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Observations from 2011 Umstead 100 Aid Station

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** Getting the runner (or the pacer if available) to carry a couple of cookies and/or crackers with them out of the aid station for later consumption if they appealed also seemed to work in a number of cases.
** Most of the nauseated runners I talked to used electrolyte capsules, but it is possible that this just reflects the overall percentage of runners using them. However, I suspect that taking the electrolyte capsules without sufficient water could easily cause a concentration of salt in the stomach that would trigger nausea. I'm also concerned that in under some conditions, the electrolyte capsules will not dissolve quickly. I've heard of runners who have vomited and found undigested capsules, indicating this is not just a theoretical issue.
** The other cause of nausea, overheating, was not much of a problem while I was in the aid station, as the conditions were cooler.
* '''Gear'''. I was horrified to find that some runners did not have critical basic equipment with them. There were runners who did not have a hat, did not have a change of clothes, or only had one of an item and it was in their aid station #2 drop bag.
* '''Organization'''. On a far more minor level, the level of organization varied widely between runners. A number of runners spent far too long rummaging through bags looking for gear and often wasting 5 minute or more. At Umstead, doing that at each aid station could easily waste an hour or more. Finding an item in a bag may not seem difficult, but after 20+ hours of racing, even simple tasks become monumental. Other runners had their gear organized into Ziploc bags, which worked better.