The Ultimate Triathlon Race Day Packing List
May 28, 2024
The Adventure Begins!
Due to our work schedules, we were unable to make an extended trip out of the race but we crammed a lot of miles into 6 days. Tuesday night, we packed up the camper. We left early on Wednesday, drove 10 hours and camped for the night. We drove the final 9 hours on Thursday. For the race, we camped at Mount Carmel Recreation Area Campground, which is also where the race starts. It was really nice to already be at the start for a stress-free race morning.
I went into the race very calm and very confident. I even had a great night’s sleep the night before the race! That was a new experience for me, I am normally fairly high-strung and anxious, but for some reason, I just felt really confident.
I had 9 months of solid training that included big days on the bike working out nutrition, plenty of hard work in the pool, and 10 years of ultrarunning under my belt. So, I knew I could do each event individually within the time limits; it was just a matter of stringing them all together.
People think that these events are the hard part, and while they are incredibly challenging, I would strongly disagree overall with the sentiment. The hard part is the grind leading up to it, the training, the prioritizing, the sacrificing. When you show up on race day – THAT is the celebration.
A celebration it was! The event is VERY chill. From the wonderful volunteers to the amazing END Racing team, everyone was so kind, and helpful. They just want you to have a good day.
At the race meeting the night before, we went over last minute course changes, aid stations, and all our questions were answered. Then everyone headed back to Mount Carmel to drop off bikes for the night.
Race morning was also chill. We gathered 30min before the start to prep gear and chat. At 6:50am we went down to the water for check in and a few last words from Joel the RD. (It is worth noting that this was the last time any part of my body was dry for almost 27 hours!) At 7am they simply said it was time to go. We popped into the water and off we went!
The Swim: Dirt but not Dirty
The swim is really nice and weed free! The water is quite brown because of dirt, but not actually dirty. I think most of the swimmers used wetsuits, but I just went with the wetsuit shorts since my neck chafes in a full wetsuit. The course is a straight line out to buoys and back. The full distance does it twice.
A volunteer tipped me off that athletes tend to struggle swimming straight here, so I kept spotting right from the start. I saw athletes swimming wide, but thanks to consistent spotting, I swam quite straight.
The water temp was fantastic and I easily fell into a rhythm. I expected to be the last swimmer out of the water, but was pleasantly surprised to tie for second! I am not a fast swimmer, so I credit my good spotting and, of course, the training from my coach leading up to the event.
T1: Swim to Bike
I took my time in transition but tried to be efficient. Erika Kuhnle, a previous Wilderman finisher (here’s her race report), suggested making a list with each aid and transition bag so she didn’t forget anything. I HIGHLY recommend this. I wrote down everything I wanted to be done (chamois cream, bug spray, etc) and it helped me move efficiently and not forget anything!
I was out of T1 in just under 12 min. Not bad considering how hard it is to change into biking spandex when you are wet from the swim!
The Bike: And then there were Two
I rode off, excited to have the first few miles on smooth gravel. Almost immediately I pulled the strap off my hydration vest. I tried to fix it, but was unable. Thankfully, Aid 1 was only 10-12 miles away and a volunteer fixed me right up!
Early in this loop (which you ride twice, Aid 1 to Aid 1) you see the awesome, fun rolling terrain…and mud. While they say you only need general mountain bike skills, I promise you will have A LOT more fun if you have good bike handling and plenty of time spent on mountain bike trails.
While the trails are mostly wide, there are a ton of washouts so you have to see your line, ride your line, adapt, and react. You can really fly and have a blast if your skills are there. I don’t say that to discourage anyone – just something to consider in your training.
The water crossing was fun! The water was higher than my waist (I am 5’6”) and the current would have thrown me off balance if I didn’t take it slow. After the river there was a mix of mud puddles that you could bike around, and several hills with a few wicked fun downhills.
I had GPS on my Garmin computer, but the course was well marked. Aid 2 was a blast! Snacks, drinks, and A BIKE MECHANIC! This was amazing, because, let me tell you, all the mud was clay and it caked on badly. He cleaned the drive chain and fixed anything needed while I restocked hydration. It was PHENOMENAL!
Aid 2 was around 33 miles into the race. By then, I learned that while I am more of a “real food” fueler, I needed my hands on my handlebars, making it hard to feed myself. It was also 1 billion degrees (ok fine, it was only 85, but humid) and eating isn’t easy in the heat. I switched out my plain water for the orange Gatorade at the Aid to get in my calories.
The 4(ish) miles of trail after Aid 2 was a blast! Very rolling with no major climbs. The loop finished on gravel and some pavement…..and 2 big, long hills. These hills are a bit of a grind and I am not ashamed to say I walked some. You have to be able to do some cost/benefit analysis looking ahead at the rest of the day and for me that meant walking.
While I hiked my bike, I took the opportunity to shove salty snacks into my mouth so I wouldn’t get a sour stomach from all the liquid fuel. After the Frost Fire hill, it is flat roads back to Aid 1, which is a bit mind-numbing, boring, and a mental challenge.
