The full race recap, with all of my words, is coming soon. But, in the meantime, let’s chat 29029 by the numbers.
3 days at Stratton Mountain, Vermont
6:00 AM Friday event start, 6:00 PM Saturday event cutoff
2:00 AMish – my finish
200 participants, countless memories, so many new friends
17 mountain climbs, 29029 feet of elevation
13 cups of ramen consumed
1 full day of no sleep
2 pairs of shoes worn
8 tanks of propane to keep the tent warm
1 awesome roomie
20 – 50 degrees — in other words, cold AF when the sun goes down
1 medical blanket skirt rocked
5+ hours on the gondola
1 snickers bar consumed on lap 15 to make for the perfect pick me up
not enough time, big hugs, or chit chat with these people
Now, that you have the quick glimpse view of the weekend, let’s talk about the gear and things that helped get me through.
So, what do you need to climb the equivalent elevation of Everest – that’s 29,029 feet – on Stratton Mountain? Let’s start with a lot of heart, grit and an unwavering why. Now, that we have that out of the way, let’s move on to the practical stuff.
I have a lot of race day favorites so I will break it down right here.
I wore two pairs of shoes. The Topo Athletic Terraventure and the Topo Athletic Ultraventure. Our feet were wet the entire time, the mountain was muddy and these shoes, albeit very dirty, held up. No blisters, no issues.
I had all the layers and only completely changed my wardrobe before going into the nighttime hours. I wore pants [the 3/8 variety], a tank and long sleeve and many times resorted to layers of down, goretex or wind breaking shells. I had a headband, hat, gloves and wool socks [Darn Tough]. Basically, a lot of dirty laundry when all was said and done.
I wore my Adventure vest from Ultimate Direction so I could fill the pockets with many must haves – BioFreeze, Trail Toes, Isagenix Electrolytes, Chapstick, and, a snickers bar [for life between lap 15 to 16].
BioFreeze – it’s cooling effects help soothe muscle pain. It comes in a small bottle, with spray application making it easy to bring along and apply if and when needed. My legs were pretty happy out there. Without the impact of the downhill, you feel much better than anticipated for all the up, but, it never hurts to have a little dose of pain relief. BioFreeze gets put to good use when the race is over and it’s time to recover too.
You never get to the finish line alone. You need the full circle inspiration from those around you, the energy and grit of an event and the brands that create the products that set you up for success. Don’t forget to come back and read all the words on the 29029 weekend. It was my favorite – you need to know why.
This post has been sponsored by Biofreeze – all words and views are my own.
0
What do you think?