Don't tell him "You're almost there!" unless he can see the finish line.

You are primarily there to keep him/her company, unless they are at the very pointy end. And in that case, they are not going to rely on critical help from someone who solicits advice from message board strangers haha

Seriously though, just know when to chat to keep them engaged, and know when to just shut up and let them silently wrestle with their mental demons. Stay positive. Tell them if they missed a turn. That's really about it. Have a great time and enjoy it. Who knows, this may be the start of your own ultra-career!

I paced a friend of a friend on his first pacer lap (miles 50-62). I had never met him. I told him I was there for him so whatever he needed I could handle. He was a cool dude, so we hit it off. We talked about his training a lot and just life in general. I was genuinely impressed so I just kept pumping him up with how awesome he was haha.

I offered to carry his water and gu's for him. He just asked me to keep him on pace and keep him on his nutrition schedule. I took all of his trash (yep, all the sticky gu packs went in my pocket). We really just hung out and had fun.

Those types seem to be pretty laid back, but it all depends on their goals and personality. It was a great experience and I would do it again for sure.

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Team Zoot - Great Lakes

Have a talk with him now and asks what he expects from you.

• help to remember to eat/drink?
• talk to distract him?
• shut up and navigate?

The best person to get the advice you want/need is the person you are going to be pacing for. For heavens sake, talk to him. He's the only one who knows. Anything else on here is pure speculation.

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

Wow, thanks. Its like, maybe I need to talk with my friend?? So fucking sage and obvious at the same time.

I got it. I have spoke/communicated/relayed information with the competitor. Next, I was asking others who may have done something similar for experiences that would allow them to impart knowledge they may have otherwise not known prior or would have never thought about.

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Use this link to save $5 off your USAT membership renewal:
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Pace him from the front, not from behind or along side him. This way you take from him the responsibility of figuring out the best line forward. he just has to watch your feet and follow.

It is so fucking obvious it's fucking stupid! No matter what advice you get from here, the only person that matters is the person you are pacing for and what he wants.

This advice for instance

What if he doesn't want you in front? I hate people pacing me in front, especially on trails. So, you just going to blindly follow that advice?

Chill out man. Talk to him. Run with him. Your friend might not even know what he wants until you actually run with him.

As in all things, prior preparation promotes premium performance. In this case, it might even help keep a friendship.

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

It looks like I might be too late with this. If so, how did it go?

I have paced, crewed, volunteered numerous 100 milers and ran one. Here are my tips.
- Take good care of yourself while waiting for your time to run. Eat, drink, stay out of the sun as much as possible so that you are ready to run.
- Find out the rules of the race. are you allowed to mule for your runner? Can you run in to the aid station ahead and leave after in order to better service your runner or do you need to stay in contact?
- Is your friend going to try to podium or just finish? Will you be chasing the leaders or chasing cutoffs? Either way, be quick but don't hurry in the aid stations. People waste a lot of time in the aid stations and it can be the difference in whether or not your runner makes their goal. Think of it like a transition area in a triathlon.
- Use good headlamps. We use Petzl Nao. Great beam that lasts for 10-12 hours in reactive mode. Put an extra, lightweight light in your runners bag at night just in case.
- Try to make sure that your runner eats and drinks enough, even if they do not feel like it they can always eat a Sport Bean or take a couple of sips of water until their stomach settles down
- My girlfriend has podiumed in 4 of her 6 100's so she tries to push the pace pretty hard. She writes out a script of what she wants in her pack and we have it pre loaded when she gets to the aid station. She takes off the old pack and puts on the new one and off she goes. Sometimes she does not even stop. If she decides she wants something different she just asks for it but then it is a question of making one quick decision and no time is wasted shopping at the aid station buffet
- Here is my super secret fast finish plan that we have not seen anyone else do. Conditions permitting, have your runner drop their pack at the last aid station, you can carry it in if you pick it up there and let them use a hand held for the remainder of the race
- Have dry, warm clothes and a post race recovery drink for you and your runner at the finish line. at ultras a lot of people drink beer when they finish
- do not ask how they feel, are you hurting, are you tired. try to stay focused on positive messaging
Feel free to ask me any questions that you have. Crewing and pacing for an ultra is a lot of work and a lot of fun.
Enjoy the experience!

Thank you JKP. I will remember this for any future races I may help with. The race was this past Saturday at Umstead in Raleigh-Durham. The conditions were absolutely atrocious. When he started the temps were in the 60s and raining. When he finished it was 32 and snowing. He was obviously wet the entire time and essentially changed outfits at the end of every lap (which was set out in 12.5 mile loops). I paced him from miles 50-75 and it got dark around mile 67 or so. There were people being rushed in and out of HQ with hypothermia, some had some nasty muscle issues. I think a couple had gotten sick and were passed out/waking up/throwing up (I heard). My racer was doing well. I was asking how he felt though, in regards to eating and general fatigue. Perhaps I should have done more of what you said and tried to move his mind away from the pain locker. By the end of the 75 lap he was hurting. Sprung ankle and couldn't shake the cold. Our other friend picked him up for the last 2 laps, but the ankle was no good and unfortunately had to DNF.

It was actually a pretty amazing experience. HQ looked like a wartime medical tent from a movie. The volunteer support at that race was amazing. . .and also a ton of food - like real food.

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JKP - That is very helpful information. I have yet to pace anyone but you answered a number of questions I have always wondered about and provided insight for items I had never really considered. Thanks!