Your Pack - 5-day Adventure Race

I recently completed a five-day expedition adventure race (AR) in the Mojave Desert. It was the first time I had done an expedition race or anything more than five hours! 3-weeks prior to the AR, I did a Mt. Whitney/Mammoth Extravaganza - one day summit followed by downhilling the following day. All fun stuff in the world of outdoor adventures.

Being a novice to the world of AR, I was schooled in the concepts of nutrition, mental strength, and gear. Oh all the gear that needed to be collected, borrowed, and eventually bought. Paul Romero, a friend and seasoned adventure racer, lent me trusted gear for hiking, paddling, rappeling, and night-time racing. The employees from REI know me from the many trips I took looking for food, packs, and other misc gear. The night before the race, our team ventured out for the remaining items and last minute gear changes.


The items listed were on my body and pack for the entire five-days.

Pack - Osprey Talon 33 lots of good compartments, sturdy & comfortable fit; light-weight.

TOP POUCH - headlight, TP/babywipes, sunscreen, baby butt cream (yep! for the feet and bootie), sunglasses, eye drops

SIDE POCKETS - (left) a water bottle containing either electrolyte or energy powder. (right) camera, lipbalm, and the bar du jour. my flexibility in my shoulders allowed me to poke around in these pouches without taking it off.

FRONT POCKET - spottrackers home, headwrap, chemical lights

WAISTBAND POCKETS - (right) the AR drug store: electrolytes - 20 ct/day, anti-inflammatory 2ct/day, omega-3 4ct/day, multivitamin 4 ct/day, 1 happy pill per day; (left) 3 gu's and 2 bars

LARGE COMPARTMENT - Bivy (think emergency blanket but just slight bigger), water purifier that never seemed to work, simple first aid kit including hydrocodone, chemical warmers, wool sweater, rain gear top and bottom, long sleeve shirt, running tights by Lululemon (can't believe i brought my cherished pants but they came in handy and their compression component was a nice treat). Note: all clothes were rolled into a burrito and placed in a zip-lock bag. MY FOOD!!! daily alloted meal in a gallon size zip-lock bag including a starbucks coffee (yum), bagel and cream cheese (yum), nuts and beef jerky (blah!), tuna and cracker dust, red vines, more bars and gu's.

other misc: toothbrush/paste; waterproof bag with iphone, ipod shuffle/headphones, and $40

ON MY BODY(trek/canoe legs) - bikini top, buff (on head or as a tube-top), lycra shorts, tall compression socks, smart-wool socks, gaiters, running shoes, Polar RS800CX watch, sunscreen, walking sticks, hat/sunglasses. Yes.. i was sporting some outfit but you really don't care as long as it works.

WATER - 3 bladders of water which held up to 5 liters. although the pack was extremely heavy when the bladders were full, it was never enough water. We drank on average 8 liters a day in 100+ temps during the day with 20-22 hours of constant movement/day.

Having now successfully completed my first expedition race, I still have lots to learn about packing, packing lite, and staying organized. It is one of the skills you develop and get better at with each race. Soledad, a fellow teammate from Argentina, had this skill down to a science... or was it an art? She was quick in the transitions and had all her necessary tools near her fingertips. Having good gear and the right gear was important in this type of event.

Train hard. Train smart.

Chi