The short answer
A 100K night aid-station handoff should be a short, rules-first decision sequence: identify the runner, confirm the checkpoint and cutoff, check thinking and movement, restore only the rehearsed essentials, change lighting or layers if the trigger is met, then leave—or stop safely. The crew should reduce choices, not create a pit stop.
The event's current participant guide owns crew access, assistance zones, pacer rules, drop bags, mandatory equipment, checkpoint procedures, cutoffs, and withdrawal.1 Verify every answer for the exact event. What was permitted at another ultra or in a previous year is not evidence.
This guide owns one night checkpoint
Use the crew and pacer worksheet for the full rules map, the night-running guide for trail movement, and the aid-station rehearsal for the wider race system.
This page has one narrower job: rehearse the moment when a tired runner reaches a crew-accessible checkpoint after dark.
Build the checkpoint card
Record:
| Question | Verified answer |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint name and course distance | ___ |
| Crew access and parking route | ___ |
| Assistance boundary | ___ |
| Drop-bag or crew-bag rules | ___ |
| Pacer start or change permitted? | ___ |
| Mandatory lighting and spare power | ___ |
| Official cutoff and your buffer | ___ |
| Medical, withdrawal, and transport process | ___ |
Write the guide version and review date. Course and access details can change close to race day, so re-open official communication before travel.
Give each crew item one job
Pack by module:
Light
- charged primary lamp if rules permit replacement;
- required backup light;
- compatible, labelled power;
- dry cloth for lens or glasses;
- simple proof that the replacement works before the runner leaves.
Warmth and weather
- one tested layer selected for the forecast trigger;
- dry gloves, hat, or shell where appropriate;
- waterproof containment for removed wet kit;
- no untested wardrobe choices.
Fuel and fluid
- familiar options already used in training;
- measured access that matches the runner's practised plan;
- one fallback for taste fatigue or gastrointestinal trouble;
- no forced catch-up intake.
Feet and equipment
- only permitted, practised foot-care items;
- socks or shoes only when the change has a clear trigger;
- mandatory kit check;
- waste and retired equipment containment.
Ultramarathon nutrition guidance supports individualized rehearsal, not one universal intake target.3 The handoff should restore the plan that was tested, not introduce a new product because the runner looks tired.
Use a six-question arrival screen
Ask one crew member to lead:
- Where are we? Confirm orientation and checkpoint.
- What is the next section? Check route understanding.
- What is the main problem? Ask for one priority.
- Can you walk normally? Observe movement rather than accepting “fine.”
- What have you taken since the last checkpoint? Record, do not interrogate.
- What is the decision? Leave, hold for official/medical review, or withdraw.
Confusion, repeated vomiting, collapse, severe breathing difficulty, chest pain, inability to stay warm, or movement that is unsafe are not time-management problems. Use the event medical process.
Rehearse the handoff in five minutes
Minute 0–1: identify and screen
Meet only inside the permitted area. Confirm bib, checkpoint, cutoff, and orientation. One person talks; others prepare the verified module.
Minute 1–2: solve the primary limiter
Choose the one issue most likely to affect the next section: light, layer, familiar fuel, water access, foot problem, or official/medical review. Do not perform five optional changes.
Minute 2–3: mandatory kit and route
Confirm required lighting, backup, weather kit, navigation, and the next official checkpoint. The runner should be able to repeat the next section and cutoff plan.
Minute 3–4: contain and reset
Take only items the rules allow crew to receive. Put waste, wet kit, and removed equipment in the correct bag. Keep the aid-station route clear.
Minute 4–5: leave or escalate
If the screen passes, give one next-section cue and leave. If it fails, use officials or medical staff. Do not let a planned five-minute stop become pressure to continue.
Use a handoff scorecard
| Check | Pass condition |
|---|---|
| Rules | assistance stays inside the current permitted zone |
| Orientation | runner identifies place and next section |
| Movement | gait and balance are safe enough to proceed |
| Light | primary and backup work before departure |
| Kit | mandatory items remain complete |
| Fuel | familiar plan recorded without forced catch-up |
| Time | cutoff and realistic buffer are understood |
| Exit | leave, medical hold, or withdrawal is explicit |
A fast stop that loses mandatory kit or ignores confusion is a failed handoff.
