Race Spectators! Here’s What Runners Want You To Hand Out

My fellowing running enthusiasts, fall race season fast approaches! A very busy time for runners of all strengths and speeds. If you don’t have your own race marked on your calendar, you may well be planning to spectate.

For some spectators, it is enough to watch. For others, spectating offers an opportunity to be a different sort of race participant. When a fun poster and a constant flow of high-fives isn’t enough, many turn to handing things out to runners, creating their own kind of course support stops.

This is so sweet and wonderful and we love it! But it always breaks my a heart a little when I see people trying to hand out stuff that nobody’s taking. They’re a little confused, but they deserve to be rewarded for having the spirit.

So I thought – what if I did a post on what runners would LOVE to see spectators handing out alongside the race course? I did a little information crowdsourcing on Instagram, and here’s what I discovered.

DRINKS RUNNERS WOULD LOVE TO GET FROM SPECTATORS

You can always hand out water and sports drinks, but the water stops already have those things. Not to say an extra water stop is a bad idea per se, but if you’d like to stand out, try…

Alcohol. I almost didn’t include this one because often spectators are already handing out alcohol. You coulda had a Fireball shot at the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon, although I took a shot of Bud Light instead. If you want to get granular, however, I specifically received several shoutouts for bourbon.

Soda (I would like a Coke, please). This one is from me, and the catalyst for this blog post! Guys, the beer is lovely, but I would killlllll for a cold Coca Cola around mile 20. What is it the kids say? FOR REAL FOR REAL. Like, if it has to be Pepsi, fine, and I’m sure there are Sprite fans out there, etc., but if you hand me, specifically, a Coke, I will love you forever.

FOOD RUNNERS WOULD TO LOVE TO GET FROM SPECTATORS

Energy gels and chews and other traditional fuels are great, but I received tons of responses requesting what was termed “real food.” Some specific coveted comestibles include…

Cold fruit. Someone mentioned getting a cold slice of watermelon at a race once, and as a tremendous watermelon enthusiast I must say that sounds AMAZING. Any cold melon would be good. I got orange slices in a marathon once. Anything cold. Wait, hold on – should someone set up a banana stand?

Salty stuff. Pickles and bacon both got numerous votes. Peanut butter and Uncrustables also received shoutouts.

Allergy-friendly gels and electrolytes. I didn’t even think of this! I guess some sports drinks and fuels contain allergens? A little cursory research suggests color additives may cause trouble for some. And while many such products don’t actively contain allergens, they have not been certified allergen-free due to factory conditions. For those with sensitivities, a table of running fuels expressly labeled as allergy-friendly would be a welcome sight.

Gummy Candy. Gummy/chewy candy is the honorary running fuel of regular food. I know quite a few people like Twizzlers. A spectator once gave me Swedish Fish and I remember her to this day. My favorite is watermelon Sour Patch Kids if you’re trying to cater to me personally. 😉

THINGS YOU DON’T EAT

Do you want to be a runner’s hero? Bring…

Tissues. Running can be snotty work, especially when it’s cold. A lil’ nose blow NOT on your own sleeve would not come amiss.

Frozen paper towels/sponges. If race day dawns hot, anything that will cool a runner’s heated skin is welcome. You could even invest in some cooling towels if you’re feeling spendy.

Sunscreen. This feels so obvious in retrospect that I can’t believe I didn’t think of it first. Even if you lathered up with sunscreen before the race started, you may well have sweat a bunch of it off already. Or, depending on the race distance/how long you anticipate being on the course, your sunscreen may wear off before you finish. A sunscreen top-off would be perfect.

APPARENTLY TRAIL RUNNERS GET ALL THIS ALREADY?

I had multiple people drop into my DMs to inform me that trail and ultra aid stations already have plenty of real food and soda, and we should just switch off road races for all the peanut butter we can eat.

But until then, we must rely on the stalwart crowds of spectators that line the courses of our fall road races. I’ll be looking for you at the Marine Corps Marathon – somebody’s bound to have a Coke ready for me, right? 😂

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