At the weekend I took part for the third year in a row in the Spitfire Scramble 24 hour relay run.
I’ve written a post about this event before which you can read here. It is basically a running event that you can do as a solo or in a team of up to 8 members over a 24 hour period completing laps of just under 10km.
Having done it previously I knew in advance what I needed and what I’d packed before and never needed in the hope of getting it just right this year.
You can tell the people who do events like this regularly as the set up is like a military operation with clothes lines, grills, food tents and even their own personal sports therapists.
Now the event is a five minute drive from my house so it always feels slightly odd packing for camping when so close to home. This inevitably ends up including a lot more than you intend to take, when I could easily go back and forth to a comfortable bed, a proper toilet and shower (it’s seriously tempting)! But that would not be in the spirit of the event and so here is a little list of items I would class as essential going into an event like this (it’s a car full – couldn’t even fit the dog in!):
Camping – tent, blow up mattress (inexpensive and definitely worth it rather than sleeping on the floor), sleeping bag, pillows, fold up chairs.
Medical – rock tape, scissors, ibruprofen, pro plus, Imodium, piriteze (or any other form of antihistamines), salt tabs, blister plasters, ice/heat packs.
Clothing – I prefer a fresh change of clothes for each lap (this year I wore the same for 3 laps and I have terrible chaffing – sorry I realise this is tmi), visor, trainers (check the terrain), number belt, running belt, jacket (you may walk and night laps can get chilly), sports bras, spare socks, compression calf sleeves (if you use these), waterproof layers (check the weather).
Electricals – running watch, headtorch (mandatory for laps after 8pm), spare batteries, phone charger, battery pack, camping kettle.
Toiletries – towel, toothbrush and paste, brush, dry shampoo, deodorant, baby wipes, spare toilet roll (nothing worse than the porta loos after a weekend of campers and runners and potentially no tissue!), dry shower, antibacterial gel, jungle spray (there are so many bugs).
Food and drink – electrolytes, water (though there should be a supply), snacks, porridge pots, bananas, soreen, breakfast biscuits, there are usually vans selling food – we had jacket potatoes/pasta/pizza/burgers/noodles on offer here though I prefer to stick to what I would usually eat though food and drink will be totally personal preference, tea bags, coffee, milk.
Other – foam roller, money, lighter or matches, citronella candles, cool box, water bottle, black bags, bowls/plates/cutlery.
You’re probably reading the above thinking wow that’s a lot – it is a lot but better to be prepared and set up camp and have everything you need so there is no added stress!
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