Back at Aid 1 we had access to our drop bags again. I used my handy checklist to make sure I didn’t forget anything. I was efficient, but I didn’t rush. I made sure to drink, eat real food, empty garbage, restock fuel and water, etc. With this being the second loop, I knew I wouldn’t have many good chances to eat in the next 20 miles, so I filled my bladders with fuel to stay on top of my calories and electrolytes.
Off I went onto my second loop! I enjoyed knowing what was ahead. I love the mental game of breaking it into manageable pieces. As I left the aid station I looked ahead and went “Ok, some nice roads, some sweet downhill, some mud, a river crossing, one big hill, then fly down to Aid 2” When I phrase it like that, it feels so manageable!
As I was trudging up the big hill, Tom was coming down. He stopped to tell me we were the ONLY full racers still in the race! That was shocking to hear, but also really exciting! We were the only two!
I hoped to catch Tom before he left for the run, but it would depend on how we each did the rest of the bike. Little did I know how much the bike was about to change!
The Storm: Meltdown Averted and Life Goals Achieved
I could hear the thunder, see the lightning. Then I started to see the dry clay turn to wet clay, so I knew the storm must be ahead of me. I remember thinking how nice it would have been to feel the rain (the day had been hot hot hot), but I never did.
My bike started slipping around on the wet clay. Then, I ran into Tom. The wet slippery clay was slowing him down as well. We biked most of the last section to the gravel road and Aid 2 together.
I slid out on a turn due to the conditions. Tom was behind me and unable to stop, so he slid out too (SORRY TOM!!!). I skinned my elbow and my shorts were shredded through the pocket, but no injuries and no noticeable bike damage (I did end up having twisted handlebars, but it was manageable).
We got back up and over to Aid 2. I was SO grateful the bike mechanic was still there as my bike was now jammed full of mud and needed TLC. Tom and I went through our Aid rituals, refills, and chats. A volunteer took our picture as the last 2 standing, and off we went on our freshly cleaned bikes!
I was excited because I knew the next 4ish miles of trail were fun and rolling, followed by gravel roads and ONLY two hills left.
The 1st loop took me 5 hours, so I figured even if I got tired this loop would only be about 6 hours and I would be well ahead of the 10 pm bike cutoff……how quickly things turned due to the storm.
Not more than two bike lengths back on the trail (notably just .1 miles from the aid station that just cleaned our bikes), the clay was so wet and deep that our tires locked up, unable to spin. With mud caked inches thick, the wheels were stuck, our drive trains were full of mud….we couldn’t even walk our bikes since the wheels wouldn’t turn. While I stood there staring at my bike at a total loss for what to do, Tom had the great idea to try to roll the bikes on the grass along the side of the trail.
We each dug out handfuls of clay, got our wheels turning and rolled through the grass. The clay and mud were low enough that we only had to stop and clean every 10th of a mile. Unfortunately, there wasn’t always a shoulder, so we would again find the wheels locked up with 10 lbs of mud. I debated having my first meltdown of the day.
We were 83 miles into our bike with 4 more miles of this mess. It would take well over an hour to walk our bike. The trail was hilly, we were sliding all over, and our shoes were collecting just as much mud as the bikes.
My immense gratitude to Tom helped prevent that full-on meltdown, which would have certainly happened had I been alone. With Tom there, I just simmered in frustration. I tried to carry my bike on my back, but I couldn’t manage, the bike plus mud was too heavy and I couldn’t get traction. Tom carried his bike, but I stuck with the grass method stopping often to clear mud.
It took us over an hour of emotional, mud-sucking, back-breaking, bike pushing.
Then it was over! AND we found a spigot, which was a godsend! We took the time to get the mud off the tires, clean the blockages, and clear our shoes. I thought I would be lucky to shift, much less clip in again – but with the stop to wash everything was functioning.
After that, we stuck together on the bike, passing the miles by, one big hill climb, ONE BEAR SIGHTING (a life goal achieved), and we made the best of what ended up being a much longer than anticipated bike leg.
At the final check-in through Aid 1, we found out it was 8:30pm. Neither of us had planned to be chasing the bike cutoff, but suddenly we were. We headed out quickly.
We tackled the last climb, and did the best we could on the roads to the finish. We said we would push each other and get there in time. But, I was doing the math and wasn’t sure it was true. It is hard to look back and know you did everything right, executed your plan amazingly, and STILL might not make it. We flew past Aid 2, shouting our names to the volunteers, and headed to the final 3-4 miles to T2. We had to be in by 10pm…we got in at 9:53pm. PHEW!
The volunteer asked if we were sure we wanted to go for the full run. I was determined. The only way they were pulling me was if I missed a cutoff!
T2: Not too Shabby!
T2 was fantastic. I had some help getting out of my soaking bike clothes and into running clothes. They made us sandwiches, and had pickles and watermelon! I got some Gatorade. I went through my T2 checklist to make sure I didn’t miss anything and we were READY to go by 10:12pm. Not too shabby!
