For a remote 100 mile race with a 48 hour cut off that could see you facing extreme weather conditions you want the right gear. The Hardrock 100 takes runners to over 14,000 feet altitude and the weather is unpredictable in the Rocky Mountains.
Gear choices are personal, but here is what I took along and it worked for me.
1. The least sexy hat
There are some great looking running caps out there but I went with something distinctly unsexy.
The thing was sold to me as the ideal fishing hat. The Glacier Glove hat is khaki with long flaps coming down over the back of the neck and sides of the face, and has an extra long bill. Not much into fishing, I found it worked just as well as an ideal running hat and does a great job protecting against UV rays at altitude, and due to the chin strap it doesn’t fly off in a gust.
2. The right rain jacket
Super light but very effective, I found the Alpine Houdini Jacket the best I’ve ever tried. It folds into one of its pockets, making it no bigger than my hand when carrying, and is super light.
This jacket kept me completely dry during hours of rain but didn’t make me hot either to the degree I started sweating inside. I carried this the whole way and it was much more effective than a thicker and heavier gore-tex I used to run with, which always started to leak through after a few hours. Absolutely love this jacket.
3. The right windbreaker
Patagonia also produces a super light windbreaker which I also carried the entire way – the Houdini jacket (alpine houdini is water-proof, houdini is only water resistant and not recommendable for rain, but it keeps you warm at early morning race starts and when it’s windy. It folds up tiny).
Together with the rain jacket, it can provide a huge amount of warmth for a tiny amount of space when carrying. I’ve used this in the Leadville 100 and Hardrock and love it. Pricey, yes, but I’ve had it for three years now, use them frequently during training, and they’ve survived a good deal of stuff. For me these two have been a worthwhile investment.
4. The right shirt
I don’t like the usual running shirts as they stink so bad once you’ve been in them for a while. Also, I chafe in them more easily.
So I run in super-thin merino wool shirts, always long-sleeve and with a snug fit. They tend to be sold as base layer shirts. I’ve been running in those for over ten years. I keep the sleeves down when starting in a cold morning, and push them up when it gets warmer.
Merino doesn’t stink, even after exercising in it for 48 hours straight and I don’t chafe in them either.I always also keep a second and slightly looser fitting Merino shirt for extra layering if it gets cold. They are light and fold up very small.
5. Midweight jacket for cold / night sections
I also had a midweight jacket in merino. I have been wearing the same mid-weight Icebreaker merino jacket with hoodie for nine years now, for nearly all hikes, races and training runs where cold is expected. The stuff lasts. It’s getting a bit frayed at the sleeves, but works fine. The hoody is great and helps hugely preserve warmth at night. If I am truly exhausted, dead tired, and making my way through a really cold night, a combination of the merino base layer, looser merino shirt, midnight merino and then the windbreaker, rain jacket, or both (they all fit over each other) always keeps me warm.
The mid weigh jacket I keep tied around my hips as long as it doesn’t rain. Due to the zipper you can wear it open or closed depending on temps. If weather is expected to be great during the day, keep it in a drop bag for the night section. But keep in mind that mountain weather is unpredictable.
6. Essential socks
I kept new and different types of socks at various aid stations. I don’t like cold feet, as it makes the rest of me cold too. I always run in toe socks, as it keeps the blisters in check for me. My favorites are the injinji trail midweight mini crew, because they are a bit thicker than the running socks, and therefore last a lot longer. In fact, I haven’t had a single hole in one yet and I’ve been using some pairs for years. The runner ones I used earlier ended up with holes pretty quickly.
At Hardrock, I wanted to be really sure I don’t end up cold during nice sections, and left a thick pair of long ski socks at Grouse. I put them on over my toe socks at night and they worked beautifully. When I was cold, I pulled them up over my calf. Even though my feet were wet a lot with all the river crossings, they weren’t cold once.
Keep in mind though, I lived in Australia for many years before doing this race, so I like it pretty warm.
7. The right shoes
All important and a completely personal choice, but you need ones with a really good profile that can stand trails ranging from snow and slippery mud sections to loose scree. For me, Solomon seem to be the best fit, and I went the entire 100 miles in the Solomon Fellraisers.
I buy my running shoes fairly big to accommodate swollen feet, and went with size 11 men’s. I have big feet so I usually have to buy men’s shoes anyway. I had other shoes stashed in drop bags but ended up finding the Fellraiser good for the entire way.
I’d say that waterproof shoes are useless in this race because you will be crossing so many rivers, that water will be running into your shoes all the time anyway. A waterproof shoe will only keep it from evaporating during the dry sections, leading to wet feet for longer.
8. The microspikes question
Some say you need them, some say you don’t on Virginius Pass.
I preferred to have the option and kept Kahtoola microspikes in my Ouray drop bag. And yes, I was extremely grateful for them. My legs were wobbly after more than 24 hours of extreme climbs and descends and I couldn’t bear the idea of sliding down that slope and having to climb it all again if I lost my balance.
Most runners do it without spikes, but the sure-footedness they gave me took all worries of losing my grip off my mind. I had gone up Virginius during course marking and and found it hard to get a grip on that snow wall, so I loved the spikes and didn’t mind carrying them from Ouray to Telluride.
