If I were asking this on race morning, I could forgive someone for forgetting one small item. Race-day nerves are real, and sometimes things slip through the cracks.
But if you are travelling to a destination or mountain race, where the organisers have been repeatedly messaging you about mandatory gear, and you still arrive without it… I think you have been a little too casual.
I am in a WhatsApp group for a race happening tomorrow where I see messages like:
“Does anyone have extra gels? I forgot mine.”
“Where can I get a headlamp?”
“Where can I buy running poles?”
“Any recommendations for a rain jacket?”
“Which shoes should I get?”
And some of these questions are coming just a few days before the race.
Really?
You are thinking about what shoes you are going to run in four days before a mountain race?
Forgot your gels? Come on. For a long race, that should be one of the first things you pack.
And I sincerely hope nobody has forgotten their running clothes. 😄
I am often laughed at for arriving at races with too much stuff and too much luggage. I will happily take that criticism. I’d rather overpack than arrive without something critical.
After running races across India, I have noticed what seems to me like two very different approaches to racing.
There are people who take the race seriously, regardless of where they eventually finish. They train for it, read the race information, understand the course and requirements, prepare their gear, and pay attention to the organiser’s instructions.
And then there are people who seem to treat races almost like spontaneous adventures. They sign up for a 100-miler despite having barely run for months. They arrive without knowing what mandatory gear is required. They ask where the bib collection is even though the information has been pinned in the group for days.
With hundreds of races happening every weekend, perhaps we have become a little too casual about racing.
And yes, you can probably get away with some of that at a road race.
But a mountain trail race is a different beast.
The weather can change. The terrain can be technical. Aid stations can be far apart. You may be out there for hours. Mandatory gear exists for a reason… it isn’t just another item on a race organiser’s checklist.
You don’t have to be obsessed with racing. You don’t have to chase a podium. You don’t even have to care about your finish time.
But if you’ve signed up for a demanding trail or mountain race, take enough responsibility to prepare for it properly.
Read the race guide.
Read the mandatory gear list.
Pack your nutrition.
Check your shoes.
Test your gear.
Know where you are going.
And please, don’t wait until race morning to figure it all out…
Being casual about your finish is one thing. Being casual about your preparation is another.
Mountain races deserve a little more respect.
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