Eleven crew commandments

A crew that is committed to the success of their runner and the long-term success of the race will gladly adhere to our eleven crew commandments.

Aid stations

Runners may have a small crew, meaning one car, visit them at the following aid stations:

  • Start — Middle Piney Lake

  • Wyoming Peak

  • Box Canyon

  • Roaring Fork Lakes

  • Menace Falls

  • McDougal Gap

  • Blind Bull

  • Greys River

  • Grizzly Basin

  • Finish — Box Y Ranch

Directions to aid stations

We have detailed directions and maps for crew-accessible aid stations in our event manual, which is available for download.

Two approaches to crewing the first 44 miles

The Wyoming Range – that is, the actual mountain range – runs due north-south and splits the first 54 miles of the race.

Middle Piney Lake, Roaring Fork Lakes, and Menace Falls are all on the east side of the range, while Wyoming Peak and Box Canyon are on the west side of the range. McDougal Gap, which is the halfway point of the race, is the primary crossover point.

Historically, crews have found it logistically easier to choose an “east” or “west” approach for visiting their runner at some (but not all) of the first four aid stations: Wyoming Peak, Box Canyon, Roaring Fork Lakes, and Menace Falls.

  • East approach: Start (Middle Piney Lake) > Roaring Fork Lakes > Menace Falls

  • West approach: Start (Middle Piney Lake) > Wyoming Peak > Box Canyon > Menace Falls

It is reasonably possible, however, for a well-organized crew to visit every aid station. Specifically, a crew can make the drive from Box Canyon to Roaring Fork Lakes – going through McDougal Gap – and likely make it in time to see their runner at Roaring Fork Lakes. If you choose this approach, please drive respectfully. Missing your runner at Roaring Fork Lakes is not nearly as consequential as hitting a cow on Greys River Road.

Also, the visit-every-aid-station approach could easily empty a gas tank. If you take this approach, we highly recommend bringing a full gas can – just in case. In fact, everyone should bring a full gas can.

Q&A session

Right after the race starts, the race director will hold a Q&A session for crews and pacers. Although not mandatory, we highly recommend stopping by.  

Pacers and crews should consider this Q&A session their only opportunity to ask a question of someone affiliated with the race. Once the race is underway, our volunteers will be focused on the runners.

Attendees should bring a map and the event manual, and have read the latter beforehand. If we get a question that’s easily answered in this manual, we’ll say, “Read the manual.” We want to be efficient.

Crews must have a race-provided parking pass

We want to limit the number of cars parked at aid stations, many of which have virtually zero parking. Therefore, we will issue one crew parking permit per runner at check-in. Parking is limited at all our aid stations, so please do not wait hours for your runner to arrive at at an aid station.

Greys River and Grizzly Basin parking pass

The final crew-accessible aid stations, Greys River and Grizzly Basin, get crowded with crews waiting for their runners. To keep runners, spectators, and volunteers safe — and make room for other users of the trailhead — crews must report to the Box Y before visiting Greys River and/or Grizzly Basin. These aid stations are about 15 to 20 minutes from the Box Y. We want, in other words, for crews to wait for their runners at the Box Y — not Greys River or Grizzly Basin.

We will have a TV set up at the Box Y, so we can see when a runner is approaching Greys River. Once a runner is within ~15 minutes of Greys River, a volunteer by the TV will give their crew a special parking permit that will allow them to wait at Greys River and/or Grizzly Basin. Without this special pass, crews will be turned back!

Here is a chronological breakdown from the crew perspective:

  • Visit your runner at Blind Bull

  • Drive to Box Y

  • Watch your runner on the live tracking TV

  • When your runner is about 15 minutes from Greys River, ask the volunteer by the TV for a Greys River Grizzly Basin parking pass

  • Drive to Greys River and/or Grizzly Basin to meet your runner

  • Return to the Box Y to wait for your runner to finish

Drive slow — really, really slow

If you’re driving more than 30 MPH, you’re driving too fast. Cattle, horses, and sheep, who have the right-of-way in Wyoming, regularly travel on the dirt roads within the national forest. Do not blast them with dust. The same goes for other folks who are driving, hiking, riding, and running on the forest service roads.

Rules

We have rules specifically for crews. Please read them on our rules page.