The Run: Alone but Determined
I was so grateful to not start the night portion alone. Mentally nights are the most challenging for me, so having company was an absolute blessing.
There was maybe a mile of nice gravel roads from T2 to the first creek section. I felt like Lewis and Clark once we got into the river. We followed the current of the water searching for a flag telling us to get out! I would have said the first section of river was challenging, but that was before I went through the other two sections. In this section, you had to be careful on wet stones, and climb over some small beaver dams and trees, but you could generally keep moving.
Once we left the river, things got spicy. We were bushwhacking through shoulder-high grass and trees. You had to keep an eye out for spider webs blocking the entire path with some of the most massive spiders I have ever seen (seriously, does anyone know what kind of spiders those beasts were?)
The terrain was constant, steep ups and downs made spicier by the storms. We were sliding up and sliding down. We used trees to hold ourselves upright on the hills because the ground was too slippery.
There were stretches where our watch GPS went goofy and the confidence flags were not to be seen. I was glad for my satellite GPS.
There were cliff sections that were scary because of the slippery ground followed by more up and down and up and down and up and down. Around mile 8 we hit gravel and WOW did that feel amazing! I felt good enough to start jogging!
Tom’s pacers caught us somewhere on the road. He stayed with them and I went on. Unfortunately, he decided to pull out of the race at that point after putting up a really good fight the last few hours in the woods.
I was now on my own from around mile 9 to the finish. I had beautiful gravel to run on until mile 14, so I alternated walking and jogging. I felt great even though I was alone in the dark, I sang songs and talked to keep myself company. At mile 14 I checked in (around 3am I think), refilled my pack, and put on dry socks….only to be pointed right into the river for the next section.
This next section of creek “running” was a real mental game. It was dark and I was alone, I had been awake for a long time. Those beaver dams…if I never see another beaver dam for as long as I live it will be too soon. (which is funny since I am already planning to come back to this event).
I can’t describe what this section is like, you need to see it for yourself. Buckle up and embrace your sense of humor and sense of adventure and you will be just fine. Lucky for me, I have a pretty strong mental game and was able to navigate this without a major meltdown.
I saw LOADS of bear tracks – big and little – so I sang out loud trying not to surprise any animals. I popped out of the river as it was getting to be daylight and saw the next set of volunteers! They topped off my water, gave me a bag of chips, and then showed me how to cross the big river to the next section of trail.
It began with more tall wet grass until eventually I got dropped into the final creek section. This was the hardest part of the race for me. I fell multiple times on massive slippery boulders covering the bottom and my whole right side ended up bruised.
You have to go slow and be careful. Stop and assess your route and take your time. Mentally it was nice to know this was the last creek and I knew I was super close to Aid 2. After many falls, I made it out and was greeted by the amazing volunteers who were still happy and energetic even though they had been awake just as long as me!
I refreshed my pack, put on fresh socks and a pair of spare dry shoes and headed out….immediately into soaking wet grass. The 20 seconds of dry feet was nice, if short-lived. These 2 miles were runnable! I was feeling so good and ran about ⅔ of it.
Out of that loop, you cross the river and hit the final 4 miles to the finish. It was tall and wet shoulder-high grass again. Eventually, I was on ORV road, which was runnable, and led me to the road to the finish…entirely uphill.
I did not have the energy to run that, but I did have the excitement and joy of the finish to keep a nice brisk walk! I turned into the driveway of the Country Club to cheers and cowbells. I was so full of joy and gratitude I almost cried. I jogged the driveway to the END sign and….that was it!
26 hours and 47 minutes.
Gratitude for the Journey
I felt so much support and kindness this entire journey. The people who run this event, the volunteers, my fiancee who was there the whole time for me….there are no words to describe how much joy this event brought me.
I cannot say thank you enough to Joel and END Racing for hosting this event. A true celebration and I feel so lucky I was able to participate! I am getting married next year, so I don’t have the time to train for an event this big…but I absolutely plan on coming back!
If this race is on your list – DO IT. Go in prepared and with your eyes wide open, but make it happen. It will be an adventure you won’t forget.
*I do want to make an honorable mention to the absolutely bonkers insane innumerable amount of biting flies and mosquitoes. I didn’t talk about it in the report, but they were there from start to finish eating me alive. Swarming me. I am pretty sure I ended the race with half the amount of blood I started with.
After the race I was counting bites and I stopped at 16 when I hadn’t even gotten past 1 arm. I had 100% deet on and reapplied every aid. I am head to toe just 1 big bug bite at this point. Good luck…worth it!
My race reports are always 20 pages long, I kept this as short as I am capable. If you are considering this race and have questions, please feel free to reach out! I have a longer race report I wrote for myself as well as a 2 page document of everything I wore, packed in aid bags, how I felt, weather, when I did what, what parts of my training I felt were key to my success, etc. I am more than happy to share!
And I’d also highly recommend my coach, Kari Stuart, who has now coached two female full Wilderman finishers!
