Alright, so you’re tackling a Spartan Ultra, huh?!?! Well, let me tell ya about this drop-bin, or as I like to call it, the “Oh Lord, help me get through this” bucket.

Right around the halfway mark, you get to drop off this bin filled with all sorts of goodies. We’re talkin’ extra fuel, food, drinks, clothes… basically anything that’ll keep you from tappin’ out.

Let’s dive into some of the items Spartans have tossed into their bucket over the years.

THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING POST
As more data comes in, stats and info below will change/update.
This Post was last Updated: 9/3/2024 and consists of data from 56 Spartan Ultra racers.

We are going to separate out the bucket items into 4 categories.

1. FUELING – FOOD & DRINK
2. CLOTHING & GEAR
3. EMERGENCY & SAFETY ITEMS
4. OTHER

Now. Let’s get into it. And start with a bar chart of the Top 10 items Spartan racers take with them.

1.) FUELING – FOOD & DRINK

Fueling up is key. As you’ll likely be out there anywhere from 7-14 hours!

This will be split into 3 sections.
Fueling that goes with you – powders, mixes and such that you’re adding to your hydration vest/belt/etc.
Food that you eat at the bucket – stuff people bring, but really not feasible to take on course.
Drinks that you drink at the bucket – again, stuff that you wouldn’t typically walk out with.

FUEL YOU TAKE WITH YOU ON COURSE

Note that ALL Spartan racers questioned said that they brought a form of fueling with them. There’s a variety of options, but most common are gels/gus and powder added to water.
About half didn’t specify, but we’re still slowly uncovering what’s most popular!

• They brought “Fuel” but didn’t specify the type – 24/56 Spartans
• Energy Gels such as Gu’s – 21/56 Spartans
• Tailwind – 7/56 Spartans
• Nuun – 5/56 Spartans
• Skratch – 2/56 Spartans
• SuperBeets Sport – 1/56 Spartans

FOOD YOU EAT AT YOUR BUCKET

• Uncrustables, PB&Jelly, Honey or Banana – 30/56 Spartans
• Chicken Noodle Soup/Broth – 20/56 Spartans
• Clif Bars – 9/56 Spartans
• Candy Bar – SNICKERS – 8/56 Spartans
• Electrolyte Pills, tabs or chews – 8/56 Spartans
• Salt Pills or tabs – 7/56 Spartans
• Trail Mix – 4/56 Spartans
• Honey Stinger Waffles – 4/56 Spartans
• Candy – no detail on type – 4/56 Spartans
• Pop Tarts – 3/56 Spartans
• Beef Jerky – 3/56 Spartans
• Pizza – 2/56 Spartans
• Granola Bars – 2/56 Spartans
• Candy – Sour patch kids – 2/56 Spartans
• Bacon – 2/56 Spartans
• Donuts – 2/56 Spartans
• Watermelon – 1/56 Spartans
• Sweet potatoes – 1/56 Spartans
• Almond Butter squeeze pouch – 1/56 Spartans
• Squirrel nut butter – 1/56 Spartans
• Sport Beanz – 1/56 Spartans
• Quest Bars – 1/56 Spartans
• Peanut Butter ritz crackers – 1/56 Spartans
• Oreo’s – 1/56 Spartans
• Oatmeal pies – 1/56 Spartans
• MRE Cheese Sauce – 1/56 Spartans
• Instant Mashed potatoes – 1/56 Spartans
• Fruit – 1/56 Spartans
• Fig Bars – 1/56 Spartans
• Elk Meat stick – 1/56 Spartans
• Doritos – 1/56 Spartans
• Chips – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy Corn – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy – Skittles – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy – Peanut M&M’s – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy – Nerds – 1/56 Spartans
• Builder Bar – 1/56 Spartans
• Banana – 1/56 Spartans
• Applesauce – 1/56 Spartans
• Plain Peanut Butter – 1/56 Spartans
• Baby Food – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy – Gummy Bears – 1/56 Spartans
• Candy – Lollipops – 1/56 Spartans

