The following is an excerpt from my new course on IRONMAN race day nutrition. Keep reading to the bottom for more details.
When we’re out on course at a long distance event, aid stations will almost certainly be available, allowing you to collect extra nutrition on the go. However, there is a definite knack to using these in an efficient way.
Bike
The aid stations are actually the most dangerous part of the bike course. Whether it’s someone swerving across you at the last minute as they decide that they do want that bottle of isotonic drink after all or somebody else pulling away from the aid station and cutting you up as they do so, you need to keep your wits about you as you approach an aid station.
If you do NOT plan to use the aid station for whatever reason, stay to the right (or left if cycling in other countries), where you will avoid the worst of the drama that ensues. Leave a gap so that faster cyclists can pass you if possible, but keep clear of the chaos ensuing over there.
If you want to use the aid station however, you first need to decide what it is you want. In most cases there will be water, isotonic drink, electrolytes, gels and bars available. Each of these is normally marked with a flag reading whatever you can procure at that part of the aid station. If the first flag reads water but you want isotonic, keep clear until you reach what you’re after, and pull in (carefully) when you reach the desired area.
Bottles and nutrition products will usually be held out by volunteers, who will be lightly gripping what you’re after, a bottle of electrolytes in this example.
You want to grab the bottle firmly at the centre as you ride past, when the volunteer will release their grip, allowing you to take the bottle and place it in your bottle cage. I recommend ditching an empty bottle in the littering zone as you approach the aid station, but you could also place the new bottle in your teeth and discard the empty bottle with your spare hand should you wish.
Sometimes, the volunteers get it wrong. They may release the bottle too soon, they may grip it too tightly, or flinch as you approach. Please do not shout at them or take it out on them, especially as most of the time it’s actually the athlete’s fault when a bottle handover doesn’t go as planned. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the sport, and if they find themselves having a negative experience they won’t be back next year, which could affect the ability of the organiser to put on the event. I know this is your big day, but it’s not all about you.
If a bottle handover gets botched for whatever reason, don’t simply slam on the anchors to stop and grab the bottle, at the very least shout “Stopping!” if you do so, to give riders in front a heads up that you are stopping unexpectedly. They are almost certain to only have one hand on the handlebars at this point, and be in a compromised position to slow their bike down, especially as they may be looking at the bottle they’re trying to grab, rather than what’s happening in front of them.
If you have a reservoir to refill, ride right to the end of the aid station before pulling over to refill it. Do not stop in the middle of the aid station to refill your reservoir, as you will either get shouted at or cause a crash.
If you really, and I mean really mess up the aid station and miss vital nutrition, I recommend you unclip, and walk your way back to grab what you need. Yes it will cost you a minute and be embarrassing, but you will lose far more time from hitting the wall nutritionally than you will by turning back on yourself.
Run
A run aid station is much simpler than the bike counterpart. You are moving much slower, and they are for the most part self service. Paper cups with drinks in them may be held out for you in a similar way to the bike, as will gels, but most of the food will be spread out on a table for you to grab.
A question many athletes ask is whether they should run the aid station, and this really depends on you and your goals. If you really care about your time, then you probably don’t want to. However, what I don’t want you to do is go blazing past the aid station grabbing a gel, feeling fantastic, only to have a big blowup halfway through the run because you prioritise momentum over fuelling.
For around 2/3 of Ironman athletes, and every first timer, I recommend walking at least some of the aid stations, unless you are someone who really struggles with getting back to speed with your running after a walk break.
The reason for this is that a marathon is a really long way, and we need to prioritise the bigger picture rather than saving a few seconds by blasting through an aid station at full pelt.
There is much less potential for injury when using a run aid station, but unless you are planning to visit the staton, keep clear to ensure other runners can access it easily.
A quick request of you while you’re here. I’ve heard lots of people bragging about how many expensive gels they managed to grab at the aid station on the last lap. Don’t do this.
I don’t say this out of concern for Ironman or the nutrition manufacturers, but for the slower athletes who will be coming through in a few hour’s time. If someone is desperately chasing that 17 hour cutoff, but the aid stations have no gels left because all the faster athletes trousered them, that could actually cause someone to DNF. So be a good person, and don’t take more than you realistically think you’ll be able to use before the end of the race.
Conclusion
If you are in the midpack then aid stations can be busy and occasionally dangerous. Stay out of the way if you’re passing through, and don’t take it out on volunteers if you fumble a bottle. Equally, don’t blaze past an aid station to maintain momentum if you’re running low on nutrition.
IRONMAN Race Day Nutrition
If you are interested in learning how to plan your race day nutrition, avoid gastrointestinal upset, how different macronutrients affect your performance, what to have for breakfast, the role of real food in a race, or anything else related to IRONMAN race day nutrition, you can check out my new course for free here.
