Tips For Pacing an Ultra Runner

June 13 was the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania which offered 70.5-mile, 50K and relay options to runners along the beautiful Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. I was asked to pace a friend who was doing the 70.5 miler. It was my first time pacing a runner during an ultra and I was unsure of what to expect. I was on a relay team and there was another athlete who ran the other legs of the race to offer constant energy and support to our runner.

Ultra runners often will chose to run with pacers to keep them on track for their race goals and offer them support along the way. Pacers don’t just help runner’s avoid common pitfalls like starting out to fast, but they assist with nutrition and hydration as their runner becomes increasingly fatigued and offer support and distraction to prevent them from quitting early.

It was an incredible experience and, as this was my first experience at an ultra as a pacer, I captured some of the biggest learnings to help me be even better next time.

1. Know your runner’s goals: I spoke with my runner beforehand to know her goals and make sure I knew what time she was hoping to run doe each section. Carry the numbers with you in your pack so you can revisit and adjust as needed throughout the race.
2. Understand the course: I had raced in the Laurel Highlands a number of weekends prior, so I knew the terrain was rolling with huge elevation gains. I was able to adjust my training accordingly and make sure I did hill training in advance.
3. Make sure you are taking care of yourself: I ate often at the aid stations and drank frequently from my hydration pack. It is easy to become distracted when you are caring for another athlete, but if you aren’t looking after yourself, you will not be able to provide the support they need.
4. Have a mix of sweet and savory foods: There are only so many gels a person can consume before they begin to look pretty unappetizing. I carried a wide variety of snacks in my pack so when my runner tired of gels, we were able to switch to trail mix, apple sauce and tuna.
5. Have some pacing tactics for the final legs: As my runner became more and more fatigued, the greater the need for pacing became. Intervals of a single minute, alternating with a minute minute of walking were helpful in the final 20K, especially as we were dealing with nightfall and lowered morale.
6. Ask your runner what they need: Do they want you to talk at them as they become more and more tired or do they want silence? Understand that this may change throughout the race so try to keep in touch with how they are feeling physically and physiologically. Have an arsenal of funny stories, songs and other distractions to help them if they are running a long distance.
7. Be organized: Know where the gear is both in their pack, in their vehicle and at aid stations so you can quickly retrieve what they need for them.

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