Tips for the TransRockies Run - Logistics

A stage race is something that takes a lot of preparation - not just with physical training - but in planning ahead!!  During my long week there in the remote Colorado Rockies, I gave a LOT of thought as to what worked and what didn’t work for us, what items I could have left at home and what things I could not have lived without, items I wish I would have brought with us, and certain reservations/amenities worth the extra money. Here is a compilation of those thoughts for those of you considering TRR or for those of you who’ve already made the leap and are now scratching your heads at where to start… beware, it’s a long post!! But I looked for something like this before we left and found nothing.

Reservations / Amenities

• Hotel/cabin reservations before the race - you will need to book early, like as soon as you register, if you want something good and in downtown Buena Vista. We stayed at a gorgeous cabin about 6 miles out of town - this doesn’t sound like far away, but there are NO cabs/Ubers/Lyft drivers except 2 in the whole town. The TRR shuttles are wonderful about shuttling you around town but really don’t want to leave the town of Buena Vista. We befriended our shuttle driver, Ray, and he kindly took us to and from our cabin after he found out we were paying the one and only “Uber” driver in town to take us back and forth (we had to eat and had packet pickup in town). But he said the TRR folks really didn’t want him driving all the way out there to us (taking him away from the other runners). Although the cabin was phenomenal (the sky of stars and Milky Way were insane), if you don’t want to worry about getting to and from the pre-race festivities, I’d suggest booking at the Surf Chalet - it’s right at the start line and was unique and beautiful!!!
• Hotel reservations after the race - we stayed at the Osprey Hotel and were very happy about it. It was a little more than we usually spend on a hotel but totally worth it after camping out in tents for 5 nights straight, plus it’s right near the finish line which comes in handy when you literally cannot walk another step! HAHA!!  It’s also just a very short walk to the village for dinner and the post-race banquet.
• Sleeping pad - reserve it early with the TRR crew (done online). These pads were about 1.5-3 inches thick (my first one was 2 inches but had a hole in it and it was promptly replaced on night 4 with a cushy 3 inch one). They are totally worth the fee (we paid $69 for each rental), since we didn’t have to pack them in our suitcases (which would add to the weight, and believe me we needed the extra weight allowance when packing!!). 
• Massage package at registration - not needed. There is a massage package you can buy on the front end when registering… it is a special type of massage/physical therapy type of bodywork - we initially bought it, but got refunded once we realized it was beyond the regular type of massage offered daily at camp. It’s more expensive, and the massages they offer at camp are TOP NOTCH.
• Massages at camp - 100% worth it. For $50, you get 30 minutes of pure bliss. And after roughly 20 miles of running at altitude each day, it was the best part of my day. Make sure you book your desired time slots for each day at packet pickup - don’t wait til the day you want the massage. These book up quickly, and if you change your mind you can always cancel it (you don’t pay for your session until you receive the massage). Be advised - if you’re funny about privacy, you may not want the massage. You’re getting the massage with about 6-10 other people (both men and women), and although they take great care in ensuring you’re not exposed, your massage is done in a tent with other runners. I did not find it was a big deal. :)
• Athletic Trainers at camp - the group at the 2018 TRR was Medicine in Motion. I’m telling you, they saved my race. I developed blisters by Stage 2, and each evening before dinner/after showering, I would go see my friends at Medicine in Motion and they’d redress those bad boys and get me ready for the next day. Also they offered some athletic training treatments as well like the TheraGun (a vibrating gun that helps with tight muscles), which I used on my hip flexors a couple times, and KT taping as well. And best of all, their services were FREE! Utilize these guys every day to maximize your race outcome!

