Psychology of the Runner
This is the final post in a series developed in collaboration with Faultline Ultra to support those crewing 100-km and 100-mile runners.
Ultra running isn’t linear. There are moments where everything feels easy — things are flowing and your runner is having the best day of their life. And then there are moments where everything feels like it’s falling apart, where they can’t remember why they thought this was a good idea, or whether they’re capable of doing it.
Often, those moments can come within minutes of each other and cycle many times throughout the race. Your runner might arrive at an aid station having already moved through several of these phases — or at any point within that fluctuation.
As a crew, understanding these ebbs and flows is one of the most important things you can bring to race day.
Expect the Ups and Downs
One of the biggest mistakes crews make is reacting too strongly to how the runner feels in the moment.
But in an ultra:
low points are normal (and can last for hours)
negative thoughts and self-doubt are normal
emotional swings are normal
If your runner didn’t want to finish the race, they wouldn’t have signed up in the first place. They’ve likely been training for this for many months, and it’s important for you to keep that bigger picture in mind — even when your runner can’t see it.
“How your runner feels right now is not how they will feel in 20 minutes.”
Your job is not to panic — it’s to stay steady.
Reduce Decision Fatigue
As fatigue builds, decision-making becomes harder.
Simple questions like:
“What do you want to eat?”
“What do you need?”
can become overwhelming. Runners will often default to saying “no” rather than expressing what they actually need.
Similarly, tasks that seem simple can feel too big. Break everything down into small, manageable steps.
Instead of asking lots of questions, give clear, simple instructions based on what you’ve already discussed before the race. If you have multiple crew members, designate just one person to be the main communicator with the runner. You want to avoid the runner getting lots of questions or instructions at once.
For example:
“What do you want to eat?” becomes “Here, try taking one bite of this.”
Then: “Great job — have another.”
Instead of asking if they’re cold or wet, notice and respond:
Don’t ask, “Do you want a jacket?”
Instead, gently put a jacket around their shoulders and say:
“We’re just going to wrap this around you to keep you warm while you eat.”
If it’s going to be dark before you see them next, don’t ask:
“Do you want your headtorch?”
Instead:
“I’m putting your headtorch in your left pocket — turn it on when it gets dark in about an hour.”
Don’t Take Anything Personally
As fatigue sets in — especially when there’s still a long way to go — it’s common for runners to become frustrated, quiet, short, or emotional.
They might say things like:
“Why did I think this was a good idea?”
“I’m never running again.”
This is fatigue talking — not the person.
As the crew, it’s important not to mirror this mood. Stay calm, avoid reacting emotionally, and be a grounding presence.
Sometimes, too much positivity can actually be unhelpful. Instead, focus their attention on the next small task.
What If They Want to Quit?
There may come a point — often during the night — where your runner says they want to quit.
This is one of the hardest parts of crewing.
Your role is to help them work out whether this is a real decision, or just an expression of how hard things feel in that moment.
Running these distances is genuinely hard. There’s no way around that. So it’s normal for runners to question whether they can continue at some point.
What works best will depend on the individual, but often I’ll ignore the first mention of quitting and continue crewing as planned — not even acknowledging it.
If it comes up again, I shift the focus to forward motion:
“Let’s get you warm and take it from there.”
“Let’s have a hot drink before we decide anything.”
Sometimes the runner just needs:
to sit down
warm up
eat
or even close their eyes for 20 minutes
I try to address all of these before making any decisions.
Another effective approach is to break things down:
If they have 60km to go, that can feel overwhelming. So instead, focus on the next aid station:
“The next aid station is only 12km away — why don’t you walk to that and we’ll decide from there.”
Often, within a kilometre, they’re moving well again — and by the next time you see them, they’re back on track.
Knowing When to Stop
In most situations, I’ll calmly encourage forward movement.
But there are exceptions.
If there’s a genuine risk to:
safety
health
or long-term injury
then the focus needs to shift.
Things to watch for include:
hypothermia (especially if they can’t get warm even with food and dry clothes)
heading into remote sections alone
acute pain from a fall or injury
significant deterioration in condition
Faultline has incredible volunteers and support on course — but there are times when continuing just isn’t worth the risk.
In those moments, your role shifts:
Reassure your runner that stopping is the right call, and focus on getting them home safely.
It’s impossible to always know the right decision in these moments.
Ultimately, it needs to be the runner’s call — as long as they’re mentally capable of making it.
Every runner is different, and everyone responds to these challenges in their own way.
If someone has asked you to crew, it’s because they trust you.
So all you can do is:
use your judgement
stay calm
and keep showing up
no matter how hard it gets.