Example inputs
This fictional 100-mile race uses Pace mode. The expected average moving pace is 16:00 per mile. Four stations at miles 20, 40, 60, and 80 have stops of 10, 20, 20, and 30 minutes. The race starts at 6:00 AM and has a 30-hour overall cutoff.
One hundred miles at 16:00 per mile is 1,600 minutes, or 26:40 of moving time. Adding 1:20 of planned stops produces a 28:00 elapsed finish: Day 2 at 10:00 AM.
The overnight checkpoint schedule
| Checkpoint | Distance | Arrival | Stop | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | 20 mi | Day 1, 11:20 AM | 10 min | Day 1, 11:30 AM |
| Ridge Crew | 40 mi | Day 1, 4:50 PM | 20 min | Day 1, 5:10 PM |
| Night Camp | 60 mi | Day 1, 10:30 PM | 20 min | Day 1, 10:50 PM |
| Lake Drop Bag | 80 mi | Day 2, 4:10 AM | 30 min | Day 2, 4:40 AM |
| Finish | 100 mi | Day 2, 10:00 AM | - | - |
The Day 2 labels matter. A card that only says 4:10 AM and 10:00 AM can be misread as start morning. The date entered in the calculator lets the printed card keep those overnight events in order.
Overall buffer and intermediate cutoffs
The 30-hour overall cutoff occurs at Day 2, noon. A 28-hour projection therefore shows a two-hour buffer.
overall cutoff buffer = 30:00 - 28:00 = 2:00That buffer does not prove every intermediate cutoff is safe. A race may require departure from Night Camp by 10:45 PM, for example. This plan arrives at 10:30 but departs at 10:50 after the planned stop, so it would miss that fictional departure cutoff even though the overall finish remains under 30 hours.
If the runner guide says "must leave," compare the rule with departure. If it says "must arrive" or defines another process, follow that exact language.
Make night tasks explicit
Overnight stops often contain more work than daytime refills. The example gives Lake Drop Bag thirty minutes because it may include layers, lighting, food, and a deliberate reset. That is a planning assumption, not a recommended duration.
- Lighting: decide where the primary light comes on and where spare power is accessed.
- Layers: pack the clothing change in the order it will be used.
- Drop bag: label the required items and separate them from optional extras.
- Crew cue: give crew the planned departure time and the short task list.
- Day label: print Day 2 beside every after-midnight checkpoint.
Rehearse the sequence and revise the stop budget using the stop-time guide.
Compare clean and delayed scenarios
A baseline becomes more useful when it is compared with one plausible delay. If Lake Drop Bag takes 50 minutes instead of 30, total stopped time becomes 1:40 and projected finish becomes 28:20. The overall buffer falls from 2:00 to 1:40.
If the moving pace also slows, change the pace in a second copy of the plan. Do not silently assume the original 16:00 pace will recover every delay. The calculator is deliberately simple, so scenario comparison requires changing one visible input and reading the new card.
16:00/mi moving pace and 1:20 stopped.
Same moving pace and 1:40 stopped.
Build your own overnight card
- Enter the official total distance and local start date.
- Choose Goal mode when the finish target is fixed, or Pace mode when you are testing an expected moving pace.
- Add stations in course order with cumulative distances and rehearsed stop budgets.
- Enter the overall cutoff and compare every official intermediate rule with the correct arrival or departure column.
- Print the card, verify Day 2 labels, and recheck the current runner guide during race week.
Use the aid-station calculator to build the schedule. For the full input workflow, read how to build an ultramarathon aid-station plan.