The Events Manager at Pete Bland Sports has considerable experience competing in Mountain Marathons over the last 35 years, in all categories and course types, and has produced this article aimed at giving competitors new to the Saunders a steer on what to consider kit-wise.

Mountain Marathons always come with a compulsory personal kit list and a mandatory team kit list; however, within this there is a lot of latitude for competitors.

There’s always a compromise to be had between having a comfortable night in overnight camp and carrying more weight; and surviving overnight camp but being lighter and faster during the day. This calculation is different for every team and often comes with experience – knowing what you can cut weight on and what you can’t. It’s good practice to lay all your kit out the week before and have a practice pack. If you’re treating this as an event rather than a race, get everything you think you need and then bulk it out a little (particularly food) – within reason though, carrying too much will turn what was supposed to be a fun weekend into a route-march. If you’re racing then layout everything you think you need and start taking stuff out – within what the mandatory list permits; you’ll be surprised how little you can get away with carrying for a 2-day race.

Individual Kit

SHOES

• Minimum 4mm lug; however, this still gives plenty of choice. In the current dry conditions, an aggressive trail shoe would suffice, but in wetter conditions a traditional fell shoe with an 8mm lug would perform better.
• You will be traversing a lot of open fell and broken ground, so wet or dry a shoe with a firm, low profile midsole will offer more stability than a more cushioned shoe.
• Go for a shoe that drains well – a waterproof shoe sounds like a good idea, but once water gets in it has nowhere to go. Accept you’re getting wet feet.
• Most importantly wear something comfortable as you’ll be on your feet for a considerable amount of time. You want a shoe that you’ve done some miles in but isn’t near the end of its life.
• You’ll only have one pair of shoes and probably one pair of dry socks, so bring a couple of small plastic bags for overnight camp to wear between your dry socks and wet shoes when you’re moving around.

CLOTHING

• Regardless of the weather work on the wet kit/dry kit principle. Wet kit during the day when you’re moving and a set of dry kit to sleep in. Put your wet kit back on in the morning before you start the second day – this is unpleasant but ensures you’ll always have dry kit in case something goes wrong.
• Your spare clothing must be in a dry bag or freezer bags – if it’s not it will get wet from sweat, rain or river crossings.
• Clothing should be light, warm and wicking. Try to avoid down and stick with a synthetic warm layer – if/when it gets wet it will still work.
• Waterproofs must have taped seams; go for lightweight running waterproofs if you’re moving quickly, only opt for traditional, heavier duty waterproofs if you’re intending to walk the event and wet weather’s forecast.
• Gloves should be windproof rather than waterproof. Waterproof gloves suffer from the same issue as waterproof shoes – once the water’s in it has nowhere to go.
• Having said that in cold or wet conditions a thin pair of waterproof overmitts are worth carrying, but they shouldn’t be your primary glove.
• Consider a cap if it’s hot – and sunblock. There’s no shade in the high fells.
• Midge net – if it’s a still, overcast evening the insects will be out.
• Test all your clothing before the race to make sure it works for you and doesn’t chafe.

RUCKSACKS

• Light, stable, lots of pockets so you can get at your food, and external attachment points or mesh for items you want access to or can’t get in the main body of your bag.
• Avoid rucksacks with an integral frame or too much padding – this adds bulk and weight and is unnecessary if you pack well.
• As with your shoes make sure it’s comfortable. Load it up and run with it before the race – you wouldn’t wear brand new shoes, and the same rule applies to your rucksack.

HEADTORCHES

• Your primary head torch should be at least 600 lumens as you may have to traverse open fell in the dark. Also consider how wide a beam it produces – to help your peripheral vision – and how effective its reactive setting is.
• Carry spare batteries or a charging bank and lead.
• Consider a secondary less powerful torch as a back-up – not so important for the Saunders as hopefully you’ll all be down and asleep in your bags before it gets dark.