Routines that Helped Me

• Run all day with your phone in airplane mode to significantly save battery life
• Add a brightly colored ribbon to your bag to help identify it. It will have your number on it, but this certainly helps. 
• Each day after returning from your run, you will pick up your drop bag from the finish line AND your big duffel bag upon arrival at camp. Sometimes the finish line is NOT at the place where you’ll be camping for the night. On those days, I put a change of shoes in my drop bag. Believe me, you’ll want to get those shoes off at the end of the run, haha!
• Upon arrival to camp, I had the luxury of a fabulous husband to set up camp so I could go on and get my shower. Even if you don’t have that luxury, it’s important to go ahead and set up camp as soon as you can. You never know when a rain storm will hit in Colorado! And you certainly don’t want to be setting up camp in the rain!  You can certainly wait til after your shower is done or even after dinner, but it’s nice to also have everything ready to go in case you want to catch a quick nap. At least set up your emergency blanket on the tent floor and let your sleeping pad inflate :)
• Sleep in your running clothes that you’ll run in the next day
• Each afternoon or night I found it helpful to pack up & prepare so as to avoid the morning stress the next day (it’s nice to do it while there’s still sunlight obviously). This included the following:
• Shower bag (placed just inside my duffel bag to avoid it getting wet from condensation)
• running undies for the next day
• bra (this was the last thing removed & place into my shower bag at night before going to sleep) :)
• clear container/bag for toiletries 
• shampoo, conditioner, body wash (they have some body wash in the showers but you never know and I like my own moisturizing body wash because CO is so drying to your skin!!!
• lotion (travel size)
• hair detangler (I love “It’s a 10” and put it in a travel size bottle)
• brush (I love the Wet Brush to get through my hair quickly)
• razor
• toothbrush & toothpaste (best feeling ever is brushing your teeth after a long run, and it’s easier to do it at the provided outdoor sinks rather than with your water bottle up at your tent)
• Ziploc bag from tomorrow’s running clothes (to put your dirty clothes in)
• Camping Towel & washcloth (I used the Norwex body cloth for my washcloth since it’s microfiber and dried quickly)
• Easy slip on shoes (I wore the Croc ballet slippers) - you’ll take these off before entering the shower truck and leave them outside. If you’re germaphobic and want shower shoes, then you can take them but they don’t want you wearing them INTO the truck (i.e. bringing in dirt/grass)
• clothes for the next day at camp (I wore the same 2-3 pairs of pants [like Nike joggers or Columbia camping pants and actually wore a different tech long sleeve every night, but this is optional… dress is very casual around camp!)
• Running/Hydration Pack (hung from the top of the inside of the tent to avoid it getting wet from condensation)
• filled bladder (done the night before, laid on the tent floor since the weight was too heavy to hang from the carabiner)
• filled soft flask (optional; I used this for Gu Roctane powder for fuel in addition to my Gu gels/chews, but once I ran out of the powder every day on my run, I’d use it as back-up water. It’s easier to fill a soft flask at aid stations than a bladder!!)
• nutrition (I used Gu gels, Gu Chews, & Honey Stinger chews to equal out to about 200 calories per hour)
• sunglasses
• Chapstick
• Squirrel’s Nut Butter (I LOVE their smaller travel size stick for throwing into my pack, and use it as needed during the run - lifesaver!!!)
• ear buds (optional; the sound of nature and getting to know your running friends is paramount at this race, but I used my ear buds once when I hit the wall and needed some motivation)
• baby wipes (optional; there are no porta potties on the course!)
• Required gear (gloves - I put in a cheap pair that would pack light; hat - I packed my favorite Oiselle beanie because it is so lightweight and warm; emergency blanket; rain jacket/wind breaker - my husband and friends packed very lightweight windbreakers which made their packs super light. I packed a light rain jacket, which my husband made fun of because of the bulk it added to my pack as well as some weight… however, when an unexpected very cold rain storm came and lasted for about 3 hours, no one made fun of me then - ha!!! I was the only warm one!! If you can find a waterproof windbreaker that is super lightweight, I’d recommend that).
• Duffel Bag
• Basically your dirty clothes (in ziploc bags), the rest of the week’s clothes (running and for camp), sleeping clothes, sleeping bag & pad, shoes, camping stuff, and shower bag all have to fit in there. Don’t worry, it’ll fit! It’s like a fun game of Tetris, haha! By night 3, you’ll have it down pat! Just pack as much as you can the night before so you can concentrate on breakfast and getting ready the next day!

