Cupless Racing 101: Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Race

You’ve hit register and then received the notification that your race is cupless. What does that mean? Is it going to slow you down?The questions have been coming in to our coaches hot and fast as this trend increases. Not to worry, we’ve got the answers for you. In fact, I just finished a cupless race at RunSedona to get even more hands on time.

What is Cupless Racing?

You won’t be drinking from a hose, but no longer will you be grabbing a paper cup from a table as you fly by and then dumping it for a volunteer to rake into a pile and trash.

The NYC marathon is just one race and places over 2 million cups in landfills! Now think about that across the hundreds and thousands of races happening monthly…yikes!

Cupless racing has been part of trails for years, often having large water jugs out for refill. But when it comes to road racing this is newer and required a more extensive set up.

WaterMonster comes in with large containers of water that feed into a set of PVC pipes and UltraSpout spigots. Allowing up to 250 runners per minute to refill a reusable cup or handheld without a volunteer.

How to Do A Cupless Race

Step one is learning how to use the UltraSpouts. It’s super easy and with the right tips will take you less time than you think!

1. Have your cup out
2. Run to an open UltraSpout
3. Use the back of your hand to press the lever
4. Fill up
5. Start running again – or take a walk break to sip
6. Not sure how to drink and run (pinch your cup and hold the water in your mouth a second before swallowing)
7. Keep going! Nothing to toss!

Using the back of your hand is the fastest way to get through the aid station. If you stop hold with one hand and press the lever with the other hand, it’s not going to take forever, but you could be adding seconds that we all want back at the end of the race!

Instead of a bevvy of volunteers, you’ll likely see 1 or 2 at the aid station ensuring everything remains clean or using a small pitcher to fill in if the spouts are filing up.

SpeedCup Provided

At RunSedona (and other cupless races), you’ll often receive a SpeedCup in your registration bag. This small TPU flexible cup can be stuffed in a pocket or held on your hand with a little ring that goes over the finger. It’s a great option for shorter races where you may not need to fuel as much or for those who don’t want to carry any specific hydration.

• Hold the cup on your finger
• Stuff it in a pocket
• Put it under a sports bra strap
• Lots of easy ways to carry

Carry Your Own Handheld

Meanwhile, I love carrying my Hydrapak Skyflask collapsible flask because then I’ve got my own electrolytes ready to go. It also means less times that I’ll need to stop and refill because it’s going to last longer.

Now, this option is going to take a smidge longer at the station because you’re removing a cap.

But with the Skyflask, you don’t need to remove the cap—it has a flip top that allows quick refills, so that I could keep moving without slowing down much at all.

Wear a Hydration Vest

Listen you know I love my running hydration pack. I wear one pretty much all the time for convenience. And there are a lot of very thin and lightweight styles perfect for race day.

• Grab any of the soft flasks from HydraPak (a million sizes to fit your needs)
• OR go with a hydration bladder if you don’t want to stop at all
• I like the flasks because it’s easier to clean when I put in electrolytes or liquid nutrition and easier to fill if needed.

Benefits of Cupless Racing?

Some of this feels like a no brainer, right?

Obviously we all want to see way less of those paper cups filling up landfills. I mean 2.2 million for NYC and there are 7 other major marathons of that size, plus the thousands and thousands of other races from 5K to marathon.

But additionally:

• Less volunteers are needed to set up
• Less volunteers are needed to man each water station
• No need to rent, deliver, set up and take down tables
• It’s easy for runners
• Reminds runners to practice carrying hydration during training which we all need to do
• Encourages carrying a handheld so you can sip consistently throughout the race for better hydration
• Better hydration can lead to improved performance

Having tested this in Sedona it didn’t slow us down at all.

I know that Tina Muir, well known for her push to reduce running waste, has come close to a 3 hour marathon stopping at each WaterMonster station on course. Obviously she’s already a talented runner, but it’s a reminder that we’re talking seconds.

It was easy to use and truly easy to use.

As humans we don’t love change.

We really don’t love change on race day.

But this is coming. And luckily a lot of the races using it (Over 94 cupless already) are setting up examples at the expo, so you can see exactly what to expect and practice.

Get excited!

Road racing hasn’t seen anything new besides carbon plated shoes in a while and this is a fun one. I can guarantee you’re going to see it more and now you’ll be prepared.

What to read next?

• Sub 2 hour half marathon training plan
• 22 NO BS marathon training truths
• Marathon Fueling Plan