Carry it yourself or rely on Aid Stations?

[SportiGrl]

Okay ... I just started running trails and ultras last summer and did quite a few of them.

I tend to carry a LOT on my person during these events and made minimal stops/use of the AS at the races I did.

What are your personal thoughts and experiences with going lighter and taking advantage of the AS vs carrying your own for the most part and burning very little time not running the course?



thanks!

[nickc]

I've done races with handhelds and a super small waist pack and a hydration pack. I find the hand helds/ waist pack to be faster and more comfortable than a hydration pack. As I approach the AS, I unscrew the lids on the handhelds and hand them off to a worker, grab some goodies stuff the goodies in a ziplock and put it in your waist pack and grab the bottles. Grab some more goodies for the road and start walking and eating. The whole stop is less than a minute. I use a super small waist pack just big enough for some gels, a salt tab container and a 3 oz wind vest. This has worked well for races up to 50 miles with stations about 1 hour apart. For cold starts on warm days, wear arm warmers instead of an extra shirt. For one race where the AS were 2+ hours apart, I used a pack as 2x20 oz of water wasn't enough.