DRINKS YOU DRINK AT YOUR BUCKET

• Gatorade – 6/56 Spartans
• FitAid – 5/56 Spartans
• Pedialyte – 4/56 Spartans
• GingerAle – 3/56 Spartans
• Coke – 3/56 Spartans
• Orange Juice – 2/56 Spartans
• Coffee – 2/56 Spartans
• Body Armour – 2/56 Spartans
• Sweet Iced Tea – 1/56 Spartans
• Mountain Dew – 1/56 Spartans
• Monster Energy – 1/56 Spartans
• Lucozade – 1/56 Spartans
• Soda unidentified – 3/56 Spartans

2.) CLOTHING & GEAR

This mostly consists of the clothing and gear that you might be using out on course.

• Extra Hydration Vest, belt or bottles in Bucket ready to go – 22/56 Spartans
  Most common brands: OSPREY, NATHAN, & CAMELBAK
• Extra Pair of Shoes – 30/56 Spartans
  Most common brands: Altra & VJ
• Extra Pair of Socks – 28/56 Spartans
  Sometimes mentioning ankle high socks. And 3/56 Spartans suggesting morino wool socks.
• Extra shirt – 12/56 Spartans
• Extra pair of shorts – 9/56 Spartans
• Headlamp – 6/56 Spartans
• Windbreaker, Rain Jacket or Poncho – 6/56 Spartans
• Gloves – 5/56 Spartans
• Sunglasses – 2/56 Spartans
• Long Sleeve or Hoodie – 2/56 Spartans
• Neoprene Vest – 1/56 Spartans

3.) EMERGENCY & SAFETY ITEMS

In Case of Emergency: the items you hope you won’t need, but gotta have them just in case!

• First Aid Kit – 8/56 Spartans
• Medicine – Tylenol – 5/56 Spartans
• Bandaids – 5/56 Spartans
• Sunscreen – 5/56 Spartans
• Pickle Juice for cramping! – 4/56 Spartans
• Mustard for cramping! – 3/56 Spartans
• Medicine – Ibuprofen – 3/56 Spartans (NOTE: people do say this is not a safe choice)
• Medicine – Aleve – 3/56 Spartans
• Medicine – Advil – 3/56 Spartans
• Biofreeze – 3/56 Spartans
• Bugspray – 3/56 Spartans
• Trail Toes or Blister tape – 3/56 Spartans
• Neosporene – 2/56 Spartans
• Glasses – 2/56 Spartans
• Contacts – 2/56 Spartans
• KT Tape – 2/56 Spartans
• Chapstick – 2/56 Spartans
• Salve for feet or scrapes – 1/56 Spartans
• Icey Hot – 1/56 Spartans
• Foot Glide – 1/56 Spartans
• Butt Paste – 1/56 Spartans

4.) OTHER

We’ve gone over the key items. Now let’s check out some other random things Spartan Ultra racers have brought with them. Some of these are important but didn’t fit well above, and some may be off the wall weird.

• Towels (sometimes frozen on hot days) – 7/56 Spartans
• Ziploc bags (sort out your food and all) – 5/56 Spartans
• Headlamp Batteries – 4/56 Spartans
• Duct Tape – 4/56 Spartans
• Small Cooler with ice – 2/56 Spartans
• Cellphone – 2/56 Spartans
  People say they want friends/family to text nice messages. Then take a quick look before heading back out.
• Baby wipes & wet naps – 2/56 Spartans
• Spoon for your soup! – 1/56 Spartans
• Motivational Quotes – 1/56 Spartans
• Picture of their pet – 1/56 Spartans
• Extra bottle cap piece for flask – 1/56 Spartans
• Hair Ties – 1/56 Spartans
• Dry Bag – 1/56 Spartans
• Deodorant – 1/56 Spartans
• Chemlights – 1/56 Spartans

We hope to add to this list.
And plan to expand on it in the future.
Separating out suggested items for hot and cold races, flat and mountainous, etc.

Email us if you are a Spartan Ultra racer and would like to share what’s in your bucket so we can add more data.