Zadelo me je...

Nta mi je posodila The extra mile avtorice Pam Reed, ki je dvakrat zmagala Badwater in premagala še druge ultramaratone, triatlone... Nikoli ne reci nikoli, ampak v tem trenutku me je, še posebno po moji Spartathlonski izkušnji, bolj zanimalo kako je bila organizirana njena suport ekipa kot kako bi se lotila podobnih izzivov. Zanimiv mi je bil njen opis in opis vodje njene ekipe. Čeprav v knjigi piše, da se ne sme plonkat niti izsekov, si dovolim za moj opomnik prepisat nekaj odstavkov.

"...And it can't just be anybody. The crew has to be in good physical condition and well motivated. Crew members need to be selflessy dedicated to the runner's success. They also have to take care of their own needs during the race. If they don't, they'll fall apart before the runner does. After all, the crew is experiencing pretty much the same conditions as the runner. Instead of having a bunch of people seeing to their needs, however, they're the ones who are keeping it all together.

Attitude is really important. I think it's helpful if everyone has the ability to laugh. Otherwise, there could be a lot of tension. It also helps if you're able to stay awake for a long period of time, although crew members do spell one another for rest..."

In kaj pravi Chuck Giles, vodja Pamine suport ekipe:

"...Number one, a crew will never win the event for a competitor, but a crew can lose the event. The competitor will fail if he or she isn't fed, watered, and cooled. Also, in a way, the crew members need to be amateur psychologists. They have to know when to kick the competitor in the butt. However, one thing you never do is deal with negative issues. You don't say anything that will make a runner fearful or upset. You never say, "You're not going fast enough," or "You're going too slow." You say, "It may be a good idea if you go a little faster."
And it's also important to know when to disappear. It's good to have good talkers, people who can keep up a conversation. But sometimes Pam just wants to zone out. You need to be able to tell when it is.
The single most important criterion for a crew member is to be willing to do whatever needs to be done to get the job done. One question I ask someone whom I'm considering for a crew is, "If Pam got diarrhea, would you be willing to wash out her shorts and get them back to her?" That's a litmus test! They really need to be willing to do anything...."

Fifty me pri selekciji v ekipo ni vprašal tega vprašanja. Smo pa imeli, po zaslugi Aleka, ki se nam je v ekipi pridružil na Ultrabalatonu in ima izkušnje iz DOSa (kolesarske preizkušnje po Sloveniji), joke na temo do kje smo pripravljeni... Zdaj vem.