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Your Ultimate Guide to Aid Station Foods

I get so excited whenever I hear an aid station coming up, but then everything happens so fast and I can't think straight when I arrive. Often I don't know what's best to grab at aid stations. Can you help me break down the nutritional content so that I can make the right choices? 

Sometimes I have this recurring nightmare before a race, where I'll spend hours calculating and sorting out running nutrition into my pack and drop bags. I'm all ready, have checked all the boxes, but when it comes time to the race, something happens and I'm unable to eat or drink anything I've packed. 

Often it's because of a stomach issue. Sometimes it's that I just don't want anything I've packed, and sometimes - and this is unusual, I know - it's because I've lost all my teeth, the most terrifying of them all! In this nightmare, the worst-case scenario is feeling unprepared without my nutrition and having to rely solely on things I haven't planned for, or practiced with: I have to rely entirely on aid station food. 

Maybe you've had this dream, too. Or maybe this has actually happened to you in real life. But I'm also willing to bet that this is a pretty unique dream, conjured up by a nerdy dietitian with pre-race anxiety issues. Regardless, if you've ever found yourself in this position during a race, don't fear. All is not lost. Aid station food can save the day! 

Setting the Stage

Before we dive into the nutrition of aid station foods, let's first talk about basic nutrition guidelines, of what we should be aiming to consume each hour during a race. 

Ideally, we want to consume the following every hour:

Many of the sports nutrition products available on the market - gels, chews, and drinks - are formulated specifically to these guidelines, ensuring we get the nutrition we need in a convenient (and sometimes expensive) tiny package. But for some athletes, there might come a point during the race where those sports nutrition products just don't cut it anymore, due to nausea, palate fatigue, or upset stomach. 

You'll find that most aid stations offer very similar food and drinks, so I would first recommend spending time during training to practice with a few of your favorite fuels, to minimize potential gut issues come race day. For me, I know that no matter how nauseous I feel or how upset my stomach might be, Coke and potato chips always sound good, so during longer training runs I make sure to bring those items along, in addition to the gels and drinks I plan on using during the race. Make sure you practice with foods you plan on using on race day - even if they're just backups!

OK. Now that we know what our general targets are, and have become attuned to what our stomachs like and dislike during training, inevitably we'll arrive at an aid station with caloric needs and curiosity. After all, if you're taking in the minimum of 200 calories per hour from gels and/or powders, an aid station might offer a nice little bump in calories to maintain energy over the length of a race.

Your Aid Station Cheat Sheet:  

So what do you grab? How to know what your body needs at any given time? Here are 12 of the most common things you'll see at aid stations (in North America), plus estimates for what nutrition you'll be receiving with on-the-go serving sizes. 

Potato Chips

Gummy Bears

Pizza Rolls

Watermelon

Pickles

M&Ms

Electrolyte Drink:

Coke

Salted Potatoes

Bananas

Oreos

Warm Broth

The aim here is to make clear-headed choices during a race that will help you thrive. So the next time you find yourself waking up from that pre-race nightmare - or, more realistically, you find yourself at an aid station - you won't have to sweat it any longer. Instead, you'll be able to smile to yourself, grab a handful of chips, some gummy bears, or a pickle spear, and keep moving with confidence, knowing that you've set yourself up for success for miles to come. 

(12/11/2022) Views: 667 ⚡AMP
by Trail Runner Magazine