Pacers and crewers on Bield
Pacers run alongside a competitor for a leg of a race. Crewers meet the runner at checkpoints — usually with food, kit, and the encouragement that gets people to the finish. Both roles are free to set up and use on Bield.
Arms-length arrangement. Any expenses, rates or terms are agreed directly between you and the runner. Bield makes the introduction — it never handles payment between users. Profiles can signal “open to discussing expenses” so runners know before they contact you, but the arrangement is yours.
Prerequisites
- A Bield account
- The Pacer and/or Crewer role toggled on (Me → Your roles)
- A completed profile — a setup wizard runs the first time you enable the role
- Your coverage areas set (Me → Areas you cover) so organisers searching for nearby support can find you
Setting up as a pacer
- Enable the Pacer role Go to Me → Your roles and toggle Pacer on. A setup wizard runs automatically the first time.
- Complete your pacer profile The wizard steps through: pace style, ITRA performance index, night/technical experience, and your key qualifications. Everything you set affects how runners find you.
- Set your coverage areas Me → Areas you cover — draw or select the regions you're willing to travel to. These appear on your profile and control the “Inside my zones” race filter.
- Set your availability Add available date ranges from your profile so runners know when you're free before reaching out.
What goes on your pacer profile
| Field | What it affects | Verified? |
|---|---|---|
| Pace style | Front / middle / back of the pack — runners filter by this | Self-declared |
| ITRA performance index | Trail running credibility signal (0–1000 scale) | Self-declared |
| Night pacing | Whether you're comfortable pacing overnight legs | Self-declared |
| Technical terrain | Scrambling, exposed ridgeline, navigation-heavy courses | Self-declared |
| Altitude experience | Relevant for mountain ultras | Self-declared |
| Guide running / adaptive pacing | Specialist capability for runners with visual impairments | Self-declared |
| Notable races | Your race history — builds credibility | Self-declared; Strava verification available via trust score |
| Icebreakers | A handful of chips that show your character before a runner reaches out | n/a |
| Expenses | “Open to discussing expenses” toggle — signals to runners up front | n/a |
| Qualifications | Wilderness first aid, outdoor leadership, environment experience | Self-declared; verifiable via trust score |
Qualifications on your pacer profile are self-declared. Verified qualifications (background checks, first aid, coaching certs) live in your trust score, not your pacer profile — but runners can see your trust score alongside your profile.
Setting up as a crewer
- Enable the Crewer role Go to Me → Your roles and toggle Crewer on.
- Complete your crewer profile The setup wizard captures your areas, availability and whether you have a vehicle.
- Post a crewing offering on a race Unlike pacers, crewers post a race-specific offering (not a general-purpose profile). The offering includes: a short summary, whether you know the route, previous crewing experience, whether you have a vehicle and how many seats, how far you are from the start, and whether you're open to discussing expenses.
Finding races that need you
As a support-role user, the Races page reframes itself: “Find races to offer your services to.” Every race card carries an inline offer button for your eligible roles.
Useful filters when searching for races to support
- Inside my zones — races inside your declared coverage areas
- Pacers allowed / crew allowed — only shows races that accept your role
- Date range — match your availability
- Near me radius — keep travel manageable
Races looking for pacers / crewers
Some race pages have an Offer your services section where you can apply directly. This opens a short application wizard — you'll describe your availability, which leg you can cover (pacers) or which checkpoints you can reach (crewers), and anything else relevant.
Making an offer and the engagement flow
- Find the race and open its page Check that pacers (or crew) are allowed — the race page states the policy.
- Submit your offer Tap “Offer to pace this race” (or crew). The application wizard asks which leg, your notes, and anything else the organiser needs.
- Runner or organiser responds The runner (or organiser for crew-heavy events) sees your offer and can accept or decline. You'll receive a notification either way.
- Commit When both sides confirm, the engagement status moves to committed. Your engagement now appears in Me → My races under the Pacing (or Crewing) tab.
- Race day You'll see the runner's bib number and checkpoint ETAs from their pace plan (if they've shared it). For crewers, your engagement shows which checkpoints have crew access.
Offer and engagement statuses
| Status | Meaning | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| Approached | Initial contact made but no commitment yet | You or the runner made first contact |
| Willing | You've said you can do it; waiting for runner confirmation | You accepted; runner to confirm |
| Committed | Both sides confirmed — you're on the team | Runner (or organiser) confirms your offer |
| Standby | Reserve position — still connected but stepped back | Either party moved to reserve |
| Declined | Offer declined | Runner, organiser or you declined |
| Withdrawn | Withdrew after committing | Either party withdrew post-commitment |
After the race
- Confirmed gigs are recorded in your race CV and appear on your profile.
- Reviews from runners you've paced or crewed build your reputation on Bield.
- Your completed engagements appear in the Pacing or Crewing tab of Engagements, giving you a history of every race you've supported.
Common questions
Do I charge for pacing or crewing?
That's entirely between you and the runner. Bield's profile has an “Open to discussing expenses” toggle so runners know before reaching out, but what you agree and how you handle it is your arrangement. Bield never processes payment between users.
A race doesn't show an “Offer” button. Why?
Organisers control whether pacers and crew are permitted. If they've not enabled pacers (or crew), those offer buttons don't appear. Check the race page's rules section for the policy.
Can I be both a pacer and a crewer on the same race?
You can hold both roles on Bield, but you'd typically offer one or the other for a given race — the two functions are distinct and organisers/runners look for them separately.