9. Gaiters
There are so many little rocks and sticks that can jump into your shoes and lead to blisters where you foot rubs against them. Stopping to take them out costs time and is annoying. You save yourself the entire hassle by wearing gaiters. I find the colorful Dirty Girl gaiters fun and effective.
10. The right pants
Again, I lived in Australia for ages before this race and am used to heat, so I ran the entire way in long compression tights. Together with the knee-high ski socks, I needed nothing else to keep me warm at night when my feet and legs were wet after crossing a cold river. My legs were often wet, but never cold. I run in the 2XU tights. Compression pants keep the pain down for me. Obviously, if you are rather always too hot than too cold, you’ll go for shorts with only a backup of long pants.
I did carry super light rain pants as well out of paranoia that I was going to freeze to death in some isolated corner or the course after getting lost due to non-existent trail markers. However, I never used them. They did a lot to calm my mind though, and as they are virtually weightless I didn’t mind having them.
Pam Reed recommended the Outdoor Research Helium pants to me when I ran into her on Virginius Pass during course marking. Pam said she used them all the time during her race, because, like me, she gets cold easily and it was pretty rainy when she did it. I still have them and still take them on hikes or runs when it looks like rain, because they are so light.
11. Anti-chafing
Don’t start without it! The pain, oh the pain…
I’m a big fan of Bodyglide. I even keep additional small tubs in my drop bags just in case. In addition to all the important bits, I also smear it on my feet. Not just once, but morning and evening for two days before a really big race.
I believe this is the reason I got through the Bear 100, the Leadville 100 and Australia’s C2K 150 Mile without a single blister. I did blister quite a bit at Hardrock, but only found out after the finish in the shower. I didn’t feel them during the race.
Apparently the company now sells different versions for different body parts, with an extra type for feet, but I use the same for everywhere.
12. What running vest?
I ran Hardrock in the Ultimate Direction AK 2.0 Race Vest, which is no longer on sale.
It’s pretty small with no extra pockets, but it was enough. I don’t use the holders in the front for water but for gear. I don’t like the Ultimate Direction water bladders though, as they break too easily in my experience, and having a leaking water bladder is not what you need in the Hardrock 100.
I ran with a 2 liter Platypus bladder in that vest. The reason I like the platypus is that it is divided into two chambers, which distributes the water more evenly, making it more comfortable to run with and there is less/no sloshing. They are also a lot sturdier and last longer than the UD ones, in my experience. I carried a handheld as well for coke or ginger beer when I needed it.
I thought I would need a bigger vest later to carry the spikes, so I kept a bigger, ready-packed vest at Ouray. Having ready-packed vests at aid stations can save you time if you don’t have a crew, like me. You can just leave one vest and hop into the next one and off you go.
But I ended up liking the comfort of the race vest best so I stuck with it the whole way.
13. Hiking poles
If you take poles, and I would strongly recommend it for the Hardrock 100 – take two!! This may seem obvious but it wasn’t to me. I did Leadville with one hiking pole and liked the arrangement as it kept one hand free for food or an extra water bottle. And at Leadville, I had no issues using only one, it helped me keep pace and get up Hopeless Pass.
HOWEVER – Leadville is a pretty flat race compared to the Hardrock 100. Using only one pole during Hardrock screwed up my gait as I relied on it a lot, and ultimately when I forgot to change sides for too long it led to an overuse injury in one leg. I couldn’t run or even walk pain-free for nearly three months after the race due to that injury, and the last 20 miles of Hardrock were an agony that required quite a few painkillers to get me through.
Don’t make that mistake – always take two poles at Hardrock if you go with poles. And make sure they are light. I use Black Diamond, aluminum ones. The carbon ones are lighter, but also more expensive, and given how rarely I use poles, I didn’t feel like shelling out the extra cash.
14. Ziplock bags
I love ziplock bags to eat on the go. Instead of staying at aid station I throw any food that looks good into a ziplock while a volunteer kindly fills up my water and I’m in an out in no time. Many of my Hardrock aid station stops were only two or three minutes. Having a bag full of food to enjoy on the next climb and beyond makes it all so much nicer.
Yep, it all gets kind of jumbled up so keep a few, that way you can just throw the old soggy bag away at the next aid station and use a new one. Think peach pie mixed with pretzels sounds yuck? You wait until you’re 50 miles into Hardrock, it’ll taste like heaven.
15. Gloves!
It gets cold, cold at night, or during the day, or all the time. Take gloves. I keep some super light ones on my all the time, and keep some thicker ones in drop bags.
16. The most awesome running skirt 🙂
A must! I mean, everyone looks good in those.I love the Rypwear running skirts. A runner in Cool, California, came up with them, and I wear them at every race, not just because the color cheers me up but also because the stretchy pants underneath the skirt come with two pockets I find super handy for snacks. The pocket also fits a smartphone, but for safety I carry my phone in a stretchy belt with a zipper pocket.
The race organizers will also have tips for emergency gear you should take to heart even if it means some extra weight. No PB is worth risking your safety for.
What gets you through big races? Let me know in the comments.