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Aid Station Navigation |  |
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See the Index for more topics, information, hints and tips.
Be very careful around aid stations because people often move in sudden erratic, unpredictable directions or even stop without any warning. You don’t want to get tripped or cause anyone else to fall and you don’t want water or a sport drink all over you.Aid stations early in a race tend to be more congested because people haven’t had time to spread out as much. The longer the race the more variety you are likely to find at the aid stations, especially later in the race. Know ahead of time what the aid stations will offer and how far apart they are.
As you come up to an aid station, make up your mind exactly what you want – water, sport drink, multiple cups, … Every race may not be managed as you would like it to be. They may run out of water or sports drink, especially if it is an unseasonably hot day, so you need to plan accordingly. Checking what others have said about the race in the past may give you a clue as to what to expect.
If you are not going to use an aid station, steer as wide as you can from it. But be careful and look behind you so you don’t collide with someone else.
Aid stations should be set up with sport drink (if offered) at the front and water at the back, but they don’t always do this.
It is usually best not to pick the first person offering you a cup, they will be the target of a lot of runners. Pick out someone else and make eye contact with him or her. Hold out your hand, maybe even pointing a finger at the cup so they and others around you know what you are doing.
Take the cup and be sure to thank the volunteer. Squeeze the rim of the cup together so it doesn’t splash as much. This also creates a spout. Get off to the side so you don’t interfere with others and make sure no one is stopped in front of you. Take a good breath and pour the liquid into the side of your mouth.
If you are not going to finish everything in the cup, dump it out on the side off of the race surface.
Don’t throw the cup on the running surface. Aid stations usually have lots of trashcans so try to throw your cup in one of these or at least in a pile with other cups. Be careful of others to the outside of you tossing a cup in your direction or towards a trashcan. Some people may not be aware that there are other runners around them.
A messy aid station with cups, water and sports drink (which could freeze in cold weather) on the running surface is not fun to go through. So think about others in the race and the volunteers and keep your mess to a minimum.
I would suggest volunteering to help at an aid station just to see what it looks like from the other side. This also lets you get a good view of all the runners - big and small, fast and slow, young and old. You will appreciate your fellow runners and the volunteers a lot more.
