What an ultra-running aid station offers
The aid station (German Labe) of a 24-hour run in Austria follows a proven pattern: a warm carbohydrate-and-protein main supply, complemented by sweet baked goods and savoury snacks, with a continuous drinks selection. Typical offerings include:
- Warm: clear soups, pasta with tomato or meat sauce, rice, potatoes.
- Sweet: cake, biscuits, gummy bears, Kaiserschmarrn (a regional sweet pancake) — the caloric insurance against the second half of the night.
- Salty and neutral: pretzel sticks, salted crackers, nuts, fresh fruit (bananas, apple slices, oranges).
- Drinks: water, cola, tea, coffee, electrolyte solutions.
Important: not every item is available at every moment — the aid station refills in batches over 24 hours. Runners with special needs (allergies, gels, specific bars) should keep their own supplies at their own camp.
Realistic calorie demand
Over 24 hours on the loop, an average runner burns between 10,000 and 15,000 kcal, depending on body weight, pace and outside temperature. Realistic intake per hour is about 200–300 kcal; the stomach rarely processes more under running load. There is always a deficit that has to come from glycogen reserves and fat oxidation.
Practical consequence: runners who eat too little in the first hours pay the bill from hour ten onward with a strength collapse. A simple rule: in the first half of the race, eat every 30 minutes — even when it still feels easy.
Fluids and electrolytes
Fluid demand sits around 0.4–0.8 litres per hour, depending on temperature and individual sweat rate. Over 24 hours that adds up to 10–18 litres. Pure water alone dilutes electrolytes — the critical mineral is sodium (at least 500 mg per hour, more in heat). Magnesium plays a smaller, often overestimated role; in an acute cramp, table salt helps more than any magnesium supplement.
Vegan strategies
A fully vegan aid station is rarely guaranteed at Austrian 24-hour events. Usually available:
- vegan soup powder (vegetable stock base),
- potatoes with salt,
- fresh fruit,
- salty snacks and nuts.
That covers a carbohydrate-and-salt base supply. Anyone with higher requirements (bars, vegan protein sources, custom gels) packs them at the camp and treats the aid station as a water-and-soup stop.
Stomach trouble and first aid
About two thirds of all 24h finishers report nausea at some point. Tested immediate measures:
- Drop pace by 1–2 min/km — the stomach returns to work under lower load.
- Switch to liquid calories (clear soup, cola, sugared tea instead of solids).
- Salty broth beats sugary drinks — too much sugar at once overwhelms a tired stomach.
- When nothing works: 15 minutes of walking, then try small bites of banana or salted pretzels.
What is not on the aid-station table
Three things every ultra runner should keep at their own camp and not expect from the aid station:
- A backup pair of shoes — fresh socks, ideally a second pair half a size up for night-time foot swelling.
- Own salt tablets or electrolyte powder — faster to dose in a cramp than from the aid-station table.
- An anti-chafe cream (e.g. deer-tallow balm, Body Glide) — by hour 12, skin chafing is more critical than any calorie deficit.
Which training sessions prepare specifically for the nutrition side is covered on the training page.