Crewing Canal Corridor 100!

Jim & our friend Mike made a crew shirt!

On Saturday and Sunday, July 13th and 14th, I was support crew for my friend Jim Ridolfo who ran the Canal Corridor 100 ultramarathon. Yep. 100 miles. On foot. It was a pretty amazing and humbling event to watch and be a part of. Jim managed to finish the race, his first attempt at the 100 mile distance, and as I wrote in a comment on his post-race report, he was "the gracious and brave and strong human we all know him to be who, despite the hardship, never once visited his stresses on anyone there to help (that was *not* true of all the competitors, let me tell you). He had a smile for everyone, words of encouragement for his fellow runners, and nothing but gratitude for all the volunteers. I'm super proud of him for this amazing achievement!!"

Indeed. It was an inspiring day. Or day plus a few hours, if we are being precise. :) And I learned a lot along the way! So in this post, I'll try to reflect on what went well, what I'd do differently, and offer any advice for folks who might be crewing someone for a 100miler.

100 miles. Wait. What?
 So let's start with what this thing is and how to wrap one's brain around it. 100 miles is just short of four marathons run back-to-back-to-back-to-back. For the fastest, elite, world-class type folks, it's a 14-and-change hours effort to get the job done. For normal humans, it's usually a challenge just to finish under 24. The time limit for the Canal Corridor 100, which is run on the Ohio & Erie Canalway towpath is 30 hours. If you are in ahead of the limit, you get a belt buckle and lots of admiration from the ultra community. If you don't finish (DNF), well, you're like 21 of the 70 or so that started this year's CC100. Saturday got hot, the course was challenging with some sections affected by recent flooding, and 100 miles is a 100 miles. A lot can go wrong on a day or more worth of solid running. And it only takes one or two things going wrong to end your race. 

Runners do stop during the race at aid stations that were, for this race, very well staffed and stocked with food, water, electrolyte drinks, chairs, first-aid supplies, and knowledgeable, veteran runners from the local ultra community who could offer advice and encouragement. It was quite impressive. Jim noted in his race report that for a race that had 88 registered entrants (some of whom did not start), they had more than 200 volunteers who helped mark the course, staff aid stations, sweep the trail on bikes to be sure nobody was left behind, deliver ice and supplies to aid stations, and clean everything up afterwards. It was quite a showing by the Northeast Ohio running community, to say the least. Bravo and thanks, too, for being so hospitable and welcoming to newcomers (crew and athletes)! 

So What Does Crew Do?
Even with all of the great support by the race organizers & volunteers, on a race like this, runners stand a better chance of finishing well if they have a team helping them. There are two roles that folks play to lend support: 1) crew, & 2) pacing. Pacers run with the athlete for some of the course, as permitted by the race rules. Crew take care of the runner when and where the race rules allow by hauling gear, getting food and fluids, helping them change shoes, look after sore feet, apply various balms, salves, ointments, unguents, or creams, refill bottles and refresh packs/vests with nutrition. Crew also helps keep the runner on track with their race plan, assist in making any decisions or solving problems that might come up during the race, and most importantly keep their spirits high and keep them motivated. Taxing events like a 100 mile run challenge every part of a person, including your emotions. It's quite incredible until you experience it. 

For a 100 miler, being crew also means you need a car with gas in it and a way to navigate on country roads in the middle of nowhere, sometimes at 4:00 a.m. with no GPS or cell signal...because you are leap frogging ahead of your runner to meet them at the next aid station all the way. For this version of the CC100, the course was out and back. I first met Jim at mile 25 and from there saw him at all the crew-eligible stations (some were in remote areas where there was no easy way for crew to reach runners, so those were water-fill stations only) - roughly every 5-10 miles along the way.

