Arriving to an Aid Station

Knowing what you’ll want/need and when can be one of life’s great questions while running an ultra. Aid stations are usually 4-10 miles apart. Depending on terrain and elevation, this can be between 1-4 hours. Things can change with your stomach! Generally speaking, sugars taste better earlier in the race, while salts and neutral foods taste better later in a race.

Before coming in to an aid station, have a mental list of what you’ll need. Similarly, have a backup-list of staples that you find to be tolerable. Aid stations run out of things from time to time, so this will save you time and might make you more receptive to suggestions from the volunteers if you wind up being a bit mentally foggy. Perhaps that list looks something like this:

Refill one bottle with water, one with 50/50 sports drink

Get two gels for on-the-go

Eat some PBJ

Are there drop bags here? Change socks and get headlamp.

If time is of the essence, drink whatever you have left in your bottles and loosen the lids before coming in to the aid station. There are so many hydration systems out there, and you’d be surprised how confusing it can be for a volunteer to unscrew a lid.

Announce you bib number when coming in to an aid station. This is to keep track of runners for safety reasons, and is typically reported to HQ.

It is okay to politely shout or announce your needs while coming in to an aid station. “Water! PBJ!” Volunteers are happy to point you to them, and sometimes better, get them for you. It is okay to hand volunteers your bottles and request them to fill them up. Make sure you always say thank you!

Leaving an Aid Station

Before leaving, make sure you have everything you came in with. Do a quick pat-down: vest, hat, glasses, headlamp, poles. If you had a drop bag, take the initiative to put your gear back in and deliver it to a volunteer before leaving. Often, a volunteer will be there with you and offer to pick things up, but, just in case, either politely ask a volunteer to pick it up or do it yourself.

Announce your number before leaving to let the volunteers know you are out. There is often somebody with a checklist or a radio at the trail who reports this back to HQ to keep track of runners.

Always say thank you!