Aid Stations at Ultramarathons — What's There, What to Expect, and How They Work

The Most Important Places on the Course

An ultramarathon course is measured in miles between aid stations as much as it is measured in total miles. When a runner says they are heading into a 14-mile section, what they mean is that the next aid station is 14 miles away. Everything between those points — nutrition, hydration, weather, terrain — is the runner’s problem. What happens when they arrive at the station is the race organization’s job.

Aid stations are the logistical backbone of every ultra. Understanding what they contain, how they work, and how to use them well is one of the distinguishing skills between runners who finish and runners who do not.

How Aid Stations Are Spaced

Race directors place aid stations based on terrain difficulty, access points, and the distance between natural stopping points. For a 100-mile race, expect stations every 6 to 15 miles with spacing typically tighter in difficult terrain. A brutal mountain section might have a station every 6 miles. A flat desert section with paved road access might stretch to 12 or 15 miles between stops.

The race guide publishes an aid station chart that lists every station by name, mile marker, cumulative distance, cutoff time, and whether crew and pacers are permitted. Reading this chart before race day is essential preparation, not optional reading.

What Is Inside a Typical Aid Station

Every aid station is different in character — some are elaborate operations run by 30 volunteers, others are a folding table staffed by three people — but the core inventory is fairly consistent across the sport.

Hydration. Water and an electrolyte drink, usually a sports drink like Tailwind or a similar product. Some stations stock multiple electrolyte options. Runners should confirm their preferred options in the race guide and not assume anything exotic will be available.

Calories. The food spread at a well-stocked aid station resembles a very specific kind of potluck. Common items include:

• Boiled or mashed potatoes with salt
• Ramen noodles and broth
• Grilled cheese or quesadillas
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Chips, pretzels, and crackers
• Watermelon and other fruit
• Candy — M&Ms, gummy bears, cola bottles
• Broth on its own as a warm, salty liquid
• Bacon (common at many races and wildly effective at mile 70)
• Soup, rice, or other hot food depending on the station and weather

The logic of aid station food is caloric density, digestibility, and palatability under extreme fatigue. Runners who have been moving for 20 hours often cannot stomach anything elaborate. Salt and simple carbohydrates work. Hot broth at 3 AM at altitude can be the single most effective intervention in a faltering race.

Coffee and caffeinated options. Many overnight aid stations stock coffee and caffeinated gel or cola. Caffeine strategy through a long night is a significant race planning topic and aid stations are where runners execute it.

Ice. Critical in hot weather races. Runners use ice in their packs, in bandanas around their necks, and anywhere else that reduces core temperature. Aid stations at desert races like Badwater 135 or Javelina Jundred stock ice heavily.

Basic gear supplies. Many stations have spare batteries, safety pins, sunscreen, lip balm, and similar items. Some stock vaseline and anti-chafe products. Specific items vary.

Drop Bags

Most 100-mile races allow runners to designate specific aid stations where a pre-packed personal bag — called a drop bag — will be waiting for them. The runner packs this bag before race day, labels it, and turns it in at check-in. Race staff transport it to the designated station.

Drop bags are where runners store gear changes, race-specific nutrition, fresh socks and shoes, headlamps with fresh batteries, medication, and anything else they need at a predictable point in the race. A well-planned drop bag strategy accounts for weather changes, darkness transitions, and anticipated physical problems.

Drop bag rules vary by race. Some allow bags at every major station. Others limit them to two or three designated points. Some races do not permit drop bags at all and require runners to carry everything.

Crew Access

Crew are the friends and family members who follow a runner throughout the race, appearing at designated crew-accessible aid stations to provide hands-on support. Not every station is crew accessible — some are only reachable on foot or are too remote for vehicle access. The crew-accessible stations are marked in the race guide.

At a crew-accessible station, the crew can hand the runner food, replace gear, help with blister care, change their socks and shoes, give them a chair and 10 minutes of human contact, and perform any of the dozens of small interventions that matter enormously in a long race. Pacers typically join the runner at a crew-accessible station.

Crew members who show up at non-crew-accessible stations can result in disqualification for the runner.

Cutoff Times

Every aid station has a cutoff time. A runner who arrives after the cutoff is pulled from the race, regardless of their physical condition or desire to continue. Cutoffs exist to ensure runner safety — a runner arriving 4 hours behind pace at mile 70 will be unlikely to make the finish before conditions deteriorate or search capacity runs out.

Cutoff times are published in advance. Managing pace against cutoffs, particularly at difficult mid-race sections, is one of the primary strategic challenges of a 100-miler.

How Long Should a Runner Stay?

The answer is: as short as possible while accomplishing what they came to do. Aid station time is race time. A runner who spends 25 minutes at each of 10 aid stations has added over four hours to their finish time without moving forward.

Experienced ultra runners are ruthless about aid station efficiency. They know exactly what they need before they arrive, execute it in sequence, and leave. Beginners sit down, feel comfortable, eat too much, let cold set in, and find it increasingly difficult to stand up again.

Sitting for more than a few minutes when the legs are fatigued is one of the primary causes of DNFs at aid stations. The body stiffens quickly. Getting back up feels impossible. The mental calculation shifts. Race staff at well-run stations will notice a runner sitting too long and gently encourage them back out.

Related: What Is a Pacer in an Ultramarathon? | Medical Support at Ultras | Should I Run an Ultramarathon?