FOOD

• Whatever floats your boat. Dehydrated works better from a weight perspective, boil in the bag is more palatable but heavier; either way it means you can get away with one pot and no washing up as all the mess is left in the bag.
• Dehydrated soup is good to throw in as well as brew kit – you might want a coffee in the morning.
• Take plenty of snacks and make sure it’s stuff you’re going to want to eat. Don’t try and grind the days out on gels – they’re heavy and can cause stomach issues if taken over a prolonged period. Take some proper food.
• If it’s hot consider taking electrolyte tablets – either water soluble or for chewing.

WATER

• Generally, plenty of it on the fells and drinkable (no need to filter or sterilise). Stick to the rule of only taking water from moving streams above the level of habitation and farming.
• Runners tend to either go for flasks or bladders – don’t carry too much water as you’ll be able to top up on the fell; consider a collapsible speed cup for taking a drink when crossing streams.
• There will be a good water supply at the overnight camp; however, it is likely to be below the height of farming/habitation, so expect to have to treat it. There are a number of water filters on the market, but a lighter weight solution is Chlorine Dioxide tablets – these kill everything you’re likely to find in a rural stream in the UK.
• Take some heavy duty, resealable freezer bags for transporting water back to your tent rather than trying to do it with 500ml flasks.
• A freezer bag can also double up as a pee-bag for the blokes – saves blundering around the overnight camp at 2am.

SLEEPING

• Considerable weight can be saved here if you’re willing to tolerate a poor night’s sleep.
• Your sleeping bag must be in a dry bag – if it isn’t it will get wet from sweat, rain or river crossings.
• What sleeping bag to carry is a very personal decision. Down offers the best warmth to weight ratio but is useless when wet. Synthetic bags tend to be heavier for a similar rating but still provide a good degree of insulation when damp. The gap between the two has narrowed over the years to the extent that there are some excellent, lightweight synthetic bags out there. Personally, I don’t use down in this country – it’s seldom sufficiently dry and cold at the same time and for long enough to make it a viable option.
• The great thing about the Saunders being in the summer is that you can potentially get away with a lower rated bag than you will in the OMM. If you’re going fast a lightweight synthetic bag with a relatively high temperature comfort/lower limit rating (1 to 2 season in old money) would be the best bet to keep down weight and bulk; a silk liner is worth considering to enhance a thin sleeping bag – they’re light and take up very little space.
• The more comfortable you want to be, the higher rated bag you might want to take.
• Sleeping mats offer a lot of scope for choice depending on how you’re approaching the event. For a comfortable night go for a lightweight, inflatable mat, these pack down quite small and they’re far lighter than they used to be.
• If you want to get the weight and bulk right down ditch the sleeping mat entirely. You can sleep perfectly well on your race map, a space blanket, or with your damp day kit between your bag and the groundsheet (it may even dry a little).
• A good compromise though is a folding half-mat that goes from shoulders to bum; no need to worry about your legs and head.

Group Kit

TENT

• As light as possible but make sure it’ll stand up to bad weather. Take it out and test it before the race to ensure it works and you know how to erect it – you might be putting it up in the dark or in horizontal rain on the day. Single pitch is a good option for speed and simplicity when you get into camp.
• Two good choices are the Nordisk Telemark 2 – a mere 800g; or if you want something a little more substantial, but still relatively light the MSR Hubba Hubba NX.

COOKING

• Bulk and weight to be saved here.
• The MSR Pocket Rocket is small and will boil a pan of water quickly. Two 100g gas canisters are the most you should need for the evening and breakfast, leaving you some fuel for an emergency.
• A single, collapsible pot between you should meet all your cooking needs if you stick with dehydrated food. Take a collapsible cup as well for brews.
• Cutlery-wise – other than your fingers – a long-handled spoon is the best way to go; you can dig out every corner of your dehydrated or boil in the bag meal without getting food all over your hand.

FIRST AID KIT

• Make your own. Purchased first aid kits have a lot of triangular bandages and small plasters, but the stuff that’s really useful is big plasters, non-stick dressings, micro-pore tape, wound closures, and some sort of tick-removal tool.