What is an Aid Station?

An Aid Station (also called water stop, feed zone, or 补给站) is a designated point along a race course where runners can grab hydration, nutrition, and sometimes medical assistance.

What You'll Find

Standard Aid Station

Full-Service Aid Station (Marathons/Ultras)

• Energy gels
• Bananas, oranges
• Pretzels, chips
• Cola (late race favorite!)
• Medical volunteers
• Portable toilets
• Drop bags (ultras)

Aid Station Etiquette

DO ✅

• Make eye contact with volunteer
• Point to what you want
• Grab firmly (cups are slippery!)
• Say thank you (they're volunteers!)
• Move away from table before drinking
• Crush cup for easier drinking

DON'T ❌

• Stop directly in front of table
• Crowd other runners
• Take more than you need
• Throw cups at volunteers
• Skip hydration because you're "making good time"

The Cup Pinch Technique

How to drink from a paper cup while running:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. Grab cup    2. Pinch top   3. Create spout
   ┌──┐           ╱╲             ╱╲
   │  │          │  │           │ ↓│
   │  │          │  │           │  │
   └──┘          └──┘           └──┘

4. Sip from spout (minimal splashing!)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Strategic Aid Station Use

Early Race (Miles 1-10)

• Quick grabs, minimal stopping
• Establish hydration rhythm
• Don't skip even if you feel good

Mid Race (Miles 10-20)

• Consider brief walking through stations
• Take nutrition (gels, fuel)
• Assess how you're feeling

Late Race (Miles 20+)

• Walk if needed — it's worth it
• Take whatever your body craves
• Medical volunteers if struggling

Marathon Aid Station Spacing

Time Cost Analysis

The truth: Walking through aid stations in a marathon usually SAVES time overall by preventing late-race bonking.

Self-Supported vs. Crew

Race Aid Stations

• Provided by race organizers
• Standardized options
• No personal items

Personal Crew (Ultras)

• Family/friends at designated points
• Your exact nutrition preferences
• Moral support!

Drop Bags (Ultras)

• Pre-packed bags at checkpoints
• Gear changes
• Specialized nutrition

Pro Tips

1. Know the course: Study what's offered at each station
2. Carry backup: Bring your own gel if you're picky
3. Practice in training: Use race-day products beforehand
4. Memorize locations: Know when next station is coming

Common Mistakes

❌ Skipping early stations ("I'm not thirsty yet")
❌ Grabbing too much and spilling
❌ Not looking up and bumping into others
❌ Changing nutrition strategy mid-race
❌ Forgetting to thank volunteers

The Volunteer Perspective

Aid station volunteers are:

• Often runners themselves
• Waking up at 4 AM for you
• Standing for 6+ hours
• Making your race possible

Be kind. Be grateful. Say thanks! 🙏