Run, Camp, Sleep…Repeat. How To Complete a Ragnar Trail Relay

Equipment For Ragnar Trail: Running Gear

Runners must contend with heat, dry air and steep rocky terrain. We ran as light as possible with just enough gear to contend with mountain conditions.

Shirt — Our team wore different shirts during the event to suit our personal preferences, including the Salomon EXO S-Lab zip tee and merino wool shirts from Ibex and Rab.

Hydration — Water was available every few miles, but we used hydration packs from Salomon and Ultimate Direction, as well as handheld bottles, to keep the liquids flowing.

Shoes — Our entire team ran in shoes from the event sponsor Salomon. Our favorites were the S-Lab Sense Ultra, a top-of-the-line runner suited to the Sierra Nevada trails. The Salomon Sense Mantra also made the cut with two runners on the squad.

Shorts — Team GearJunkie showed a lot of leg, with three runners wearing short-shorts from Salomon and Pearl Izumi. Editor Stephen Regenold was decidedly more conservative in the Salomon Exo ¾ Tight.

Lighting — Our team employed small LED headlamps and handheld lights for combined light sources. Multiple lights help depth perception and provide backup in the event of an equipment failure. Brands including Petzl, Black Diamond, and Princeton Tec were among the lights.

Watch — A watch of some sort is critical in coordinating relay hand-offs and coordinating start times. Our team wore the Suunto Ambit 2s. The watch’s GPS features helped in charting progress on the course and monitoring distance and pace.

Food — Nutrition could fit in either running or camping, but the techy side happens during the run. We used gel packs from Honey Stinger, Body Glove, GU and Clif, and we were happy with the results. In recovery, we kept a large selection of foods — potato chips, cheese puffs, bananas, peanut butter, sports bars, soda and (gasp) beer — for the taking. It was tough to get in enough calories for the tough course.

Extras — Each member of our team used several personal items on the trail, but critical equipment for most runners includes a hat, sunglasses, skin lubricant, lip balm, and sunscreen.

> See “Camp Gear for Ragnar” on page 3 of this post