Run three rehearsals
Rehearsal 1: table-top drill
Lay out every module in daylight. A partner calls one scenario—dead lamp, cold hands, wet layer, taste fatigue, or missing item. Find the correct module without opening every bag.
Rehearsal 2: dark stationary handoff
At a safe, accessible location after sunset, approach with the pack and headlamp. Complete the arrival screen, lamp change, layer decision, mandatory-kit check, and exit cue. Do not add sleep deprivation.
Rehearsal 3: bounded long-run handoff
Place the checkpoint inside a suitable training session. The runner arrives after meaningful but controlled work. Crew complete the handoff and the runner continues for a short planned section. Record what could not be found, what was unnecessary, and how the next section felt.
Trail-running evidence reports diverse injury and illness problems, while ultra fatigue includes physiological, neuromuscular, biomechanical, and cognitive factors.4 No rehearsal can certify race-day safety. Its job is to make observation and escalation easier.
Keep the crew legal and useful
- One person owns the checklist.
- One person handles modules.
- Nobody crosses the assistance boundary.
- Nobody gives food, equipment, pacing, or transport where prohibited.
- Nobody argues with officials.
- Nobody promises the runner can finish.
- One person records arrival, departure, issues, and changes.
If the event does not allow crew at the checkpoint, convert the plan into a legal drop-bag and self-check sequence.
Night-specific decisions
Light trigger
Change power before the next long or technical section when the practised battery plan requires it. Do not wait for total darkness or a failing beam.
Warmth trigger
Use actual conditions, wetness, exposure, and the next section—not pride. Inability to stay warm needs official or medical help.
Sleepiness and thinking
Do not rehearse hallucinations or extreme sleep loss. Sleep-deprivation research shows average impairment in endurance and perceived effort, and ultra observations report wide variation.6 The safe plan is support, observation, and an exit decision.
Cutoff trigger
Use official time, checkpoint procedure, and realistic forward pace. The ultra cutoff planner is a planning aid, not permission to continue unsafely.
Frequently asked questions
How much should crew prepare at one checkpoint?
Prepare only legal, rehearsed modules for likely decisions. Too many open choices slow the stop and increase the chance of losing mandatory kit.
Should crew make the withdrawal decision?
Officials and medical staff control event procedures. Crew should identify concern, stop pressure, and escalate. The runner's goal does not override an unsafe condition.
Can we change shoes at night?
Only where rules allow and when the change was practised. A shoe change can create new fit, blister, or stability problems.
Should we use caffeine at the checkpoint?
Only as part of a rehearsed, individualized plan that considers total intake, timing, health, and sleep. Do not treat confusion or unsafe sleepiness with an improvised dose.
Safety boundary
Follow event officials and medical staff. Seek urgent help for chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe breathing difficulty, collapse, inability to stay warm, repeated vomiting, or unsafe movement.
This guide is educational and not medical advice, an event-rule interpretation, or a guarantee of finishing. Current official rules and qualified care take priority.
26weeks.ai connects course demands, long runs, night practice, crew logistics, and recovery in one adaptive plan. Start training now.
References
- Western States Endurance Run. Participant guide. (Official guide)
- UTMB Mont-Blanc. Current regulations. (Official regulations)
- Tiller NB, et al. Ultramarathon nutrition position stand. 2019. (PubMed)
- Viljoen CT, et al. Trail-running injury and illness review. 2021. (PubMed)
- Garbisu-Hualde A, Santos-Concejero J. Ultra-marathon limiting factors. 2020. (PubMed)
- Lopes TR, et al. Sleep deprivation and endurance performance. 2023. (PubMed)
- Martin T, et al. Sleep patterns in mountain ultramarathons. 2024. (PubMed)
- Hew-Butler T, et al. Exercise-associated hyponatremia consensus. 2018. (PubMed)
- Wardenaar FC, et al. Gastrointestinal symptoms in ultramarathon runners. 2016. (PubMed)