Obstacle Course Racing Shopping List
/I’m snowed in inside my house in NY, but although the weather is cold right now, race season is among us and before we know it, it’ll be race day! Now while some of us are preparing for our 3rd, 4th and 50th races, there are some brave people getting ready for their first race. If you’re preparing for your first race, you’re probably asking yourself “What am I supposed to wear?” “What can I expect?” “What supplies do I need?”. We’ve all had these same questions at some point and have gone through this same level of anxiety, so I decided to share my Spartan Race and Mud Run shopping list with you all. While training hard is extremely important, it is also important to be as prepared as you can be for what you will face in your race. Here are my top 10 essential race items I recommend to help get through the race both safely and efficiently. This is the Spartan Race Shopping List.
Camel Back Back-Pack
1. *Camel Back Backpack** - Make Sure to pick one of these up because some of these races could take more than 2 hours and depending which race you partake in, water stations could be few and far between. Temperatures will be very hot and I've seen people get sick or carried off the course from the heat. Try picking up a pack with some storage so you can carry your sodium tablets (#9), GU packets (#8) and Nuun tablets (#7).
I use a 100oz. water bladder, but many people use 50oz. or 70oz.
Where to buy: Dicks Sporting Goods, Modells, Sports Authority, EMS, REI
2. Proper TRAIL RUNNING shoes - Not to be confused with Trail shoes or Running shoes. Spartan Races and many mud runs (Tough Mudder) are designed to challenge you on all types of terrain. This means you will be running on wet, muddy and slippery surfaces. At times you will find yourself scaling a muddy hill or even a mountain. Don’t be the person sliding backwards.
When picking a Trail Running shoe it is important to look for the following characteristics:
a) Light weight
b) good grip
c) holes for water-drainage
I recommend the following Trail Running shoes:
Inov8 X-Talon 190
Reebok All Terrain Series
Inov8 X-talon 190 - I have used these shoes for every Spartan Race and Tough Mudder I’ve done so far. They have never let me down in the toughest conditions. I’ve maintained my grip and balance while I saw others slipping right beside me. Weighing in at only 9oz., these shoes are extremely light and their mesh top leaves them extremely flexible. They also have tiny holes so water doesn’t get trapped in the shoes. I have swam in these shoes and a few seconds after I start running again, they are almost completely drained. They also have a rubber cleat-like bottoms that grip even the most slippery, muddy hills you can find.
Where to buy: You can purchase them on either amazon or Zappos. I recommend getting 3 pairs of similar sizes and returning 2 because when I received my normal shoe size in the mail, they were huge on me. Zappos has a great return policy but you should definitely read-over their return policy on shoes before doing this. http://www.zappos.com/inov-8-x-talon-190-orange-grey-white
Reebok All-Terrain Series - Another recommended pair of shoes would be the brand new “All-Terrain Series" by Reebok made just for Spartan Races since Spartan Race and Reebok recently partnered up. These shoes sport the reebok Duraride technology and have a coating to help repel water. They are also very light and flexible similar to the x-Talons.
Where to buy: http://www.reebok.com/us/search?q=all%20terrain
3. Water Wicking Top - The key here is that less is more. If you wear too much, you’ll have trouble keeping your pace up once your clothing saturates with water. Some men run with no shirt on which is ok as well, but keep in mind that you’ll be climbing on wood, crawling on rocks and crawling/rolling under barbed wire. That’s why I recommend a water wicking tank top. These tops are usually made by a polyester material and dry very quickly in comparison to cotton. NEVER WEAR COTTON!!! Nike makes a variety of different versions of their Dri-Fit technology shirts:
Where to buy: http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/dri-fit-legend-shirt-training-shirt/pid-283014/pgid-577511
4. Water Wicking Underwear - I recommend UnderArmour Heat Gear Compression boxer briefs. They are comfortable for running and will wick away moisture to prevent chafing during a long run. They will also dry quickly after being submerged in water.
Where to buy: http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/mens-heatgear-6-boxerjock-2-pack/pid1238137-002
5. Athletic Shorts - You can really use any type of athletic shorts. I prefer a pair that is made from a material that can stretch fairly well. I use the same pair for every race (since my pocket ripped) and I just wash and re-wash them to get all the mud out.
Where to buy: Any sporting goods store
6. Wool Socks - Wool socks will wick away moisture and don’t retain water like cotton socks will. DO NOT RACE IN COTTON.
Where to buy: EMS, REI, Dicks Sporting Goods.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/SmartWool-Ultra-Light-Anklet-Running/dp/B008I5A6M6/ref=cts_ap_1_fbt
7. Electrolyte tablets - Put 1 of these in your camelback bladder so you can keep your electrolytes up during the race. Keep in mind these races could take an average racer anywhere from 2 - 6 hours depending on the category (sprint, super or beast). I definitely recommend picking these up.
Where to buy: Dicks Sporting Goods, Modells, Sports Authority, EMS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nuun-Active-Hydration-Electrolyte-Enhanced/dp/B009ZN37CQ/ref=sr_1_15?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1390401842&sr=1-15&keywords=nuun
8. GU Packets - These are similar to Powergels, but in my opinion taste better and are thicker so they’re less messy on the go. You can take half, put it in your pocket and finish the other half a few minutes later. Each packet contains 100 calories of easy to digest simple and complex carbohydrates, electrolytes, amino acids and caffeine to give you energy when you need it most. These will keep you going when you are ready to give up.
Recommended use: Take 1 packet 15 minutes before exercise and then 1 packet every 45 minutes of exercise. Hint: I usually take 1 GU packet and 1 sodium tablet at every water station.
Where to buy: Dicks Sporting Goods, Modells, Sports Authority, GNC, EMS
9. Salt Stick caps (sodium electrolyte tablets) - These are good for preventing muscle cramping. When you cramp up, take 1 of these and you should be good to go in no time. Other options would be pickle juice or packets of mustard. The sodium tablets work very well and I’ve needed them, used them successfully, and given them to others in need at every race I’ve done so far. I recommend putting 5-10 tablets in a zip-loc bag, squeezing out the air, closing and putting it in your camel back so you can take them with you on the course without bringing that huge container.
Where to buy: GNC, Dicks Sporting Goods, EMS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Saltstick-Electrolyte-Capsules-100-bottle/dp/B002IY96B0/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1390402095&sr=1-1&keywords=salt+stick+tabs
10. Mad Grip Gloves - If your hands aren’t used to climbing and pulling just yet. Don’t worry, they will be soon. However, Mad Grip Gloves may be just what you need! Hint: Cut the gloves at the top knuckle so that water can drain out when they get wet. I personally have not used gloves, however I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback on these gloves.
Where to buy: http://madgriptech.com/products/
If you have any questions about any of these items, feel free to e-mail me at JustinKarpFitness@gmail.com
Also don’t forget to follow me on Instagram:@karpjustin
Good Luck,
Justin Karp
Team Mayhem