Crew Instructions Template: Printable Ultra Crew Sheet

This is a fill-in sheet for the people crewing a timed or multiday ultra. Type into it here or print it blank, then give one copy to each crew shift. It replaces guesswork at the table with a few fixed habits: the runner decides in advance, the crew prepares, and nobody asks a tired runner an open question. For why crews work this way and how to lay out the table, read crew and aid station strategy.

How to Use the Sheet

The runner fills in Part 2 alone,a week or more before the race and while rested. These are the runner's instructions, so the crew follows them as written.
Fill in Part 1 together. Copy crew access rules, cutoffs and where race medical is from the runner manual, not from memory.
Choose the race format in Part 5. For point-to-point races, work out arrival windows in the crew and drop-bag planner first. Use the gear checklist only for packing.
Print one copy per crew shift, plus one for the car or the table. Clip Part 4 where everyone on the crew can see it.
During the race, whoever is on shift writes one line per visit in Part 3 and hands the sheet over at the shift change.

Print sheet sends only the sheet to the printer and fits A4 or Letter. Download my sheet (.txt) saves what you typed as a plain text file. The blank crew sheet PDF has the same parts plus all four format pages, for filling in by hand. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, and Save on this device keeps a copy in your browser only.

The Crew Sheet

Blank PDF

Nothing you type leaves this browser. Print sends only the sheet to the printer, on A4 or Letter.

Part 1: Crew Brief

RunnerBib numberRaceStart dateStart timeFills in the clock times on the shift rota.Tracking link

Crew names, phone numbers and shifts
Crew name	Phone	Shift (from - to)

Race medical: where and phone/radioLocal emergency number911 in the US and Canada, 112 across Europe.Race HQ / timing: where and phoneEmergency contact: name and phoneAllergies and medications (for clinicians)

Crew access: where crew may and may not goCopy it from the runner manual: crew zone, pacer rules, where aid is not allowed.Cutoffs and check-in times

Part 2: Runner Preferences

Written by the runner before the race, while rested. Crew follow it as written.

Default handoff

I call my order one visit ahead, for example: "Next lap: bottle and soup."
Crew have it ready and hand it over. No questions needed.
If I have not called anything, ask one closed question from the list below, then wait for my answer.
Give me the time or count I asked for. Save splits, race news and pep talks unless I ask.

If nothing was called, ask one of these

Same as last time, or something different?
Sweet or salty?
Bottle swap: yes or no?
Layer on, or layer off?
Sit for two minutes, or keep walking?

My own either/or questionsFood and drink: yes, offer theseFood and drink: no, never offerWho keeps count of food and fluid, and what they say if I fall behindCaffeine: first dose (when), mg per dose, most per 24 h, last dose before sleepWords that helpWords to avoidSleep plan: when, where, how long, who wakes me and how

When I want to stopIf I say I want to stop, accept it. Ask once: "Rest here first, or check out now?" Then help me do that. Do not make food, caffeine, a waiting period or another lap a condition. If I seem confused, or anything on the red-flag card applies, get race medical staff even if I say I am fine.

Runner's initials and date

Part 3: Stop Log

One line per visit. Write what was taken, not what was offered, and caffeine in mg. Observations are for the next shift: changes in speech, gait, appetite or mood.

Stop log: one row per visit
Lap / yard / stop #	Time in	Time out	Took (food, fluid, caffeine mg)	Next request	Observations

Part 4: Red-Flag Card

Any one of these is enough. Do not wait to see whether it passes.

