The whole week leading up to GAX 100 Miles was preliminary vacation for me and that was probably good. With no experience running longer than 50 km I felt green as an unripe banana trying to figure out what I would need.
I spent a lot of time thinking about this and to be as prepared as I could. This is what I came up with.
The energy plan felt important
I tried to figure out my energy plan, what kinds of food & snacks I could eat and what energy drink to go with. I had previously ordered Vitargo but it didn’t mix easy enough with the water during my tries so it was a late decision to switch over to Umara that was also a sponsor of the race.
Umara felt like a much better choice and was mixed much faster with water.
From Umara I ordered energy drink (powder) tastes of citrus, orange and elderflower. I also ended up with some gels from them but I also used plenty of gels from Enervit.
I aimed for 100 grams of carbohydrates every hour and knew I could probably survive on a little bit less for a really long time. My base energy plan was made up of sport drinks in my hydration pack, energy gels, sweets and dextrose tablets.
This was divided into piles that would fuel me for 20-25 km until I refill my hydration bladder. At that point I move the energy from the back of my back to the pockets in front. After two completed phases I would be at the next drop bag and I could refuel for the coming two phases there.
In addition to this I had caffeine tablets with at all times and extra sweets, raisin, salty peanuts and some other stuff available in the drop bag if I wanted something else when I passed them.
The plan was to enjoy some real food and alternatives at the aid stations throughout the race and get some real food at least half way through. As I have never run this long before, just aiming for quick sugar the whole way could be too risky. While my goal was to get as much experience as possible, getting it from all the toilets during the course was not really on my chart 🙂
The gear for the drop bags
I think my biggest preparations when it comes to the gear was the shoes and socks.
I had already decided to switch to trail running shoes in Magleberg after 43 km. So I put that in the drop bag. I also put a new t-shirt and an extra wind jacket there if my current one was wet. As the terrain up to Magleberg was pretty easy and not very technical I placed the extra aid kit here. It’s medical stuff to wrap the foot if it got sprained or clean/patch wounds if I would fall etc.
For Haväng, the second drop bag available at half way point at 80 km was bigger. More clothing for the night, new socks, headlamps and so on. I had removed the second trail running shoes from this drop bag just before the race and put them in my support car that my partner drove. I also had a pair of regular running shoes available there if I for some reason needed that. I even put a pair of really thin running gloves here.
I also placed gaiters in my second drop bag as we would enter the beach several times in the second half of the race. That would protect me from most of sand getting down into the shoes.
As the weather would be pretty cold for a summer day in July with down to 11 degrees during the night. I was unsure how much clothing I would need. Especially as the body gets more sensitive to cold after running for a long while.
For the last drop bag in Sandhammaren that was available after 131 km I had a pair of regular running shoes that was one size too big for me (normally). I also had fresh socks here.
The drop bags also had other minor stuff as new caps, sunglasses, mosquito spray, Vaseline, extra toilet papers (for refill).
Starting gear
I started the race with regular running shoes (ASICS Nimbus) that would take me to the first drop bag. I also tried to minimize the gear as much as possible here to keep the weight at a minimum for at least the first part of the race.
I only brought the emergency blanket, a small first aid kit and stuff to deal with blisters. I also threw down a pair of toe socks as a backup. In addition this I only had a wind jacket and my energy.
The wind jacket would be nice if heavy rain would come as it would keep me warmer.
Support car
The support car had a cooling bag with some bread, coca cola, chocolate and water if something went terrible wrong with one of the aid stations between the drop bags.
The car also had a complete set of running gear and the shoes I mentioned above.
I also placed some extra allergy medicine and tablets for stomach problems. In addition to this I copied others tips with some extra clothing to change into after the race and some comfortable shoes.
Covering all angles
I felt like I wanted to cover all the angles, everything that could go wrong should have a fix if possible.
I’m sure I overdid myself in many ways here but if you really end up needing something it’s really nice if it’s just a 20 minutes call away.
The only problem with the support car is that it could be tempting to DNF and go home… It’s something worth thinking about but I wouldn’t know how all these thing would fall until the actual race.
I found my love for running in early 2016. Since then I have used social media to get inspired and eventually inspire others. I have continued to use running as a great way to stay in good mental and physical shape. I have also found out that I’m apparently mortal and can get injuries.
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