Gear tips for an ultra-marathon stage race

Last Sunday we met up with Jacob Juul Hastrup, who’s run 20+ stage races and got a whole heap of tips for running ultra-marathon stage races. Following are some of the tips that Jacob shared with us.

Packing

  • Place sleeping mat at bottom of pack - flat against your back
  • Food to lie flat on top of sleeping mat
  • Sleeping bag inside a plastic bag (keeps it dry from water / sweat)

Food / Snacks

  • Energy bars - breakfast
  • Cliff shot blocks - during race
  • Piratos - Licorice treat (salty with flavor)
  • Dried fruit & nuts - breakfast
  • Parmesan cheese - lunch & dinner
  • Crushed potato chips - post race

Hydration

  • Place a wet sock over your waterbottle to cool it down while running
  • Don’t take a camelback (takes up space and difficult to get to)
  • Attach 500-750ml water bottles to shoulder straps (balances weight and allows you to carry less weight for faster reloads)
  • Foldable water pouch
  • Salt tablets
  • Liquid electrolytes 

Footwear

  • Socks - Teko or SmartWool (above ankles and natural fibre)
  • Ensure that the shoes you’re bringing aren’t too open above the toe, otherwise dust will get in and build up in your shoes
  • Short gaiters that cover the ankles only - enough to keep the sand out
  • Wear one pair of socks until the 80km then change to the other pair, throwing the first pair out.

Others:

  • Tea leaves - add them to your drink bottle in the evening so that you have a different flavored water to run with the next day. 
  • Get a Buff - useful for everything.
  • Bring a pair of 3/4 pants for camp, as it’ll be a little cold
  • Small camera to record your journey
  • Remove all tags, excess packaging, cases etc. - reduces your weight
  • Bring only two t-shirts, use your spare t-shirt to sleep in each night, it’ll feel better than going to bed in a sweaty one, and your other gear can dry out, plus your tent buddies will be greatly appreciative :)

All-in-all, some really handy tips for your packing list when doing an ultra-race that consists of several stages or just want some inspiration for a multi-day hike. To read more about Jacob and his races you can follow him on Facebook here: Ultra Running with Jacob Juul Hastrup

If you have some tips of your own leave them in the comments section below.

Posted by gusmurray

1 year ago