Heart, breathing and collapse

Chest pain, pressure or tightness
Fainting, near-fainting or collapse
Severe shortness of breath, or a racing or irregular heartbeat that does not settle with rest

Brain and behavior

New confusion, disorientation, slurred speech or a sudden behavior change
Hallucinations, or falling asleep while moving
Declining responsiveness, or a seizure
Repeated falls, stumbling or loss of coordination
Severe or worsening headache, especially with nausea or vomiting

Fluids, kidneys and muscles

Repeated vomiting, or unable to keep fluids down
Puffy hands or face with weight gain, headache or nausea (a possible sign of overdrinking and low blood sodium)
Tea- or cola-colored urine, or little or no urine, especially with marked muscle pain or weakness

Temperature and injury

Unable to keep warm, uncontrollable shivering, or hot and confused
Rapidly worsening illness, or an injury that changes the runner's gait
Spreading redness, warmth, pus or fever around a wound or blister

Stop the runner in a safe place and get race medical staff. Call local emergency services if the situation looks life-threatening. Do not send an impaired runner back onto the course.Who to call

Part 5: Format Page

Race format

Shift rota: 24- and 48-hour loop races

Routine visit: under 2 minutes, ideally a walking handoff.
Planned change (socks, layers, feet): about 8 minutes, called a lap ahead.
Budget about 1 hour off the loop per 24 hours: twelve 2-minute visits, two 8-minute changes, 20 minutes spare.
4-hour shifts with a 15-minute overlap at each change. The most rested person takes midnight to 4 AM.
Handover: last three log lines, the order already called, caffeine so far (time, mg), sleep status, anything unusual.
48 hours: write the planned sleep windows into the rota and log the actual sleep and wake times.

Shift rota for a 24-hour race in 4-hour shifts
Race hours	Clock	Crew on	Handover done (initials)
0-4 h	Add a start time in Part 1
4-8 h	Add a start time in Part 1
8-12 h	Add a start time in Part 1
12-16 h	Add a start time in Part 1
16-20 h	Add a start time in Part 1
20-24 h	Add a start time in Part 1

Between-yard countdown: backyard ultras

Time at base = 57 minutes minus loop time: a 45-minute loop leaves 12 minutes, 50 leaves 7, 55 leaves 2.
The runner heads for the corral at the 3-minute whistle and must be inside it at the bell.
No personal aid during a yard: everything for the loop leaves base with the runner.

Typical loop time (minutes)

Time at base: 7 min (example for a 50-minute loop)

What the crew does at each point between yards
Clock	Crew does
50:00 (arrival)	Chair out, the called items in hand. Say the minutes left at base. Log time in.
First 2 min	Hand over the food and drink they called for.
Until 57:00	Feet or layers only if called. Pack the next loop: bottle, food, light, layer.
57:00 (3-min whistle)	Say "Three minutes." Hand over the packed items. Runner stands up.
58:00 (2-min)	Walk with them toward the corral. Check bottle and light.
59:00 (1-min)	Runner is inside the corral. No more handoffs.
60:00 (bell)	Log time out. Get the next called order ready.

Check loop times against base time in the backyard ultra calculator.

Crew-car page: point-to-point 100s and 200s

Copy the earliest and latest ETAs from the crew and drop-bag planner.
Arrive 30 minutes before the earliest ETA and set out the called order.
If the runner is 60 minutes past the latest ETA, check the tracker, then call race HQ. Do not drive the course looking for them.
Leave after the runner does. Nobody drives drowsy: swap drivers or nap first.
Handover script (crew to crew, or to a pacer): time out, what was taken, next order, caffeine so far (time, mg), sleep so far, anything unusual.

Build the arrival windows in the crew and drop-bag planner, then copy them here.

Crew points with earliest and latest arrival times
Crew point	Mile / km	Earliest ETA	Latest ETA	Drive time, parking	Runner called for

Crew car: who drives each leg, where the car sleeps

Daily foot and sleep log: 6-day races

Foot check once a day at the same time, after the main sleep: shoes and socks off, both feet, good light.
Take hot spots and blisters to the race foot-care team the same day, and log what was done.
Log the sleep that happened, not the plan, and compare it with the sleep plan in Part 2.
While the runner sleeps, one crew member stays on, alarm set, and wakes them as Part 2 says.

Daily foot check and sleep log
Day	Sleep: start - wake	Foot check: hot spots, blisters, swelling	Shoes / socks changed	Distance or laps	Notes
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

Format Variants

Parts 1 to 4 work for any race. Part 5 changes with the format, because a loop crew sees the runner every few minutes and a point-to-point crew may wait hours at a trailhead.

