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62Aid Station

AID STATIONFIELD GUIDES18 ENTRIES

The field guides

Everything the course teaches, written down: how to bank minutes at aid stations, what “climby” really means, how to fuel a gut that's quitting, and how to crew without getting fired. Hard-earned, unsentimental, updated when the mountain proves us wrong.

01Vert & Volume · Sep 5, 2026Trekking Poles for Ultras: When They Help and How to Carry ThemWhen poles earn their weight (vert thresholds by feet per mile and grade), Z-fold versus telescoping, Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z against WindQuester budget carbon, sizing, vest carry systems that take under ten seconds, technique basics, and trail etiquette.9 MIN02Fuel & Fluids · Sep 5, 2026Tailwind vs Skratch vs Precision Fuel & Hydration: Carbs, Sodium and When Each WinsLabel-data comparison of Tailwind Endurance Fuel, Skratch Sport Hydration and Precision Fuel & Hydration: carbs and sodium per serving, milligrams per litre, how to build a 60 g and 90 g hour with each, gut tolerance, aid-station logistics and cost per hour.8 MIN03Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Salomon ADV Skin 12 vs Nathan Pinnacle 12 vs UltrAspire Alpha: Which Race Vest?Three race vests compared on what matters at an aid station: fit and bounce at full load, flasks versus bladder, reachable pockets, pole carry, capacity for mandatory kit, and sizing. The ADV Skin 12 wins for most; the Pinnacle and Alpha win for specific bodies and races.9 MIN04Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Best Trail Running Shoes for Technical Terrain: Lugs, Rock Plates, Drop and Fit by SurfaceTechnical-terrain trail shoes decoded: lug depth by surface, rock plate versus stack, drop, heel lock and toebox fit, with honest Salomon, La Sportiva, Hoka and Altra picks and the sock-and-gaiter half of the system that stops blisters.9 MIN05Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Best Shoes for Your First 50-Miler and 100-Miler: Max-Cushion Ultra Shoes, Foot Swell and the Rotation PlanMax-cushion trail shoes for a first 50-miler or 100-miler (Speedgoat 6, Olympus 6, Mafate Speed 4, Ultraventure 4, Cascadia 20, Xodus Ultra 4), sizing for foot swell, the two-pair rotation, and the Injinji-plus-lube sock plan that keeps skin intact.8 MIN06Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Best Hydration Vests by Race Distance: 50K vs 100K vs 100 MilesLitres by distance, computed from real mandatory-gear lists instead of guessed: 50K, 100K and 100-mile capacity and fluid math, the Salomon ADV Skin 12 as the premium all-rounder, and the N NEVO RHINO 12L and RKV86 as budget picks with their trade-offs stated plainly.8 MIN07Fuel & Fluids · Sep 4, 2026How Many Carbs Per Hour for an Ultra? The 60-90 g Guide, Gut Training and Worked Hourly PlansThe 60-90 grams-per-hour carbohydrate guidance explained for ultras: where the numbers come from, why 100-milers run lower, multiple-transportable carbs, a six-to-ten-week gut-training protocol, and three worked hourly plans with the math shown.8 MIN08Race Craft · Sep 4, 2026Drop-Bag Packing Guide: What Goes in Each Bag (by Distance and Time of Day)Per-bag drop-bag checklists for 50K, 100K and 100-mile races, built around one rule: pack for the runner who will open the bag. Base kit, daylight, night-transition and sunrise layers, weather branches, labeling that works at 3 a.m., and the crew handoff.10 MIN09Gear Locker · Sep 4, 2026Best Headlamps for Night Running and 100-Milers: Lumens, Runtime and the Battery PlanHeadlamps for overnight ultras, chosen by runtime at 100 to 200 lumens rather than box lumens: Petzl Actik Core as the hybrid-battery primary, Nitecore NU25 400 UL as the 47-gram backup, beam pattern, reactive lighting, and the battery-swap plan at aid stations.8 MIN10Gear Locker · Aug 11, 2026Gifts for Trail and Ultra Runners: From a First 50K to a Hundred-MilerA tiered gift guide for trail and ultra runners, organized by who you are shopping for: the first-50K rookie, the seasoned trail racer, the hundred-mile buckle chaser, and the crew behind them. Every pick is anchored to a real ultra term, explained so even a non-runner can shop with confidence.9 MIN11Gear Locker · Aug 11, 2026Trail Running Wall Art: Elevation Profiles and Race-Day PostersTrail and ultra wall art works hardest when it earns its spot. This guide sorts elevation-profile prints and race-day posters by the room they live in, so your pain cave, office, and runner's den each say something true about the miles.9 MIN12Race Craft · Aug 11, 2026Ultrarunning Shirts Decoded: From RFP to Beat the CutoffSix trail and ultra running graphic tees, decoded. Each slogan is insider jargon, from RFP to beat the cutoff, explained in plain English so outsiders and gift-buyers get the joke and know exactly who would wear it.9 MIN13Race Craft · Jul 13, 2026Get In, Get Out: Aid-Station Strategy That Saves an HourEight aid stations at 12 minutes each is 96 minutes standing still. At 5 minutes it's 40. That 56-minute swing is free finish time you never had to train for — here's the in-and-out drill that banks it.6 MIN14Gear Locker · Jul 13, 2026COROS PACE 3, Reviewed OvernightAn ultra watch is judged battery-first. The COROS PACE 3 delivers 38-hour standard GPS, 25 hours all-systems, and 30 grams at around $229 — here's what that runtime actually means for a 100K and a 100-miler.7 MIN15Race Craft · Jul 13, 2026Your First 100K, Aid Station by Aid StationSixty-two miles isn't a long marathon; it's a management problem. A first 100K narrated aid station by aid station on a fictional mountain course: pacing, fueling, cutoff math, and a drop-bag plan for every leg.15 MIN16Crew & Pacers · Jul 13, 2026How to Crew an Ultra Without Getting FiredCrewing a 100-miler is a logistics job with a heart-rate monitor attached. The whole role from the crew chair: the crew box, the 90-second handoff, cutoff math, night gear, and the four ways to get fired.7 MIN17Gear Locker · Jul 13, 2026Race Vest vs Belt vs HandheldsYour carry system is a math problem: distance, aid spacing, and mandatory kit. When a vest wins, when a belt is enough, when handhelds fail — and the one to buy first.7 MIN18Vert & Volume · Jul 13, 2026Vert, Explained: How Much Climbing Is a "Climby" Race?Vert is total vertical gain — the feet you climb, added up, netting nothing. The feet-per-mile framework that sorts runnable from brutal, and how flatlanders train for a mountain race.6 MIN

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