Mainely Running
Join me as I train in Maine and race all over the world in pursuit of my goal to run a marathon on all 7 continents

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Packing for Reach the Beach: Relay Race Packing Tips

I am heading out to Reach the Beach New Hampshire tomorrow which means that today is packing day! I always try to pack a day before I leave so that I have time to remember all the stuff I forgot before I leave! This will be my fifth RTB and I can't wait! Each year I've learned something new about what to bring and what not to bring- here are my tips:

1. You will want a clean outfit for each leg you are running. Putting a cold sweaty sports bra back on later is not fun. My favorite trick is to put together each outfit (top, bottom, sports bra, underwear, and socks) and then put them in a giant ziplock bag. That way, when I'm trying to get dressed in the dark in the back of the van I can easily find everything I need. After my run, when I change out of the outfit, I seal it all back in the bag to minimize the stink factor in the van.




2. Bring warmer clothes than you think you'll need. It gets COLD at night. I bring fleece pants, wool socks, and a warm coat.






3. Don't pack TOO much. You will just make the van overcrowded. This is not a fashion contest, so I basically just bring one warmer weather and one cooler weather outfit for between legs.

4. Bring double the required safety gear required. Stuff inevitably gets lost or broken and it's hard to find replacements in the middle of the race. It's also nice to have 2 complete sets of safety stuff so that you don't have to switch any gear from one runner to another at the hand-off.

5. Pack snacks, but don't try to bring complete meals. Our first year we carried enough food to feed all of us for 3 days. It took up a ton of space and most of it didn't get eaten. Bring snacks to tide you over and to eat immediately pre/post run, but there will plenty of other opportunities to buy food. It's nice to have one sit down real meal at a restaurant and groups are selling food to raise money at all the transition areas. The towns that the race go through put up with a lot of disruption, so it is nice to support them. Nothing tastes better at 2 am when it is freezing out than hot homemade mac and cheese!


Have you ever done a relay style race? What tips do you have?

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