You decide to run a marathon out of town. It’s cool it’s exciting. But then you realize how much you have to pack! Every time, I find myself making a checklist and worrying about what I forgot, so I am making this online checklist for myself, and if it helps you that’s great! If I forgot something on the list please tell me 🙂 This list works for Marathons and such but if you are running a Ragnar/Relay race that’s a different story, I’ll have to write a post on that later!
Just checked into your race hotel?
Time to take care of a few logistics
- GPS Charger
- ID or Runners passport for bib pickup
- Location and hours of race expo for bib pickup
- Details on how and when to get to the start line
- Do you want to check out the finish line area? Maybe walk the last half mile of the course?
- Suitable spot for supper pre-race?
Don’t forget to buy your pre-race breakfast supplies
- Banana (Thank you Randy)
- Bagel
- Peanut butter (and a plastic knife to spread it)
- Oatmeal (amazing what you can do with a hotel room coffee maker – you might want to pack a spoon to eat it with (Thank you Jesse), a bowl is nice but sometimes you can manage with the cups in the hotel room)
- A place to get coffee in the morning?
Waiting around pre-race
It’s all about keeping warm and dry before the race!
Staying warm
- Throw away hat
- Throw away gloves
- Warm jacket or hoodie
- Bathrobe or onesie
- PJ pants
- Throw away arm warmers (socks with ends cut off work nicely)
Staying dry
- multiple garbage bags or old post-race thermal blankets (something to sit on, something to wear)
- Disposable rain poncho (like the ones you buy at amusement parks before you go on a water ride)
- plastic bags and elastics to put over your shoes if ground is wet
Interesting suggestions from runners who ran Boston 2018, a very cold and wet race year with a start waiting area that was a field of mud! 2000+ runners treated by medical personnel, many of them for hypothermia.
- Throwaway pair of shoes and socks to wear until you need to change into your race shoes and socks
- rubber boots
- shower cap to trap heat
- rubber gloves or surgical gloves
- Hot shots (those little packages you put in your mittens to keep your hands warm)
Prepping for the race
- Body glide
- Sunscreen
- Sharpie for writing name on bib or arms & legs
- Pre-race gel
During the race
The basics
- Running shoes
- GPS watch
- Race belt for holding bib, or bib clips for your shirt
- Running socks
- Sports Bra or Nip protectors depending on your gender
- Earbuds/headphones – if allowed
- Phone and a holder for your phone
- K tape
Fueling
- Gels
- Belt that can hold gels
- Water bottles
- Nuun or Gatorade powder
- Belt that can hold water bottles
- Salt tablets
Warm weather
(ah yes Grandma’s 2016)
- Singlet
- Short sleeved shirt
- Shorts
- Visor or hat
Cold or wet weather?
(memories of Boston 2015… not as bad as 2018 which I did not run)
- Long sleeved shirt
- Tights
- Compression sleeves for arms
- Hat or headband
- Gloves
Do you want?
- Sunglasses
- Compression sleeves for lower legs
- Compression socks
- Hair elastic
- Tampons (hopefully no, but it happens)
- Moleskin or tape to avoid chafing
- Pace band (I need to print my own, because the ones they give out at the expo are too small a print for me to read, either that or my arms are too short)
- Nail clippers
- scissors
Gear check for post-race
- Recovery sandals (Oofos or equivalent, if you haven’t splurged on these yet… they are awesome!)
- Warm shirt
- Dry socks
- Loose fitting pants
- Jacket
- If there is a change area, underwear and bra
Back in the hotel post race
Ibuprofen- foam roller, massage stick or yoga tune-up balls
- post race snack
- wine or beer to celebrate
Here the rest of my running related posts and race reports.
HockeyGeekGirl 