It’s 6 weeks to go before we gather in Coniston for our 18th year. If you have never been before, we have a compulsory kit list. It doesn’t matter what the weekly forecast says, the kit list can never be altered or questioned. So before we go any further, there are a few simple rules which may well help to answer your questions:
1. All runners must carry the full kit list, for the full duration of the event.
2. There are no exceptions to rule 1 under any circumstances.
3. Please don’t try to ‘beat the system’. Bring the items on the list below and save yourself the hassle. We’ve seen it all before, we’ve heard it all before, it didn’t work then, it won’t work now.
4. Do we actually check at the finish? Yes… we check all prize winners and there is a random check of finishers throughout the event. But this really isn’t about us trying to catch you out, it’s about you being completely safe and not putting your life (or those of your rescuers) at risk.
5. Don’t email or contact us to question the purpose, rights and wrongs of this kit list. We’ve had too many close calls and it isn’t up for discussion. Save your energy, turn up with the right stuff and have a great weekend.
Montane Lakeland 1 FUN RUN – 6:30pm Friday July 25th
1. Suitable clothing must be worn by children, parents and grand parents, based on the weather at that time. Wellies and crocs are allowed if the grass is wet. Younger children can be pushed in buggies but no modifications such as spoilers or increased engine capacity will be tolerated.
2. Young children may use ‘sippy cups’ on the route, but they must not be collapsable.
3. Failure to learn and complete (in some form) the warm up dance moves, may result in a time penalty and official warning. Rules also apply to parents and grandparents.
4. Adults running in hydration packs and compression socks will be removed from the course. Those ‘out sprinting’ 6 year old children and celebrating their meaningless victory will mysteriously disappear, never to be seen again.
Montane Lakeland 50 & 100
1. First aid kit to include: blister plasters, dressings, bandages and tape to secure dressing as a minimum requirement. We also recommend Vaseline, paracetamol and antihistamine. There are medics at the checkpoints, but use your common sense and ask yourself, what are the circumstances that could arise on the route and what would you want or need in your pack.
2. Full WATERPROOF body cover, top and bottom 10,000mm hydrostatic heads. Windproof or water resistant is not sufficient, your clothing must must be recognised as fully waterproof with taped seams. Plastic jackets, ponchos or bin bags will not be accepted….. Garments must be a good quality and recognised as fully waterproof. Your jacket must have a hood but we’re pretty flexible with regards to colour. If you’re not sure if your jacket matches those criteria, contact the manufacturer or the store where you purchased it from.
3. EMERGENCY base layer top and bottom – must be full length bottoms & long sleeve top. A pair of warm running tights and a long sleeve running top or thin fleece are ideal. Sound simple enough?
You’d think so wouldn’t you… But let’s just clarify a few things based on experiences of recent years:
- Three quarter tights or cycling shorts combined with long socks are not acceptable.
- Short sleeve tops are also not acceptable.
- Leg warmers or arm warmers with shorts or short sleeve tops are not acceptable.
- Ladies tights are not a suitable base layer
To be clear, if you turn up with something ridiculous at kit check, thinking you’ve found a loop hole, you’re not registering for the event.
IMPORTANT: Seal the EMERGENCY base layers in a watertight/plastic bag and leave them at the bottom of your pack. They should not be worn at any time during the event unless you are faced with a race ending emergency. If poor weather and a drop in temperature leads to you using EMERGENCY base layers, then you have not packed enough SPARE clothing.
- Have SPARE KIT to deal with changes in the weather.
- Have your EMERGENCY KIT sealed in a bag, should you have to pull out or be faced with an emergency situation.
4. Head torch / spare batteries if required to last one or two nights depending upon your race distance. Please don’t bring a cheap torch with old batteries which cuts out after 20 minutes leaving you stumbling around in the darkness, with your iphone as your only means of spotting the large rock you are about to fall over. You’ll be hitting the night sections in the latter stages and you’ll be tired. Make it as easy as it can be, bring a good quality / charged torch and ideally learn how to use the settings and understand the battery life. A good torch will set you back £60-80 and last many years, you’ve spent 12 months preparing… it’s not a major outlay.
5. Mobile phone fully charged. IMPORTANT – there is reception throughout the course (not in it’s entirety). If you are lost between checkpoints and identified by our live timing system as outstanding at a checkpoint, SWITCH YOUR PHONE ON. It is likely that we are trying to call you and you can call us using the numbers in your road book. To conserve the battery life on your phone, please see point 4 above, regarding head torch quality and you falling over big rocks.
6. Whistle – Should you find yourself in an emergency situation, a whistle can be used to attract attention. The recognised sign for help is 6 long blasts followed by 1 minute silence.
7. Hat and gloves (BUFF or similar is acceptable as hat).
8. Emergency foil blanket or bivi bag, large enough to cover WHOLE BODY. Don’t cut down your foil blanket in an attempt to save weight.
9. Emergency food equivalent to 400kcal e.g. 2 mars bars. If you’re following a low sugar & high fat paleo plant diet which is largely cardboard based, then yes you can opt for something other than mars bars and you’re free to choose. Lion bars, double deckers, chomps, bounty bars, monster munch, whatever you like…
IMPORTANT: Seal the ‘EMERGENCY FOOD’ in a plastic bag and leave them at the bottom of your pack. Do not eat the emergency food at any time during the event unless you are faced with a race ending emergency. If you eat your emergency food, you did not pack enough ‘SPARE FOOD’.
10. Map (supplied at registration, waterproof and pre-marked) Harvey 1:40,000. Ideally, please learn how to use it beforehand. If you should spot someone at the start of the event holding the map upside down and looking in the opposite direction to the actual route, please notify your nearest marshal. The route is available to download on the event website, but do this well in advance. If you intend to download the route, understand that tech can always go wrong, so understanding the basics of the map are worthwhile.
11. Road book (supplied at registration on waterproof paper). There is a copy on the website which you can download for familiarisation purposes. The road book is a written description of the route, turn by turn.
12. Compass (you must know how to orientate a map using a compass and take a simple bearing to provide direction). Knowing how to take a bearing or orientate a map gives you the simple security of being able to work out whether you are heading in the right direction.
13. We shudder at the very thought go this… But bring a solid cup. The kind of cup that has been used for hundreds of years to drink hot coffee, tea and other beverages. The use of disposable cups grew to an unacceptable level and for that reason there will be no disposable cups at checkpoints for either soup, hot or cold drinks. Competitors must carry a SOLID plastic cup / metal mug / china tea cup.
HERE’S A TIP FOR YOU…. IF YOUR ‘SOLID CUP’ COLLAPSES IN ANY WAY, THEN IT’S NOT A SOLID CUP. It sounds simple doesn’t it? Yeah, we thought so too.
For cold drinks, you can use the same solid cup or use your drinks bottle / soft flask.
14. We also don’t want disposable cutlery at the event, so bring a FOON with you… or as it’s otherwise known by ‘less cool’ people, a SPORK. There’s food at checkpoints and some of it required utensils to eat. We don’t provide any cutlery or wine glasses at checkpoints.
15. Bring £1 and drop it in the bucket at the bottom of Tilberthwaite steps, your final checkpoint. This is the toll you must pay to climb the steps and reach your final destination. All money dropped in the bucket will go to children’s cancer research and we’ll double whatever is collected.
If you have any genuine questions about kit, give us a call at The Endurance Store on 01257 251217. Don’t try to discuss the pros, cons, weight or aerodynamic benefits of cups or foons, the line will simply go dead.
Did we say it’s only 6 weeks to go?
Don’t worry… Nobody else has done any training either.
Montane Lakeland 50 & 100 Team