I suddenly feel the urge of writing a long long long, multi episode of this event.... :)
Ah well, I just go with the flow and try to impart as much of my experience throughout the 22.5 hours. I am sure many of you out there can gain lots from this experience in anticipation of HK100 2012 :)
So let's talk about the setup. What was the mandatory kit and what did I use/bring along. What worked well for me and what didn't. After all, this was the very first event where the temperature was super cold. Never mind the marathons that I've completed in Hong Kong and Macau cause when you're out there in the open for 20+ hours, keeping warm matters most and severely important.
2 main pointers when doing ultras. One is to keep sufficiently warm throughout the whole course (if the event is in a cold climate), or the opposite to keep cold when the event is done in a warm country. Second point is to sufficiently hydrated at all times and refueled proper and at the right frequency and timing.
Mandatory Kit
A good set of headlamp makes a world of difference. Unless your name is Ryan Sandes (the winner of HK100 that completed in 9hours 54mins), chances are you will need a headlamp for the night part. The one I purchased in HK last year was from the brand called Black Diamond. They do make quite a bit of accessories for the outdoor too. In comparison the Energizer one at the bottom (different from the one you get from the Energizer Night Race as this one is slightly more powerful).
The Black Diamond Spot Headlamp gives out 75 Lumens compared to the Energizer 28 Lumens. The difference if you get a wider and further throw with the Black Diamond. Good when you are trying to walk or run in near pitch dark. It only weighs 90g with batteries for the Black Diamond whilst the Energizer one weighs 88g without batteries. So it's lightweight as well as IPX4 rated. Which means it can withstand splashes of water to to (should do ok in the rain too).
I've used the Energizer one in last year's TNF100 Singapore and I rate it as ok overall. Does the job but the Black Diamond one is head and shoulders above.
A bit more specs on the Black Diamond Spot headlamp.
- a long throw ahead of up to 70m
- rated 250 hours on 3 AAA batteries
- weighs only 90g with batteries
- includes red LEDs for night vision
- IPX4 rated
- ability to adjust the amount of light needed. As little or as much as you need
- has a battery remainder indicator (so you wont get caught with old batteries suddenly at the start of an event)
- excellent head band adjustment for a real snug fit and none of that bouncy crap. It stays firmly on your forehead
The specs of the Black Diamond headlamp. Note, there are other good headlamp brands out there which I've not tested so far. They may be better than the one I am using right now. Do a bit of googling and you'd see plenty of brands coming up.
The not so good part about it is the pricing. I bought this in Hong Kong last year during my Macau trip at HKD345 (before a discount of 10%). So roughly about RM130 at today's exchange rate. If you're into night trail running, please don't skim on a good headlamp. It could be your safety at sake. The mandatory kit requires 2 sets of headlamps, the main one and a backup one including a spare set of battery.
In any event in colder parts of the world, a space blanket (on the right) is mandatory. It is also sometimes called an emergency blanket. It is essentially a silver coated blanket which you use to wrap yourself in to keep warm. Very important in dire situations specially when you're lost or injured and awaiting help. When you are stationary, the cold creeps in very very fast. Will relate to that in the next few entries how cold it can suddenly get when you're stationary. On the left is the compression tape. Mainly for injuries you sustain in the event, and to compress the injured part, ie your ankle.
You most definitely need a bladder to store a minimum 1.5litres of hydration. Shown here is my Karrimor 2l bag that I got from SportsDirect.com in 1Utama. I think it was just RM100 or so for this. A steal. I stopped using bags with built in bladders. Mainly cause you can't replace the bladder when it's punctured, ruined and generally, when you're doing a 100km event, you also need to carry other stuffs with you. Those built in bladder bags doesn't usually have much space for your other needs.
Paired my Karrimor bladder bag with my trusty Salomon Raid Revo 20, that holds 20litres of my needs. Have used this in TMBT, TNF100 Duo Singapore and TNF100 Solo Thailand and it does the job nicely. I can't complain if there's plenty of room for my stuffs BUT be warned that you must be prudent in what you carry. For HK100, I think my Salomon carried around 3kg+, including 1.5l of water. Your shoulders and back won't complain for the first half of the 100km but they certainly will for the 2nd half when every bone and muscle in your body is dead tired. So do think about your strategy of what to replenish or dump at Check Point 5 which is generally at 50km.
