Crewing and Race Pacing

If you are going to dig deep and go a long way in a Backyard Ultra, you are going to need a skilled crew member, Not just any crew, but someone preferably with great organisational and coaching skills, who will cope and adapt under ‘your’ pressure. It’s a massive bonus if they have run through a BYU themselves, thus knowing all the requirements of the athlete. I have just described Lizzie Gatherer who crewed me to the M65+ UK BYU record. She was just fantastic, not just in 30 hours that we were a team, but in the build up to and break down from the race as well. Lizzie will always be my go to when I am looking for a BYU crew/team mate.

Kevin

I was already a runner but a half distance was my limit. I've never been interested in doing a marathon at all, but for some reason I did want to do an ultra distance. And there was one person I knew I could do it with, which was Lizzie. This was for a few key reasons: 1. She'd know which route would be best (trails, hilly, great views, a loop and within 90 minutes drive from home) - I didn't have a clue! 2. She was a seasoned ultra runner and knew how to run long distance - I didn't have a clue! 3. Having done a few shorter runs with Lizzie, I knew we'd get on well, even in the darker times I assumed I'd have, digging deep and wanting to give up.  4. She'd tell me exactly what kit I'd need. We completed 62k!   She slowed me down when I started off way too fast, we laughed a lot, we shared a lot, she encouraged me throughout (even when I totally ignored her chatter at the end because I had nothing left in the tank!) and she made sure I took everything in along the way - even stopping me at exactly a marathon distance, to tell me I'd finally run a marathon.  I highly recommend Lizzie. Her knowledge & experience is incredible, and nothing is too much. She'll tell you everything you need to know & hear to achieve your goal.

Debbie