AID STATIONFIELD GUIDES26 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.

01Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Zero-Drop vs Low-Drop for Ultras: Altra, Topo and TraditionalDrop is a load-distribution choice, not a quality ranking. What zero, low and traditional drop actually change over 100 miles, why the toe box is a separate decision from the drop, a twelve-week transition schedule with real percentages, and who should not switch mid-build.9 MIN 02Vert & Volume · Sep 5, 2026Your First 50K: A 12-16 Week Training StructureThe four things a first 50K actually asks for: time on feet, vert that matches your course, back-to-back weekends, and a real taper. A 16-week phase structure, a worked long-run ladder, weekly vert targets, and what to rehearse before race day.10 MIN 03Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026When to Replace Trail Running Shoes (Mileage by Midsole Type)Mileage ranges by midsole foam, why trail kills outsoles and uppers before it kills the cushioning, four physical checks that beat any number, the one bodily signal that outranks them all, and how to run a rotation you can actually track.9 MIN 04Fuel & Fluids · Sep 5, 2026What to Eat at Aid Stations: Real Food That Works (and What to Skip)A matching rule instead of a food list: diagnose which of four stomach states you are in, take the one or two items that fit, and leave chewing. What the table usually holds, how the answer changes by race stage, and what to skip at every one of them.10 MIN 05Crew & Pacers · Sep 5, 2026How to Pace a Friend Through a 100-MilerThe pacer's job is to absorb every decision the runner can no longer make. Rules to check first (pacer start points and muling vary), the pre-race briefing, the night kit, the three clocks you run on the trail, the low-point conversation, and clean crew handoffs.10 MIN 06Damage Control · Sep 5, 2026Blister Prevention and Ultra Foot Care: Taping, Lube and Sock ChangesThe foot-care protocol that survives a hundred miles: lube and skin prep before the start, pre-taping only the spots you already know about, sock changes on a schedule, a two-minute hot-spot stop, drainage rules, and the drop-bag foot kit you clone into every bag.11 MIN 07Gear Locker · Sep 5, 2026Best Socks for Ultrarunning: Injinji vs Drymax vs Darn ToughToe socks versus conventional, wool versus synthetic, and thickness by distance. Where Injinji, Drymax and Darn Tough each win, what the toe sleeve actually fixes, the sizing mistakes that cause more blisters than material choice, and a budget merino tier for training volume.10 MIN 08Fuel & Fluids · Sep 5, 2026Best Electrolyte Tablets and Salt Caps for Hot RacesBuild a hot-race sodium plan from your own sweat rate instead of a label. Sweat-rate math, sodium-per-hour ranges from stated assumptions, when tabs beat caps beat drink mix, the two-flask split, and the hyponatremia signals that outrank every product decision.9 MIN 09Vert & 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.10 MIN 10Fuel & 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.10 MIN 11Gear 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.10 MIN 12Gear 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.11 MIN 13Gear 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.9 MIN 14Gear 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.10 MIN 15Fuel & 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.10 MIN 16Race 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.11 MIN 17Gear 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.10 MIN 18Gear 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 MIN 19Gear 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 MIN 20Race 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 MIN 21Race 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 MIN 22Gear 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 MIN 23Race 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 MIN 24Crew & 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 MIN 25Gear 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 MIN 26Vert & 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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