This time last year, I was dealing with a newly developed foot injury and trying to still get some sort of training in. While I did arrive in Ulaanbaatar in June of 2024 to toe the start line, I knew my foot injury and the role it would play was going to be a complete unknown. Unfortunately, it played the part in ending my race extremely early on, but the lessons I learned in that short time were truly valuable.

Pack Weight: Last year I think my pack weight was about 24lbs before my 2.5L of water. That was too heavy and I know I can lighten my load for this year. Here are the areas I am focusing on:

Pack: After testing out several packs in training, the pack I chose and used last year worked really well. I liked the layout of it and how it fit so it was a good choice for me. I will be using it again this year. This makes me happy because finding the right pack is a chore and packs don’t fit/work the same for everyone.

Food: I had packed too much and it was too heavy. Honestly, I think I was nervous about not having the best training due to my foot injury, so I tried to make up for that anticipated extra energy use by packing extra calories. Won’t do that this year. That extra weight aggravated my foot which irritated my knee and it was a whole domino effect.

I also learned that the dense comfort food I thought I would enjoy, really didn’t interest me. I think flavorful simplicity is my goal this year.

Sleeping Bag: I know last year, quite a few racers got cold during the nights, I was comfy-cozy in mine. However, while my sleeping bag worked great and wasn’t that heavy, it took up too much space in my pack. So, I decided this year, I could save small amount of weight and a lot of space by using a lighter regular length bag instead of a long one.

Jackets: Last year I took and used two jackets, one was a puffy and one was my rain jacket. While both are light weight and pack well, I still think I can find ones that pack down a bit smaller.

Front pack pockets water bottles with straws: While I did use these in my training, and think they are convenient to not having to remove the bottles from the pockets to drink, during the event I realized I did not like the straws. The way my pack fits me, the straws came up too high on me and kept hitting me in the cheeks. Plus, I wear a larger hat (due to previous face skin cancer issues) and so the straws kept getting caught in the chin tie from my hat. It was bothersome.

Clothes: I did take a running skort, running capris, long running leggings (req’d), and a pair of thin wool leggings for camp and sleeping. I do have a few issues which require me to have options but carrying all three running items was too much. So, for this year, I need to commit to either the skort or the capris and leave the other behind. I am really happy I had the thin wool leggings for camp as they were loose and comfy after wearing spandex all day.

Camp shoes: Last year I did consider a pair of flip-flops as they pack away easy however, I chose my trusty Crocs. I do have to clip them on the outside of my pack but, they are super lightweight and easy to step into and out of at camp, especially with socks on when it was cold. Plus, I felt if I had any major issues with my shoes, I could still hike in Crocs. I will be taking them again this year.

Trekking poles: I took a pair of collapsible poles and they worked and packed up well. I know there are lighter weight running ones but because I mostly fast hike, I need comfy hand parts and those running runs don’t offer that for me. So, I am sticking with my current poles

Bowl/Cup: I brought a collapsible bowl with lid and a collapsible cup. The lid adds a bit of extra weight but the items pack up easy. I liked that the lid helped the dehydrated food cook better in the bowl because it retained the heat from the hot water. I may or may not take the lid again this year. Having a separate cup was perfect for me so I could have my hot apple cider in the morning and evening while my food cooked.

Wipes: I found these great Venture Wipes that are lightweight and about the size of a paper towel sheet when unfolded. These were great for one-per-day evening “bath”. I will definitely take and use these again.

Other than a few other adjustments to smaller items, I am happy with all my gear.