It doesn't make it any less of a pain though, Baj, especially when I've decided to restart my game and my food is only like 50.

Like I said, I like runners best for building if I get one as one of the survivors. Get the beach cleared faster. Then get the hut built.

I also though give them a smidge of a healing, farming, and research skill. Then when the beach is cleared and the hut is built but there isn't enough tech points to do the lagoon, I switch their preference to research and plunk them at the table. (Actually, I do this with all my chosen builders.) If the food gets too low before there's enough tech for farming I switch their preference to farming and set them at the berry bush for a moment before plunking them back at the research table.

And of course, as I said before, I love them as healers. Especially when you get that event that makes all your kids sick.