The Whole Kit and Caboodle

Raidlight Olmo 20L

When preparing for an event like the MDS, kit choice can be difference between getting over the finish line or being air lifted out of the dunes by a helicopter. Kit includes the following elements:

Clothing - race gear as well as something to use around the camp (bivouac) at night

Food and drink - enough calories (minimum 2,000) to sustain yourself through the event and the utensils to cook and eat it

Medical - supplies to treat all manner of ailments and illnesses, as well as the dreaded blisters   

Packing - how much space you will need to get everything around

Luxury - any additional items to make life easier in the desert

Obviously the lighter the pack weight, the easier the MDS will be. There is a balance to be achieved however, between compromising on essential supplies and making the pack as light as possible. For example, you can carry less food to ease the weight but then you compromise on calorie intake. In the end, here's what I settled for including weights (* - denotes mandatory equipment): 

Packing and Sleeping:

*Backpack: Raidlight Olmo 20L including 2 Raidlight Drinking Bottles (570g) (Note: the Olmo is named after Marco Olmo, 65 years old and racing this year's MDS. Olmo is a ultra marathon legend having won the prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc twice and despite his age, has consistently finishing inside the top 15 at the MDS since 1996, including 2013 when he finished 13th at the age of 64!).

*Sleeping Bag: Marmot (653g)

Thermorest (254g)

Ear Plugs (3g)

Raidlight Front Pouch (15g)

Survival Essentials:

*Signalling Mirror: Racekit (11g)

*Head Torch: Petzl Tikka (48g)

*Extra Batteries: Duracell (96g)

*Knife: Swiss Army Mini (22g)

*Compass: Silva (25g)

*Lighter: Centra! (20g)

*Anti-Venom Pump: Aspivenin (30g)

*Survival Sheet: Gelert (59g)

*Safety Pins: Tesco (3g)

Medical Equipment:

*Topical Gel/Iodine: Boots (77g)

*Suncream SPF 30: Boots (55g)

*Suncream SPF 50: Boots (97g)

*Hand Gel: (69g)

Foot Pack (Blister treatments): Racekit (136g)

Medicines: Nurofen, Dioralyte, Diphene, Immodium etc. (55g)

Anti-chaffing Cream: Bodyglide (46g)

Dry Wipes: Wemmi (add water) (10g)

Toothbrush (cut in half) (7g)

Tooth Paste: Oral B mini (28g)

Toilet Role: Andrex (130g)

Strapping: K Tape (39g)

Cooking:

Pot: Esbit Titanium (190g)

Stove: Esbit (90g)

Fuel: Esbit Tablets (160g)

Spork (11g)

Food:

*2,000 calories per day minimum for 7 days - totals: (4,450 g) (19,700 calories)

Expedition Foods High Calorie (800kcal) Dried Breakfast x 7 (Granola/Porridge)

Expedition Foods High Calorie (800kcal) Dried Meals x 8 (Chicken Tikka, Chicken Korma, Beef and Potato Hotpot, Spaghetti Bolognese, Asian Noodles with Chicken) (Note all freeze dried food was removed from its original packaging and decanted into Zip-lock bags saving approximately 10g per meal)

Extreme Foods High Calorie (500kcal) Desserts x 2 (Chocolate Chip, Strawberries and Custard)

Power Bars x 7

Torq Bar x 1

Mighty Bar x 4

Stinger Strawberry Waffle x 1

Gu Chomps, Power Shots, Stinger Shots x 6

High 5 Gels x 2

Nuts (mixed) x 400g

10 Tea Bags

10 tsps dried skimmed milk

Zero Tabs x 2 tubes

My Dried Food Decanted From Its Original Packaging Into Zip-lock Bags

Clothing:

Racegear (not weighed):

Saucony Kinvara (with Velcro sewn on by Shoehealer, Doncaster)

Injini Toe Socks

1000 Mile Performance Double Socks

Skins Calf Guards

Racekit Sand Gaiters (to attach to velcro on shoe)

Underarmour Heatgear Compression Shorts

Underarmour Heatgear Semi-compression Long Sleeve Tshirt

Buff

Raidlight Peaked hat with neckguard

Prestige Sports Glasses

Extra Clothing:

Tog 24 Merino Half Zip Top (241g)

Ronhill Trackster Legs (213g)

Nike Dri-fit Long Sleeve Tshirt (191g)

Hotel Slippers (65g)

Luxury:

Digital Camera (131g)

MP3 Player (65g)

Additional Requirements:

*Passport (33g)

*€200 Cash (5g)

So this all added up to just shy of 8.5kg. Added to this you must carry a signalling flare (400g) and an MDS Road Book (100g). So that gives you 9.0kg without water and 10.5kg when the bottles are full. This was acceptable to me given that I wasn't out to win the race, survival was my main priority.

Every trick in the book was used to reduce weight - cutting my toothbrush in half, removing the case of the anti-venom pump and wrapping toilet role around it to save space, removing the insert from the toilet role, reducing the length of the straps on the bag etc.

In the end, I was relatively happy with my bag and the pack and racing gear were comfortable as I had a quick run around my housing park before setting off to Morocco, not quite what I would call ideal preparation but since I had not been running due to my IT Band, this was as good as it was getting.

In the final few weeks before departure, I had to have an ECG completed, a blood test to determine my blood group and my medical certificate signed off by my GP to complete the medical forms.

Sarah continued to work on my IT Band and Sinead advised a course of Diphene to aid recovery. A week before I was due to begin racing, I ran 5 miles without much aggravation but felt it would still be touch and go once I got there. Either way I was off...