Things That Went Well or I Would Do Again

1. Nutrition: I think we had a very solid nutrition plan for Jim that he followed extremely well. He had tested this at other long events and knew pretty well what he needed and could tolerate for a long day. At aid stations we tried to give him real food to supplement his SWORD (like gatorade) and gels that he took in each hour. We kept him stocked with two fresh bottles at each aid station with SWORD packets he could use to mix in. This made sure he had electrolytes, liquid, and calories at a steady rate all day. 
2. Navigation: I didn't get lost! I pre-loaded all the aid station addresses into my phone to use when I needed them. When I had cell signal, which was most of the time, I had no trouble finding where I needed to be and was always in place and ready when Jim came in to an aid station. When I lost signal, I had prepared a bit because I'd been warned so I took screenshots and saved static images of the map and turn-by-turn text directions to use. This was great because I needed them literally at 4:00 a.m. to go from one crazy, middle-of-nowhere place to another 9 miles away.
3. Extra...everything!: I brought extra socks, extra shirts, extra food, extra water...and in one way or another, we wounded up using almost all of the categories of things (though not all of the inventory). Some of the stuff I gave to other runners in need, and some were useful to Jim. One example was extra socks. This course, with muddy and wet sections early and then lots of crushed limestone gravel was really hard on the feet because the tiny grains of stone would get into the shoes and even the socks and act like sandpaper. Brutal.
4. Unscented baby wipes: I mean, when *don't* these come in handy? I'll spare you all the details, but trust me on this one.    

Things I Would Do Differently

Jim & me, cold-brew caffeinated at mile 80

1. Bring two (or more) folding camp chairs. The aid stations usually had some for the athletes, but as crew you don't want to eat the food at the aid stations or take up space in a chair that a runner may need. So it's best to bring one for yourself. And then to bring a couple more for others.
2. Bring a legit cooler & stock with ice a few times. For a hot day, ice comes in handy in a bunch of ways. I had a soft-sided cooler that I used to haul food and drink around, but since I had the car, I should have just brought my igloo too and then used that to keep other stuff cold. I could stock/restock with ice a few times en route.
3. Make a big ol' thing of cold brew.  I honestly didn't struggle too badly to stay awake because I stayed focused on doing my job. But I did need a little chemical assistance in the form of late-in-the day caffeine. Last year, when Jim & I rode the Michigan Mountain Mayhem (do you see a pattern here?) we got some cold brew in bottles to have before the race. So when Jim was ready, I got some of that for this race too and it was just the ticket. It occurred to me that I could have made a gallon of cold brew and had that in the car... 
4. Check batteries at every aid station, including a portable charger for the runner's phone/gps/watch. Jim ran low on light at one point in the race and was luckily able to find another runner to pair with and share light. I take some blame for this one because we packed extra lights and had a plan to switch, but I should've checked earlier, logged the burn time and swapped them out *before* we got too close to the limit. Rookie crew mistake, but I got bailed out on that one by fate.
5. Bring *good* chamois cream. Ultra runners know about lube, but a surprising number of them use substandard stuff. We cyclists know how to prevent unrest in the Netherlands. It is time for a bit of endurance diplomacy, I think.

Jim gets congrats from the race director at the finish!

I really, really liked crewing. I've done some similar volunteering before, so I knew I'd be down for it. And, aside from goodwill and the pleasure I take in helping folks out, my knowledge of what it feels like to do all-day sufferfests is an asset. I don't feel any personal tug to test this particular limit of endurance, so I don't see myself running a 100 miler. But I would crew again or serve as a pacer for sure. That was our original plan, in fact, that I would pace Jim for the last 50k. But course changes and the realization that I could do more good if I was his dedicated crew (allowing his family to not have to worry about the many logistics and decisions and stress of that) made us switch things up. I am glad we did. I was still able to run down from the finish and meet him about 1.5 miles from the finish and go with him up the final, steep mile to the line. If we had another person to crew, I'd gladly serve as a pacer. But I have no regrets with the choice we made and found it very fun. I also got to help a lot of other runners this way too, which was a nice bonus.

If you have an endurance background, I highly recommend serving as a crew member or aid station volunteer for an ultra. You'll see amazing and inspiring humans at their best, full of gratitude and goodwill. It's an incredibly diverse group too, with folks from many countries, backgrounds, and ages. All of them cheering for one another. Being part of that was good for my soul.

I want to thank Jim and his family, Jan & Lior, for letting me take part in this adventure. It was Jim's bravery to attempt this thing in the first place that made it all possible. His perseverance and preparation were inspiring to me and I admire his ability to move forward when, as always happens in this kind of event, things looked bleak and he was hurting. He rallied and now has a truly extraordinary accomplishment to show for it. I am so glad I got to be a small part of it!