As a very seasoned travel racer, I have learned the fine art of packing for a race. Here are my absolute must-have, cannot-travel-without items for a great race day.
1. Shoes
When I’m packing for a vacation, I have a separate “go bag” that will hold all my race/running gear. The first thing in that bag is my favorite pair of running shoes.
2. Socks
Regular socks will not work for race day. This is the one thing I have never forgotten. I wear older running shoes when traveling so I always have a backup pair of shoes. But socks can make or break a race. My favorites are Swiftwick. I love the compression, the wicking, the DURABILITY. These have been washed a lot and they keep their shape and stitching. I cannot say enough about Swiftwick.
3. Garmin
I do consider my Garmin Forerunner my race partner. I have been a Forerunner wearer since my first month as a runner. I need the pacing info to keep myself in check and prevent that lovely “too fast too soon” issue that leaves me crawling the last half.
4. Headphones
Whether it’s headphones or earbuds, I have several favorites.
- Koss FitClips
- Phillips Flexible Ear Hooks
- Sol Republic Relays
5. Running tights
The only ones for me are Nike. I wish I had bought more than 2 pair because they are hard to find now at a reasonable price. I use these for most runs and racing.
6. Shirt
I wear anything and everything on race day. I wear plain tshirts or the wicking tech shirts. I do not have a hard and fast rule on what to wear with my tights. My first race shirt was an Alabama tshirt.
7. Music
I use an iPod or my iPhone to listen to my running playlists. I love the iPod for longer races because it’s small and easy to wear. I love the iPhone for shorter races and training runs because I use running various fitness/running apps. I always pack both.
There are other essentials I could list, but this is what I put in my race bag when traveling for a race. I lay everything out the night before and make sure everything is charged and ready to go.
Happy Friday!
Race Day Packing List | The Best You'll Ever Wear-Guaranteed.
Saturday 22nd of November 2014
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