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** To keep you safe. Some aspects of this are simple, such as ensuring you have all your gear when you leave an aid station. Other parts are tougher and require experience and good judgment to understand how impaired you are.
** To get you out of the aid station as fast as possible, but no faster. It's easy to burn time in an aid station, and a good crew will focus on getting the job done quickly, but without missing anything.
** To help [[Fixing problems in Ultramarathons| fix problems that can occur during an ultra]].
* If possible, have experienced ultrarunners on your crew. They understand better what you will need and when, they can empathize better, and most importantly they won't freak out at what you're going through.
* Having a crew with a positive mental attitude is almost as important as having experienced ultrarunners. You will need people who are cheery and have a good sense of humor.
* Having people who love you act as your crew is a mixed blessing. On the positive side, you will look forward to seeing them, which provides [[Motivation]], and their genuine care for you can be uplifting. The sight and touch of your loved ones is also a powerful pain killer<ref>http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0013309</ref>. The downside is that an ultra can be brutal, and having your loved ones see you suffering so badly is hard on them.
* Make sure your crew understands that the act of crewing is a tough challenge in itself. It may involve going without [[Zeo Sleep Monitor| sleep]], hanging around for hours in uncomfortable conditions, being too hot, too cold, driving vast distances and putting up with a runner whose personality is radically different from what they expect.
* Whatever crew you have, spend time with them preparing for the race well ahead of time. Discuss the types of things you are likely to need at each aid station, agree which members of the crew will focus on particular activities, etc. Plan for contingencies, such as wet weather, unusual heat or cold, blisters, [[Nausea|nausea]], etc.
* Near the race time, make sure your crew knows all of your gear. They should be able to quickly find anything you need in well organized bags. (Ziploc bags are great for organizing gear.) It's also important for your crew to know what terms you use for your gear, such as "the white fleece neck thingy".
* Actually use your crew; don't spend time rummaging in bags to find gear when your crew could be doing it.