Tribe: Butler County Milers 
5:30 AM wave 
Stephen reported enjoying the trail 
Ultra Miriam changing her shoes 
Fashion trend: wearing your hat backwards 
Seven Springs Mountain Resort 
Sean stopping traffic 
Stephen finished in about 21 hours 
Mike’s finish
5:30 AM Start
Crewing Stephen at Laurel Highlands Ultra
Solo crewing (due to COVID) was a ton more work than I imagined, as I never solely crewed a long race (70.5 miles) before. I was very much looking forward to being out in Laurel Highlands and spending time with friends, including meeting new people, and the people I follow on social media, but have yet to meet in-person.
Driving… unknown location to unknown location and self-care
Sometimes, I ate while I drove to the next aid station. I drove a ton. 1.5 hrs to the race (zero sleep Friday night), then 70+ miles for the race. Poor cell phone service and GPS crashing/taking me to wrong aid station coordinates, which is typical for this race. I couldn’t even find aid station 3 at the ski resort, I had to “crew” him from another location that section.
Sherpa-ing
I carried a Yeti backpack cooler full of ice, drinks, food.. a backpack of clean clothes and shoes.. a bag of food all day, which included hiking to and from aid stations. For the most part, there was no parking at aid stations. Luckily, friends occasionally helped carry gear to and from the Jeep. I had to do this 7 times. Race volunteers called me a Sherpa. Lol, I felt like one! My body aches from the Yeti cooler.
Stephen finished some time around 2 AM (started at 5:30 AM). Post race excitement, we wanted to take a short sleep in the Jeep before I drove us home. Once we sat down, we instantly fell asleep. Woke up at 5-something AM, dazed and confused, glancing around the parking area, trying to figure out what time and day it was. Guess we needed sleep. I drove us home, but only for over half of the way because I was falling asleep. When we switched, I slept more. Then at home, I slept even more. Finally, got out of bed around 1 PM. Stephen had somehow already went and got Ember from Grammy and Pappy’s house. She was tired and napped. Stephen is tired and hobbling around.
Stephen’s short race recap
Stephen had high spirits for just about the entire day. The final 20 miles were rough on him mentally and his legs. He relied a lot on his trekking poles on downhills these miles. Said he felt lonely for the final, dark 13 miles. Crew weren’t allowed at aid station 8, so he went a while before seeing me at the finish line. He had a great race and I’m glad he got it done!
I actually had miles prescribed by my running coach to run. I thought I’d have time
I didn’t have time to run… or even eat! I’m very depleted, headache, tired, sore muscles. Laurel Highlands Crewing Hangover.
Watch Laurel Highlands Crewing Hangover on my YouTube channel. Thank you for supporting my channel by “thumbs upping” videos and hitting the “subscribe” button!
More shenanigans from this race
Read Musical Camping: Ultramarathon Crewing. Because this is what crewing really is.
Mindset and Mental Wellness Coaching 
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