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11 Things I wish I Knew Before My First CLR: Guest Blog

Jenny is a Cascade Lakes Relay veteran who drives a van for the PacificSource team. To make every participant’s experience the best ever, she shared her top 11 tips for CLR van drivers.

There are a lot of tips for runners out there, but not much for us van drivers. I put this list together for the newbie who’s going to drive our other van. I thought I’d share it for other van drivers to enjoy.

 

1. Don’t expect to get any sleep.

Nap whenever you can.

 

2. Stick with the van.

This way you’re always there when needed (and you can catch lots of cat naps).

 

3. Create two copies of the race guide for each van.

One for the team and one for the driver. Don’t let your copy out of your sight, so you can quickly find it when you need it in a pinch.

 

4. Read the entire map booklet ahead of time.

Also, highlight important information.

 

5. Read about the next exchange point while you are at the previous exchange point. 

This will refresh your memory on what’s to come.

 

6. If you have a long break, drive to the next location before resting, eating, etc. 

Then you’re there and ready to go.

 

7. If it says not to pull off on the shoulder, DO NOT PULL OFF THE SHOULDER! 

Also, Trust me, I got stuck last year. Oops!

 

8. Memorize what lights your runner is wearing, and ask them not to change them.

We lost a runner last year because he moved his glow sticks from his arm to his leg. We drove back and forth looking for a person with glow sticks on his arm.

 

9. Bring your own food for the entire trip.

Some stops have food, but it might be too crazy to get to the booth. My first year I ended up living on jerky, pop tarts, and Mountain Dew. I don’t recommend it.

 

10. Before each exchange, ask the next runner where they would like you to stop, and mark it in the book.

It’s best to do this before they’re preparing for their run, cause at that point some don’t like the distraction

 

11. Reset the van’s trip meter each time to head out.

This makes it easier to see how far you’ve gone and to stop at the mileage points your runner prefers.

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

Jenny

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