The Power of the Crew: Why Nobody Runs 100 Miles Alone
The Long Run Mindset - For a Life Worth Living #1
When you’re out on a trail at 3:00 AM, it feels like a solo sport. It’s your lungs burning and your feet hitting the grit. But the reality is that behind every finisher’s medal—and every successful business—is a “crew.”
In ultra-running, the crew are the people who meet you at checkpoints with dry socks. In life and business, they are the ones who keep the ship steady when you’re too weak to hold the wheel.
The Business Turnaround
I’ve had failed businesses and a failed marriage in the past. I know what it’s like to try and white-knuckle everything on your own. It doesn’t work.
The real “Long Run” wasn’t just the 100 miles; it was the decade Catherine and I spent rebuilding. When our business was on the brink of insolvency, Catherine made the ultimate “crew” move: she left her own career to go “all in” with me. While I was physically recovering from resuscitation and surgery, we were fighting to save our livelihood.
I couldn’t have navigated those meetings or made those tough decisions alone. She provided the clarity I lacked when I was exhausted. It proved that whether you’re facing a mountain or a balance sheet, you need someone who shares the vision.
The 4:00 AM Commitment
Support is about being there at the start, not just the finish. When I did my first 50-mile race, we both got up at 4:00 AM so she could drive me to the start line. She then spent the next 22 hours with one eye on a tracker, making sure I was still moving, before finally picking me up, shattered, at 2:00 AM the next morning.
I’ve sat on a B&Q curb stone in a cold daze after a failed training run, unable to stand until I saw her car pull up. I’ve sat under trees on the Mary Towneley Loop with no phone signal, just waiting to make contact. In those moments, knowing your crew is coming is the only thing that stops the panic.
The Parkrun Ethos
I know not everyone has a “Catherine” in their car or their office, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a crew.
This is why I love Parkrun. The entire ethos is that the person finishing in 50 minutes deserves as much support as the person finishing in 17. It’s the volunteer in the high-vis vest shouting your name, or the stranger who paces you through that final kilometer. That community is a “crew” you can join any Saturday morning.
The “Garlic Pizza” Incident
Having a crew also leads to some of the best (and weirdest) memories. I once arranged to meet Catherine at the “Singing Ringing Tree” above Burnley at 9:00 PM for a salt-heavy garlic pizza mid-run.
I arrived with my headtorch on, only to find ten other cars already there. I spent five minutes wandering between them, shining my light into windows looking for Catherine and my pizza, only to realize I had accidentally crashed a local “dogging” site. Even in the middle of that confusion, knowing she was somewhere nearby was what kept me moving for the previous 15 hours.
The Lesson:
You can be the strongest runner or the smartest entrepreneur, but eventually, your “screen” will turn down and you won’t be able to see the path. Whether it’s a partner, a Parkrun volunteer, or a business colleague, don’t try to run the long miles alone.
Three good reads there sir