Packing Tips

The list TRR gives the runners ahead of time is a perfect starting point. I will add a few more to the list I found helpful and also list a few things you may or may not want to consider…

Must Haves

CAMPING STUFF:

• Extra emergency blanket - lay this under your pad to minimize cold/wet pad and sleeping bags
• Clothespins - your clothes will be wet as will your towel and washcloth, and it helps to pack away DRY dirty clothes instead of wet ones :)
• Carabiners or S-biners - we used these to hang up our packs inside the tent to keep them dry
• Microfiber camping towel - we used _____
• Microfiber washcloth - we used Norwex body cloths
• Headlamp 1 per person
• Water bottle - you’ll need to stay hydrated even after running to avoid altitude sickness
• Battery pack - this was essential for us. Not once did we have to visit the charging station in Chillville which was super nice. We charged our phones, watches, ear buds, etc and never had to worry about the battery pack going dead. We like this one:
• Camp pillow
• Sleeping bag - if you’re going with your significant other, and your budget allows, get the sleeping bags that can attach to each other to allow for snuggling (which also helps maintain warmth!) :)
• Camping blanket - this may seem optional, however, we NEVER got cold sleeping with this blanket in our sleeping bag: 
• Drawstring bag to carry your jacket, money, water bottle, etc around camp (you could use the same bag as what would be your drop bag in the mornings, but I liked to have my drop bag already packed and ready before heading out to dinner
• Drop bag for each morning - I usually went to the start line with my puffy coat and a pair of cheap sweatpants on, which I shed right before start and shoved them into my drop bag and turned that in maybe 10-15 min before the gun went off; I also usually had a change of shoes (either the Crocs as mentioned above, or the Altra Tokalas), my water bottle (in case we had to ride the shuttle back to camp), and possibly money if you’re at Stage 4 when you end at Mango’s (you’ll want to try their avocado bowl or fish tacos and the margaritas!), hand warmers perhaps.
• Ear plugs - I actually did not use these but most people did… there was a concert nearby on night 5 leading into Stage 6 that was really loud and went late into the night.

SHOWER STUFF:

• Small to medium sized thin/collapsable bag to put your shower items in to take with you to the shower truck
• Clear toiletry bag to see all your toiletries easily
• Easy slip on shoes (I don’t recommend flip flops because I get blisters between my toes sometimes, and did this week, and flip flops would have made me cry)
• Travel size toiletries
• Razor for the ladies
• Q-tips (travel box)
• Toothbrush & toothpaste

CLOTHES:

• Puffy coat - we are huge fans of the Arcteryx brand
• Sweat pants for the start - not everyone had these and I feel like I always started warm and not cold like many others
• 1 pair of nice warm socks for sleeping in (you can wear the same ones each night!)
• 1 pair of long johns/fleece leggings for sleeping (wore the same one each night)
• 1 long sleeve soft t-shirt or thin fleece shirt for sleeping (wore the same one each night)
• Running clothes for each day - there were some who said they were only packing 3 outfits and rotating them… please don’t do that!  HAHA!!  We are all so dirty and smelly and there ain’t no Ajax out there, baby!
• Clothes for camp:  I took 1 pair of camping pants, 1 nice pair of warm joggers, and 1 pair of jeans… never wore the jeans until the banquet night, and at that point you will have your regular suitcase back, so you’d be fine with 2-3 comfy pairs of pants to rotate through - you only wear them a few hours each night before crashing!  Shirts - I brought 2 short sleeve tees, but could have gotten away with just one (they give you one at packet pickup anyway!); I brought 3-4 long sleeve t-shirts/tech shirts and rotated between them.
• Clothes for the banquet - remember, you’ll have your suitcase by this time… so you won’t have to pack this stuff into your duffel bag!  I made that mistake and it took up way too much room. Most people wear jeans and a nice top, but some ladies wore comfy dresses. I wore a nicer pair of jeans and a wrap top with my Croc ballet slippers :)

