I know, usually you wouldn't want to take advice from somone who hasn't done the thing you're wanting advice on. Even though I didn't run 100 miles, I was a pacer for my SIL while she ran 100 miles and I've got some tips for those wanting to run 100 miles and those who are going to pace or crew for someone running 100 miles!
HATS
We LOVED having matching hats. Everyone that crewed & Kate (the runner) had one. We picked hats because we figured Kate would intentionally pick out her shorts/shirt based on feel & to avoid maximum chaffing, but a hat isn’t (or shouldn’t) cause any rubbing. Because of our matching hats veryone knew who our runner was, who was part of our crew and we got SO MANY compliments.
FUELING
I've got lots of notes here for the runner (and any pacers)
As a crew you want to make sure your runner is fueling properly THE WHOLE race, especially at the beginning because the more miles they go the less likely they will want to eat. If you know what they are supposed to be eating you'll know when to “force” them to eat vs let them listen to their body.
What I would do (and what my sister & I did when we ran the marathon last summer) is plan out exactly what you need to eat and have it in small bags labeled with the time you need to eat them by/ miles you expect to be at. This way you know how much you've eaten because you might not want to eat, but your body still needs to eat.
Having everything bagged and labeled makes it really nice for your crew for a few reasons 1. the crew knows exactly what to put inside the runners vest and 2. you can see what they did or didn’t eat and if they need to get more calories in. By the end Kate couldn't eat anything and would throw up when she tried to eat. My brother (her husband) said if he were to do it again he wouldn’t have let her leave some of the earlier aid stations until she ate a certain amount of calories, knowing that she didn’t want to eat but that it would have helped her later on.
My brother just did a 200 mile bike race and he planned some of his fuel based on taste. There are some liquid drinks that contain similar nutrition to GU’s and he knew those would be easier to get down later on in the race and he specifically knew the more expensive brand tasted a little better so he planned to use that one to fuel during his last miles.
Also, you can’t forget about fueling your pacers. If you’re running with someone who knows what they’re doing they’ll probably make sure they’ve got what they need but I went into it blind and ended up running a 19 mile stretch with only a red bull and a few random chews my sister had. Looking back it makes sense that I started cramping because I didn’t fuel.
Also in regard to pacers, Kate had some QUICK stops and she was the main focus during every stop. But looking back I would designate 1 person to be in charge of the pacer, especially if they are running multiple legs or stretches. Someone who makes sure they’ve got their fuel and water and anything they need to feel good too.
Please, please, please don’t forget to eat AFTER the race. I promise not eating anything is is a bad idea. We didn’t eat anything after finishing.. we rushed off, stopped at the hotel for a few hours of sleep & then I woke up at 5am feeling SO nauseous and unwell. Again, looking back my body needed so much more food than I gave it. But also it was a little tricky because it was 1 or 2 in the morning, and nothing is open, and the granola bars and things you have been eating all day don’t sound the best. I wish we had been a little more prepared with something to have at the car/ hotel. Or made sure to find a McDonalds.
Practice eating during your training runs so then your body is accustomed to it during the race. Especially with a 100miler when you need to eat SO much, I can imagine that practicing on training runs could make eating on race day more comfortable.
AID STATIONS
Camp chair, massage gun, ibuprofen, body glide, aquaphor, mouthwash (my brother used this on his bike race because there’s so much sugar from the gels & he’s in dental school and clearly thinks a lot about teeth LOL) but also probably nice for if you throw up.
CREW
There’s LOTS of downtime between seeing your runner. I loved having a pillow and blanket, as well as some games, books, podcasts, movies, a comfy chair and even a sleeping pad if you need to lay on the ground. Also, don’t forget to think about your food during the day, you're usually deep in the mountains with limited/no food options. I was SO glad we remembered to grab subway sandwiches the night before. Some people were cooking on propane stoves which looked fun.
CARB LOADING
I don’t have personal experience with this one, but a friend of mine (former BYU runner & BQ marathoner) posted about her carbload before one of her marathons and she said she really liked how it helped her feel while running. Idk what ultra runners have to say about carb loading. But this is the video she shared when she shared about her carb load experience. I honestly sounds kinda fun to only eat bagels and pasta and candy for a few days leading up to the race hahaha
PLANNING OUT YOUR FUEL
This is what my sister & I used for planning our fuel when we ran our marathon last summer. I’m sure there are tons of resources out there!
- 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate each hour that you are running longer than 75 minutes
- Start fueling 30 minutes in
- For runs lasting longer than 2.5 hours, it’s recommended to increase your carbohydrate intake to 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour
- Aim for about 400mg of sodium an hour with a couple ounces of fluids every mile.
- 12 to 24 ounces of fluid per hour
Every 30/40 minutes:
15-30g carbs
200mg sodium
6-12oz water
