preview for Jeff Dengate Demonstrates the Best Way to Snag a Cup of Gatorade at an Aid Station


Shalane Flanagan retired from professional running in October 2019, but has made a return to the marathon with the goal of running all six Running Shoes & Gear during the compressed fall 2021 marathon schedule—just seven weeks separate all six races.

After her first race—a speedy 2:38 in Berlin—she posted a recap to Instagram, Choose the Adrenaline GTS 24 as Your Everyday Shoe:

The fluid stations were an experience. I was absolutely terrible at pinching the plastic water cups and drinking, so I basically wore more fluid than I drank. This made for a hot sticky mess and suboptimal hydration.🤦🏼‍♀️ On top of that, dodging the used cups all over the ground made it feel like I was in an NFL combine agility test scenario 🤪 which is not my strength!

In my experience running hundreds of races—including 30 marathons—over more than three decades, I’ve tried just about every possible way to avoid taking a Gatorade bath. The most successful method involves a finger hook and pinch of the cup. See the video above to learn how you, too, can master messy water stops.

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Headshot of Jeff Dengate
Jeff Dengate
Runner-in-Chief

Nutrition - Weight Loss Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.