24- and 48-Hour Loop Races

Most visits should be a walking handoff: the runner called the order a lap ago, the crew holds it out, and the runner keeps moving. Aim for under 2 minutes on a routine visit and about 8 minutes for a planned sock, layer or foot change. That fits the one-hour budget in the 24-hour pacing guide: twelve 2-minute visits, two 8-minute changes and 20 minutes spare. Run the crew in 4-hour shifts with a 15-minute overlap at each change. A 24-hour race is six shifts and a 48 is twelve. Give midnight to 4 AM to the most rested person, and in a 48 write the planned sleep windows into the rota.

Backyard Ultras

The runner must be in the corral at the bell, after warnings at 3, 2 and 1 minutes, so time at base is 57 minutes minus the loop time. A 45-minute loop leaves 12 minutes, 50 leaves 7 and 55 leaves 2. The countdown page tells the crew what to do at each whistle. No personal aid is allowed during a yard, so everything for the next loop leaves base with the runner. Compare loop times and base time in the backyard ultra calculator, and see the backyard ultra race strategy for the runner's side of the same seven minutes.

100- and 200-Mile Point-to-Point Races

Work out arrival windows in the crew and drop-bag planner and copy the earliest and latest times onto the crew-car page. The crew arrives 30 minutes before the earliest time. If the runner is an hour past the latest time, the crew checks the tracker and calls race HQ rather than driving the course. The page keeps what the planner doesn't: who drives each leg, and the handover script for crew changes and pacers.

6-Day Races

Over six days the log matters more than any single visit. The daily page records the sleep that actually happened and a foot check at the same time each day, shoes and socks off in good light. Hot spots go to the race foot-care team the same day. See 6-day races explained for how sleep and foot care change across 144 hours, and the sleep strategy guide before writing the sleep plan in Part 2.

Sources

Hew-Butler, T. et al. (2015) — Statement of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 25(4), 303–320. Symptoms of low blood sodium need clinical assessment, and extra sodium does not make overdrinking safe.
Bennett, B.L. et al. (2020) — Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: 2019 Update. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 31(1), 50–62.
Guilherme, L.Q. et al. (2026) — The Role of Sleep on Physical and Cognitive Performance of Ultra-Endurance Athletes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(4), 1398. The evidence does not support one universal sleep protocol, which is why the sleep plan is the runner's own.
Kishi, A. et al. (2024) — Sleep and Ultramarathon: Exploring Patterns, Strategies, and Repercussions of 1,154 Mountain Ultramarathons Finishers. Sports Medicine - Open, 10(1), 34.
Editorial template, reviewed October 2, 2026. Visit timings follow our 24-hour pacing and backyard strategy guides. It is a planning aid, not a medical protocol or a substitute for the event's rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I print or download the crew sheet?

Fill in the fields on this page and choose Print sheet: only the sheet prints, on A4 or Letter. Download my sheet (.txt) saves what you typed as a text file, and the blank PDF is for filling in by hand. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; Save on this device keeps a copy in your browser only.

Is there a backyard ultra version?

Yes. Choose Backyard in Part 5 to print the between-yard countdown. Time at base is 57 minutes minus the loop time, because the runner heads for the corral at the 3-minute whistle: a 50-minute loop leaves 7 minutes and a 45-minute loop leaves 12.

How many crew do you need?

Two people can cover a 24-hour loop race in six 4-hour shifts, with each getting a long break. For a 48-hour or 6-day race, plan on three, or label the table so the runner can serve themselves while the crew sleeps. A point-to-point 100 or 200 needs at least one rested driver per car.

How much should crew talk during an ultra?

Less than most crews expect. At a routine handoff, give the time or count the runner asked for, hand over what was called, and ask at most one closed question, such as "Sweet or salty?", then wait for the answer. Leave out pep talks, splits and race news unless Part 2 asks for them, and write observations in the log for the next shift.