Beyond the above, there are of course the other essential bits that you need to measure based on your needs. Replenishment of hydration, fueling gels/food, change of clothes at midway, change of socks/shoes (or as a backup), vaseline/glides for chaffing, etc. How much? Depends on your needs. It's much better if you're able to simulate some parts of the distance to gauge your needs. Or even what you've consumed in your previous 100km ultra. Proper food/drink are usually prepared at each checkpoint but the depends entirely on each event. Don't just rely entirely on what has been promised. Do make sure you come equipped too. The last thing you need in an ultra is a nasty surprised and you're not prepared for it. Bad, very bad.
A beanie. My North Face beanie that I picked up in Thailand. You will need something to warm up your head specially at night with the howling wind. This beanie did the trick for me. When it's cold with the wind, I'll yank it further down to cover my ears. If it's too warm, I'll just peel it back a little to cool down. A good and thick balaclava would be essential too as they are flexible for the arrangements around your head/shoulders.
Gloves of course. Without these specially at nights, you'll lose loads of heat from your hands. I'll admit my Nike gloves were a tad thin for the HK hills. But it does come with an extra slip case (seen on the right) to cover my fingers additionally from the wind. I could have gone for thicker ones but here's the problem. The thicker your gloves are, the more difficult it will be to wick the wetness when you constantly run/walk. I've not seen thick gloves that are the dri fit kind. These that I use were a bit of a dri fit material but it did remain quite wet throughout the course. And with thicker gloves, you'll fumble even at trying to zip/unzip your jacket or trying to open your back pack. And having to remove your thicker gloves to do just about anything, there's a chance they may slip off and be lost. So be very careful not to lose your gloves, specially in the dark.
Salomon three quarter tights. First time I am wearing tights below my knees. No, they are not compression tights cause I don't like wearing compression stuffs. Did the job fine from the cold except for the calves part when the wind blows. Well sometimes. But when I am on the move, all is ok with the legs. Warm enough. Plus its dri fit material so it'll wick the sweat quick enough.
My inner wear. Nike base layer with compression. Supposed to act as a thermal layer too. Dri fit material. Did the job well enough. During the day, I felt a bit too warm on the run, with my Columbia jacket on. But at night, it's a different story when the temperature drops and the wind howls! Got this base layer from SportsDirect.com at 1Utama for RM139. I wanted to just have a short sleeve inner wear in the first place but ditched the idea out as I needed to run through the night. Another idea is to wear short sleeves and then change at the midpoint to long sleeves.
My outter wear, Columbia Titanium Series jacket. Dri fit and light. Bought this last year with the intention to use it for TMBT. Didn't get far with it. Stayed on me from the start till the end. Daytime it got a bit warm together with my Nike base layer. Fixed that by dropping the zip at the front to cool the inside. Zip it up again when it gets chillier. Flexibility is what you need in cold climate events. There are other brands that will do the trick but sadly, it's difficult to get them here in Malaysia.
Columbia rain jacket which I didn't have to use. It would be good not just for the rain but an extra protection from the wind factor. It also have a hood which is useful when your head gets a bit chilly specially at night. Very light and can be folded very small for storage and won't take up much space in your backpack.
Shoes of course! But in my case the lack of it lol. Call me crazy but I ran with these babies. Did the same with TNF100 Solo Thailand too. Yes, at times through the rocky trails, it hurt me bad. Till I got a severe stone bruising on my left foot near the balls of the foot. But I'll leave that story later. So a good pair of trail shoe is essential, with sufficient padding and support to get you through the 100km. I'd say it's a 60% trails and the rest tarmac, sealed roads, stone paths and concrete paths. Since Vibram was one of the major sponsors for this event, true enough there were plenty of participants shod just in vibrams for this event. I'd say an easy 20 to 30 participants. Just wondering how many did finish in vibrams though. It's crazy enough to do this HK100. What more in vibrams *insert evil devilish laugh here*
Socks? Who need them lol but in your case, a spare change of socks would be essential at the mid point drop bag or to carry with you. Was I ever cold in just my vibrams? Nope and probably because I kept on the move all the time.
Last but not least, comfort food!!! It's just not comfort food but they do help somewhat. The sourish items to keep the nausea away after long hours on the road whilst the Ribena pastilles induces me with the sugar load that I require. For this, you'd have to test and try before hand as to what works best for you in endurance events. No 2 person reacts the same so please find time to try them out prior ya. I brought 6 gels for the whole route but ended up taking 2 only and relied on real food at each checkpoint. The trick is to take your time at each checkpoint and fuel up to last you to the next checkpoint. More on the refueling strategy in the entries to come.
I think that sums up the essentials required for HK100. I'll blog about the journey in the entries to come. Right now, I need to get those dreams of 'running up the freezing and magnificent Tai Mow San (Big Misty Hill) at night' out of my head and sleep, each night!
