Ironman UK - personal needs bags/zone

How do the personal needs bags/zones work? I've been reading the IMUK website, and, being a novice, I'm not convinced I'm following it properly. What are you allowed to have in your bag (which is presumably left on a station on the bike course?) and on the feed station on the run course? And do you just have to grab it yourself, or does someone pass it (whatever it is...) to you?

And just in case someone knows - what gels do they use for IMUK?

the gel info should be on the IMUK website

personal needs bags are just that - personal needs aka whatever you want in there.  when you register, you are given these and you deposit them on race morning marked with yiur race number - they then get take to the special needs stations ready for the athletes to collect them.  finding them can be a 'mare though!!

people put all sorts in - generally some foodtsuffs they fancy as a change to what's on offer - or additional fuels/gels of preference.   savoury foodstuffs are popular just as a change to all the sickly fuel/gels/energy bars that have been consumed.  a mate of mine used to have a salty tomato sandwich; others have marmite sarnies.

and they don't get returned after - if you don't collect what's in them, it will get dumped.  unlike race bags which have kit in and hang in transition for collection - athletes collect these after they finish.

 Are you asking because of bob or has the brain washing finally worked?

I never found it in the race, and lost my SN bag!

Though this thread seems appropriate for this question.

If you wnat a cheese and marmite sandwich at 80 miles or whatever, how fo you keep it vaguely fresh?

DB - clingfilm??

btw - I've only ever used a special needs bag once in my 1st IM for the bike. it took me 10 minutes of frantic searching to find it amongst the dump of other bags - no order to it.  I've not used one since.   just use the aid stations instead

Cheers for the answers. It's pretty much what I thought, but I didn't want to assume in case I was wrong

Dustboy - have you tried making the sandwich with frozen bread? It'll defrost during the ride, and keep the filling fresh/cool too. Not sure of the practicalities of that idea, but it would work

sarah the bookworm wrote (see)

Cheers for the answers. It's pretty much what I thought, but I didn't want to assume in case I was wrong

Dustboy - have you tried making the sandwich with frozen bread? It'll defrost during the ride, and keep the filling fresh/cool too. Not sure of the practicalities of that idea, but it would work

Also frozen grated cheese.

Grated cheese might fall out a bit. Might I suggest frozen sliced cheese?