Puma HellRunner:Hell Down South - The Aftermath - Events

Ratzer

07/10/2009 at 10:02

Anyone got any advice on kit? I've not done this race before, or anything similar in terms of how muddy I expect it to be. Muddier, I suppose, because the course will already have been run!

What shoes does anyone recommend?

Do I need a mask and snorkel? Should I bring my own halftrack? Are there mouthwash stations on the course?

JohnFol

07/10/2009 at 14:24

Not sure about snorkel, but I guess that depends how tall you are!

Lazybones - The Original

07/10/2009 at 16:03

Using your own halftrack would be cheating. Whether or not you need mouthwash depends on your answer to JF's question above !!

Personally I think you need trail shoes, dark technical clothing and don't wear any electronic gadgetry. If you wear non-tech clothing I doubt you will ever wash the mud out but it does seem to come out of tech stuff although it may take more than one wash. Some people wear old road shoes and bin them afterwards but I prefer the grip of trail ones because a lot of the course is over sandy forest trails, some of which are quite hilly. Sometimes there have been mixed showers (!!) but don't know if they are available this time so large bottle of water and a sponge in the boot of your car is a good idea so you can get the worst off before driving home.

FerrousFerret

07/10/2009 at 16:08

Bring a change of clothes, you will need them. How muddy will depend very much on the weather in the preceeding weeks. Deepest puddle/boggy area was about waist high on me (6 foot tall), but I did this back when it was still sponsored by saab, so course may have changed.

I did the course in racing flats (at the time the oldest and grottiest shoes I had), it was a dry year when I did it and had no traction problems (make sure your shoes are securely laced)- all the kit I used was salveagable and only required a normal 40 degree wash to get clean.

JohnFol

07/10/2009 at 16:15

So on the subject of shoes, last year I attempted to kill of the old pair doing the Grim. Timing wise I'm around 100 miles into a new pair and would like them to survive the experience. Is this likely?

Ratzer

08/10/2009 at 16:14

Hmm, so trail shoes a good idea for grip, or old roadies to chuck afterwards. I'm looking for some trail shoes now for the winter off-road training, but should I risk putting them through this hell while they're still nearly new?

Back when I was a little tyke I used to run x-country in spikes. Would a cheap, light pair of these be any good, or too dangerous in the crowds? I used duct-tape on the really muddy runs to hold these on. I'm going back so far that trail shoes didn't really exist (certainly not in most shops).

Thanks for the washing info. I'll take some old technical kit. And a large bottle of water and a sponge does sound very sensible!