My upcoming SwimRun NC race takes place in a State Park.  The run segments are all on trails, and so the aid stations cannot be like typical aid stations. It is a cup-less race, which means there are no paper or plastic cups provided at the aid stations.

The aid stations will provide the liquids I need for the race, but I need to carry my own cup with me.  This sounds super awkward, until you realize that you can buy a collapsable cup, called a race cup.

I have purchased two collapsable cups from Nathan.  They are small and compress down to almost nothing.  I will be easily able to fit one of these into a wetsuit pocket on race day.  They are made of TPU, so are very strong and resistant to cracking and tearing.

There is actually a trend towards cup-less racing in general.  A typical large marathon will use, and dispose of, tens of thousands of cups during the race.  These single-use cups are not a very environmentally friendly solution to providing water.  Hence the trend to more and more events adopting a cup-less race approach.

This was not the final piece of gear I needed to purchase for the upcoming race.  I also need a pressure bandage.  It is a piece of mandatory safety gear.  I have a pack of three bandages arriving tomorrow.  When they arrive, I will be all set for next weekend.