The Toolbox · Free Tool
Crew Plan Builder
One page that runs the whole day: stations, ETAs, tasks, drop bags, cutoffs, contacts, and the plan for when things go sideways.
I have lived both sides of this sheet. I crewed Dave Proctor for nine straight days across Canada on his cross-Canada record, and I have been the wrecked runner at 3:00 AM whose crew made the right call because it was written down. A good crew plan is the difference between a team executing and four tired people improvising in a parking lot.
Crew Plan
goshep.run · Race: ____________ · Date: ________ · Athlete: ____________ · Start 07:00 · Planning pace 9.0 min/km
The day, on one page
Fill this with your runner, not for them. The honest conversation is half the value.
About 14.5 min/mile. All-in means moving pace PLUS stoppage, averaged. Be honest; a flattering pace ruins a crew day.
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| Station | KM | Access | ETA | Cutoff | Crew tasks | Food + bottles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
07:00 | |||||||
07:00 | |||||||
07:00 |
Crew + contacts
Crew chief
Driver
Pacer
Emergency contact
If things go sideways
The crew vehicle
Check it off as it goes in the trunk, the night before.
Notes
Field Guide
Crew craft, the short course
What nine days beside a transcontinental record taught me about the difference between helpers and a crew.
Build it with your runner, before race week
Sit down together and get honest about pace, about where the low patches usually land, and about what grumpy-you needs versus what grumpy-you asks for. Agree on the planning pace out loud: all-in, stops included, no ego. Then print two copies, because the one in the vehicle will have soup on it by midnight.
Run the same drill at every stop
Decide the choreography once: pack comes off, bottles swap, food goes in the hand, feet get checked only if the runner flagged them on the way in, and the crew chief restates the next segment in one sentence. Same order, every station, so nobody negotiates at 2:00 AM Write station-specific exceptions into the tasks column and keep everything else identical.
Feed the runner who says no
Late in a race, appetite lies. The runner who refuses the plan needs options, not arguments: two real choices in two hands, warm if it is cold out, and the question asked while they are already eating something small. Salt and cola cover a surprising number of sins. If the stomach is genuinely gone, slow the next segment on purpose and rebuild with sips; the Fueling Planner covers the recovery ladder.
Protect the crew too
A crew that has not slept or eaten becomes a second problem to manage. Plan crew naps against the ETA table, keep crew food separate from runner food, and pack warm layers for the people standing still in the dark. On multi-day efforts, schedule drivers like an operation, because that is what it is. Nine days beside Dave taught me that the crew is an endurance event of its own.
Decide the bad-day rules in daylight
The protocol block exists because the worst decisions get made cold, tired, and scared. Agree in advance what happens when an ETA blows out, who calls race HQ, and the sit-down rule before any quit. A runner who knows the rules were set in daylight will trust them at 4:00 AM.
Common Questions
Crewing basics
Built your plan? For $275 I will pressure-test it checkpoint by checkpoint and walk it through with you or your crew chief on a 30-minute call. That is the Crew Plan Review. Bigger project on the horizon? Big Project Advisory covers the whole build.
Coaching
Want me to go through your plan?
I crewed a cross-Canada record for nine straight days. For $275 I will work through your plan checkpoint by checkpoint and find the holes before race day does.