soul on the Mynd

Humble ‘Pye’

Trail Run West Midlands