ACCESSORIES

• Shoes - 2 pair for running (1 will definitely get wet on Day 4 when you run in a creek for about 1/2 mile); 1 pair of comfy slip on shoes (I brought 2, the Crocs ballet slippers and the Altra Tokalas)
• Socks - For Stage 1, I highly recommend the STEPHANIE sock by DryMax… it’s thin and allows your feet to stay cool due to the drying technology, which is nice since Stage 1 is notoriously very hot!!  For the rest of the stages, I loved the Swiftwick Flite XT Five or the Pursuit Four.
• Rain jacket or windbreaker
• Toboggan for sleeping in - I decided to take 2, one to sleep in that was thicker and warmer, and one to keep in my pack
• Beanie for pack
• Gloves - I brought 2 pair, one thin/cheap pair for the pack, and another pair of waterproof/warmer gloves. I am SO GLAD I brought the waterproof pair, since Day 5 was super cold and super rainy and I was the only one with dry warm hands.
• Buff - you will need this on Day 6 in Vail because the winds on those mountains are cold! Many people packed their packs with a buff every day.
• Gaiters - you will need these for sure on Stage 1 because it’s super sandy like the beach! Many runners ran with them every day, and I could see how they would definitely help!
• Running hats/head wraps/ponytail holders (bring extra!)
• Sunscreen
• Watch and charger
• Phone charger
• Money clip/small wallet
• Squirrels’ Nut Butter or some sort of anti-chafe (I also like Trail Toes specifically for my feet)
• Nutrition for the race - Gu was a sponsor this year, so we got access to a lot of gels but I wouldn’t rely solely on that… I’d bring my own just in case!

Optional Items that I Found (our would have found!) Helpful

• Clothes Line - we did not use one, but brought it just in case. Most people did not use one, but a few did and I could see how it could help.
• Tent lantern - you hang it in the top of tent, nice if you’re having to pack at night or get ready in your tent in the mornings. Just don’t forget to get it out at the end of each morning before leaving your tent!!!
• Mini camp chairs - we didn’t use these, but saw others had them and thought, “that would be nice!”
• Air/fabric freshener for the tent and your pack
• Playing cards - this was so much fun once you’re not completely exhausted (for us that was around night 2 of running) - we taught our friends how to play Rummy and had a lot of laughs
• Hand warmers - I brought these, and they would have been helpful if I ever remembered that I had them… ha!!
• Extra pair of warm socks (I brought 4 pair and that was way too many!!  I wore the same pair every night to sleep and another pair with my Altra Tokalas around camp each night)
• Makeup - give me a break, haha! I’m being serious! Y’all know I don’t go anywhere without my makeup, but it was super light every night (no eyeliner, etc)… however many went fresh faced too :) It just felt feminine to put on a little makeup after looking haggard on the trails all day!
• Face cleanser and face lotion - it’s like a spa after a long day on the trails
• A journal and a pen - at the end of every day, I was completely exhausted so my writing wasn’t inspirational but just recording all the happenings of the day will be helpful to look back on and recall small details
• Your own food - I’m not sure how the future TRR food will be, but sometimes the breakfasts left a little to be desired and I suffered on the trails by not eating enough breakfast (one can only eat so much oatmeal and breakfast potatoes, amiright???)
• Nail clippers 
• Gum or Listerine breath strips (I found the latter really helpful on the trails; you do a lot of mouth breathing out there due to the altitude, and the breath strips were a quick and easy way to cool off the mouth mucosa on the trails)

Organizing

• The duffel bag they give you is generously sized at 90 liters but you’ll be surprised at how quickly this thing fills up!!!!  Be smart about your packing to maximize space, because you’ll need to fit your sleeping pad and sleeping bag in there as well!
• I organized my packing into gallon sized ziploc bags by their “functions” first, as follows:
• Camping Stuff (see below for full list, but this includes clothespins, carabiners, etc)
• Back-Up Running Stuff
• Daily Running Stuff (I.e., gels, Roctane powder, SNB, etc) - this is where I put my running undies in as well. You’ll see why later.
• All other clothes (I placed these in a jumbo size Ziploc bag)
• I then made a gallon sized ziploc bag for each running day (labeled with “Day 1,” “Day 2,” etc.), that I put my socks, sports bra, top, & bottoms in. Note that I did NOT put my running underwear in this bag, as I simply put on tomorrow’s undies after my daily shower (which was obviously done after each day’s run).