How do you get help if you get hurt while ultrarunning alone?
If you get hurt on a long solo ultra run, call 911 first whenever you have a bar of signal, then tell one trusted person exactly where you are. The setup matters more than the moment: a Guardian watching your live link, a return time set with a realistic buffer for slow miles, and enough water, food and warmth to wait for help. Deep into an ultra you are tired and far from roads, so decide your emergency plan before mile one, not at mile thirty.
Your emergency plan for a long solo run
01Plan your bailout points before the run
Mark every road crossing, aid station, parking area and trail junction where a car could reach you. Send that list to your Guardian along with the route. When you get hurt late in a long day, the question is always which exit is closest, and fatigue makes that hard to work out on the spot.
02Set a return time that fits ultra pacing
Long runs drift. A hot afternoon or a bad patch can add hours. Set a Holler return time with a buffer you would actually need, and extend it from the trail when you are slow but fine. If you don't check in five minutes after it, Holler's server sends your Guardians an overdue alert even if your phone app is closed.
03Call 911 before anyone else
A rolled ankle you can walk on is a problem; a fall with a head strike, a possible fracture, confusion or chest pain is an emergency. Call 911 first and describe the route the way a map shows it: "I'm on the Crest Trail, about four miles north of the Pine Gap road crossing, 26 miles into a long run. I fell, hit my head and can't walk." Then open your share and tap SOS so Guardians see where you are while you wait.
04Stay warm while you wait
The real danger of stopping injured on a long run is cooling down. You are sweaty, low on fuel and often lightly dressed. Put on every layer you carry, sit on your pack or a jacket rather than bare ground, eat something, and keep sipping water. The NHS lists shivering, slurred speech, tiredness and confusion as hypothermia signs, and on an ultra those can be hard to tell apart from ordinary fatigue, so warm up early.
05Use your Guardian as your relay
If a call won't connect, your Guardian can call 911 for you with your last known location from the live link. Tell them in advance what to say: your route, your planned finish, what you were wearing and any medical conditions. Holler never contacts 911 itself, so this handoff is the plan.
Related questions
How is getting hurt on an ultra different from a normal run?
Distance and time. You may be hours from the nearest road, your judgment is dulled by fatigue, and night can fall before you are found. That is why ultrarunners need a written route, a return time and enough gear to stay warm while stopped, not just a phone.
What does a workable plan look like for a 30-mile solo day?
Say you start at 6 a.m. on a 30-mile point-to-point and expect to finish around 2 p.m. You send your Guardian the route with three bailout roads, start a live link and set a 4 p.m. return time, extending it at mile 20 when a hot afternoon slows you. If you fall at mile 24, you call 911, tap SOS and get warm. If your phone dies first, the overdue alert still goes out, with your last known location on the map.
What if my phone battery is low by the time I get hurt?
Plan for it. Carry a small battery pack on any run long enough to need one, turn on low power mode early, and keep the screen off between checks. If the phone dies, your Guardians still see your last known location and the return time still triggers an overdue alert. Our answer on ultrarunning with no cell service covers the long dead zones.
Should I stop the run if I feel off but aren't injured?
Often, yes. Dizziness, confusion, vomiting that won't stop, or feeling unusually cold in warm weather are reasons to head for the nearest exit and tell your Guardian. Holler cannot sense medical problems, so you and your Guardian are the ones who decide. The ultrarunner safety setup covers this in more detail.
Does a race with aid stations change the plan?
It helps, because aid stations are staffed exits. Still share your location and give your Guardian the race tracking page if one exists. Between aid stations you are effectively running alone, and the same stay-warm, call-911-first rules apply.
Go deeper
More questions about this activity
The same question for other activities
Compare your options
Sources, checked September 2026: CDC HEADS UP: Concussion signs and symptoms, NHS: Hypothermia.
More safety answers, or see the safety guides.