Check-in was this morning on the 18th floor of the Yin-Du Hotel here in downtown Urumqi.
Each competitor gets a race 'passport' and then collects a stamp once each section or station has checked you in. Going around the 'houses' we check in for medical, passport information, gear and equipment, and basic information. The most popular and/or entertaining section is
always the bag-weigh in.
Bag weight can be such an important factor. The lighter a bag weighs, the faster a competitor goes. Too light might mean too little in the way of fortifiable and sustainable energy leading to a mid-late race crash.Too heavy a bag and you're slogging through the desert with cramping
trapezius muscles and most likely unnecessary gear. It's a fine line.
The lightest bag at check in was 6.4kg, while the heaviest was 16.2kg. The average was roughly 9-10kg. I was happy with an 8.1kg pack, meanwhile my roommate and tentmate, Tremaine (Trig) Kent weighed in at 15.6kg. He probably didn't need the bowling ball, coffee table, grand piano, or cinder block but to each their own I suppose. Actually Trig was so sick of his freeze dried food during the Atacama Race earlier this year that he swapped it out for British Army Rations. As a former member of the SAS he is comfortable with the heavier pack and the food. The only problem with the Rations is that they are already pre-made which means that they have water added to them. Water = weight, which = sore shoulders, which = lots of expletives in the desert.
It's time to pack my non-essential gear into my flight bag and store it downstairs and check-out. We'll board the bus at 15:30 Chinese Time and bus for several hours into the middle of the Gobi Desert. Race starts at 7am tomorrow morning. Cheers for all the great notes guys.
GAME TIME!
Good running,
Rp
Each competitor gets a race 'passport' and then collects a stamp once each section or station has checked you in. Going around the 'houses' we check in for medical, passport information, gear and equipment, and basic information. The most popular and/or entertaining section is
always the bag-weigh in.
Bag weight can be such an important factor. The lighter a bag weighs, the faster a competitor goes. Too light might mean too little in the way of fortifiable and sustainable energy leading to a mid-late race crash.Too heavy a bag and you're slogging through the desert with cramping
trapezius muscles and most likely unnecessary gear. It's a fine line.
The lightest bag at check in was 6.4kg, while the heaviest was 16.2kg. The average was roughly 9-10kg. I was happy with an 8.1kg pack, meanwhile my roommate and tentmate, Tremaine (Trig) Kent weighed in at 15.6kg. He probably didn't need the bowling ball, coffee table, grand piano, or cinder block but to each their own I suppose. Actually Trig was so sick of his freeze dried food during the Atacama Race earlier this year that he swapped it out for British Army Rations. As a former member of the SAS he is comfortable with the heavier pack and the food. The only problem with the Rations is that they are already pre-made which means that they have water added to them. Water = weight, which = sore shoulders, which = lots of expletives in the desert.
It's time to pack my non-essential gear into my flight bag and store it downstairs and check-out. We'll board the bus at 15:30 Chinese Time and bus for several hours into the middle of the Gobi Desert. Race starts at 7am tomorrow morning. Cheers for all the great notes guys.
GAME TIME!
Good running,
Rp
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