Tips for doing Adventure Running Stage Races

Here are some tips I have learned from doing both The Atacama & Sahara races:

1. There are 3 types of competitors in these races:

   a. Racers who are competing against each other for a top 10 finish. Their gear is the lightest and they carry no creature comforts. The packs of these racers are around 13-16 pounds in weight with out water minus their race clothing and shoes (starting line weight w/o water). Racers are VERY talented runners who train long and hard and are well disciplined on the course (minimum time in check-points, carry only the essentials, conditioned for heat(Sahara), elevation(Atacama), sand(Sahara), wet feet(Atacama), etc…

    

   b. Mid-packers are competing against themselves. They are competitors that arrive at the finish a couple hours after the racers (except on the long stage), walk parts of the course each day, stop and take some photos on the way, and are trying to get the best time they can get on each leg of the race. Mid-packers pack weight can range any where from 13-30 pounds. They train as much as they can and usually pack more than they need the first time they race and then whittle down their pack weight for the next. Mid-packers usually find other competitors on the first stage who are similar in speed and ability and end up finishing the race leapfrogging each other over the next 5 stages. Mid-packers find time to socialize during the race and take in the beauty of the country around them. (full disclosure: I am a Mid-packer).

c. Survivors are the competitors who are truly inspirational. For a variety of reasons(age, ability, injury, etc..) they are the ones whos race days are long. They are on the course, in the heat, from twice as long as the racers, get little sleep and wake up and do it again. Both the mid-packers & racers who share tents with the survivors do everything they can to help them continue. They meet the survivors at the finish, carry their packs to the tent and run errand for hot water and medical gear. Survivors have more heart than anyone else on the course and it is that that gets them to the finish. Survivors packs weigh between 18-30 pounds (a guess on my part).

2. In the Sahara race a sleeping pad is not needed (plenty of soft-sand at the camp sites) while the Atacama is VERY rocky EVERYWHERE. I would suggest the Neolite by Thermarest.
3. The Sahara race is mostly flat (there are numerous sand dunes that are a bitch to climb) while the Atacama has numerous ups and downs.
4. The gotchas for each race are: Sahara-heat & sand, Atacama- elevation, wet feet, & the salt flats.
5. Many people ask me what is hard about the salt flats in the Atacama. The salt flats are on level terrain go on for miles. This is very demoralizing, as you cannot see where they stop. The salt flats are similar to a freshly plowed field but are the hard and shaped like coral(everything in the Atacama is hard, dry, brittle, and sharp. Imagine a place that gets no rain and is baked all day long). As you try and walk across the flats you have to look down and place your feet. Your foot will NEVER find a flat surface, it is always half-on a piece of hard coral like surface. Every few steps the ground caves in and your foot sinks into a muddy, salt incrusted, goop. Not only does the goop seep into your shoes causing any blisters to burn from the salt, but the edges of the hole are very sharp and your shoes (and ankles) suffer. After a mile of this you are tired, sore (my neck hurt from looking down all the time), frustrated, and the muscles in your feet and ankles are hurting. In spite of all this the achievement of crossing the salt flats is one my greatest to date and is something I will recall vividly forever.
6. To help train for these races spend time with your race pack filled with the actual weight of your gear (w/ water!!!). Many competitors do NOT do this and are shocked how much their packs weigh at the starting line. Try and get out as much as possible with your pack on. Time is more important than distance in these races. I wear my race pack ALL the time at home. I pick it up in the morning, and carry it all around all day (it sits by my desk while I work). Do this for a week and you will find ways to make it lighter. I see many people with sore shoulders (bruises, chaffing, strained muscles) after the first day. If you spend as much time as you can in your pack your shoulders, neck, and back will be fine.
7. If you are a racer then you already know what you have to do to be in the top 10. If you are a mid-packer try and get as many long runs/walk in as you can. Stages are never less than 20 miles so try and get as many +20mile run/hikes in with your pack as possible.
8. These races very rarely are on any type of trail. They traverse terrain that challenging on purpose. Mid-packers & survivors get some benefit from the racers breaking trail for them but BE CAREFUL, sometimes the footprints you are following are wrong! Keep your eye on the course markers (pink flags). They are always right!
9. Eat for a week what you plan to eat during the race!! So many competitors buy high calorie dehydrated meals and after the first day cannot eat them anymore. These races are hard on your body both externally as well as internally. After spending all day in the heat I personally did not feel like consuming “Beef Stroganoff”. I found after trying out many different types of food ahead of time to use the following:
   a. Breakfast: Instant oatmeal (2 packs), almonds, Cliffbar, & the new Starbucks instant coffee
   b. During the race: GU (1 pack of plain), Honey Stinger Ginsting, Cliff Chews, Cliffbar, PureSport, & a ton of Nuun
   c. Dinner: Top Ramon!!!, almonds, hot tea bags & tootsie rolls for desert.
   I would not recommend bringing any cups or cookware. You get 1.5 liter bottles of water. Everyone cuts them apart about 1/3 down from the top. The top (with the cap on) is perfect for hot tea, and the bottom you put your oatmeal or top ramon in and the camp staff adds hot water. Works perfectly and saves weight.
10. You have more strength in you than you think. These races are just as much mental as physical. Attitude goes a long way towards finishing!
11. These races will forever transform you. They are hard of purpose. You will find new depths within you and will go home with more than you think.
12. These races are addictive! One will probably not be enough.
13. Try and laugh, smile, help others, & endure.
14. I keep a poem & quote in my mind during these races:
    1. Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.
       -Buddha
    2. Self-Pity by D.H. Lawrence
       I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
       A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
       without ever having felt sorry for itself

This is all I have time for today.

I’ll post more as I think of it. Feel free to contact me with specifics.

Mike