What is the crew?
That group of people, or single person, who puts themselves at the service of an ultrarunner during his or her race/trail record/running day on trails or asphalt.
Mind you, there is a difference between being someone’s pacer and being your own crew.
Although in fact crewing is allowed in more or less any ultrarunning race in the world, the tradition of pacing is not usually allowed in races in Europe.
In Italian trail races it is normally allowed to have a crew, but not a pacer.
What is the difference?
Those who crew usually do not run with “their” runner, but wait for him/her at aid stations (in case of races) or at certain points on the course. For some cultural reason, it is much easier for us Europeans to conceive of someone’s assistance as “healthy” and normal than a pacer running with their runner, although usually the refreshments in Italy are very well stocked and, under normal conditions, it is easy for a runner to organize themselves. In ultramarathon road races, on the other hand, one can usually follow one’s runner on a bicycle after a certain point in the race or already from the start.
What do you do to crew someone?
Usually a runner’s crew prepares a duffel bag for the runner to have with what he or she may need inside. Special food that is not present at the refreshments, ice cold drinks, spare clothing, a change of shoes, various creams and ointments, band-aids and perhaps a kit to put the feet back in place, puncture a few blisters, remove a few nails and allow the athlete to continue running.
the most organized prepare everything on a table, opening the duffel bag and organizing it to have everything on hand so that the runner can leave as quickly as possible.
Once the runner has left you put everything back and reach the next point where you can assist, so until the finish.
This of course also applies while assisting outside the race, perhaps during an FKT attempt at a pecorso. In that case they will lean toward bringing more food since there are no refreshments and not just the bare essentials. This obviously changes quite a bit if the place where assistance is being provided can be reached by car or only on foot.
Bringing extra shoes is much more cumbersome and heavy than bringing socks, just as being able to be in organized refreshments will allow us not to have to carry water and liquids. In this case, the crew will be responsible for filling their runner’s water bottles by letting them rest while sitting.
An experienced crew will know how to help the runner in a wide variety of situations, be it during a blizzard with warm clothes, so in the desert, bringing sunscreen, ice, spare batteries for the headlamp; they will also be ready to give information to the runner about the distance to the next aid station, of the detachments and remind him/her of his/her name (during ultras it can happen to forget it)
My advice?
Remember yourself, too, and always bring a folding camping chair, a book, and warm clothing so you can spend the wait for your runner in the best way possible and be ready in those few minutes when you see him or her.
A close-knit, well-functioning crew can be decisive in getting the athlete to the finish line, sometimes just spurring him or her on psychologically is enough. For the rest, try to put yourself in his shoes but don’t be ruthless: there are always many excuses for retreating, and very often not so unique.
Help your runner get to the bottom so he or she will always be indebted to you! ;)