Assistance in Ultra running races. Do we really need it? Preparing, organizing our stuff for our crew for an ultra is a nightmare. Cars, drinks, food, spare shoes, jackets, headlamps... what if it is extra cold? what if it is extra hot? gloves, ice, long sleeve shirt, socks, emergency kits... do we really need someone to drive around Mont-Blanc or another race route just to hand us a banana and coke that we can find at the aid station? Do we really need to eat our special sweet potato puree to run fast or can we adapt and find something equivalent at an aid station? After racing @aranbyutmb it is something that struck me. There were only 3 points where we could meet our crew over the 100 mile course. At first, I thought it was not enough, but later I actually enjoyed it as it made me question whether we truly need assistance in races. Below are the major changes I can see: - reducing the number of cars and people driving around races - reducing the amount of preparation prior to the race with your crew - only using the race organization resources (food and medical support) - making races more fair for those runners who are traveling alone and can’t find someone to crew for them - back to the roots of our sport, forcing runners to make decisions for themselves in the moment. - bigger backpack and slower time to complete the race, do we care? For now assistance is allowed by the race organization so everybody uses it. Only race organizations can change the rules and how runners would adapt! Please feel free to drop your thoughts, I think it is something we should all think about! French in comments 📷 @bastlemaire