Equipment
When thinking about what equipment and clothing you
might need for an obstacle race or mud run, there’s definitely a bare
minimum of equipment you need to run a successful and safe race. Some
equipment is optional and nice to have, but not absolutely necessary.
By talking with others who have run these types of events, reading
information about the races, and by considering your own preferences,
you can select the equipment that you will want to have before,
during, and after your race. Also, after your first race, you will have
a MUCH better idea of what you do and don’t need for future events.
In general, you would ideally want to wear
close-fitting clothing, and fabrics that wick moisture and sweat away
from the body are especially nice to have during messy races like
these. Race in clothes that you have trained in and know you are
comfortable in. Race day is not the time to find out that a new sports
bra or shorts or shoes rub in all the wrong places!
Here's a list of the bare minimum equipment that you will need during the race:
- Bottom
- Shoes
- Photo ID (to pick up your packet)
- Sunscreen (okay, so that’s not absolutely necessary,
but it’s important to wear even if you tan well, to prevent skin cancer
and other skin problems!)
Some optional equipment that would be nice to have during the race includes:
- Top layers (this is not in the bare minimum list
because some people may not wear a shirt, and some women run in just a
sports bra)
- Bottom layers (underwear, which is also optional like
the shirt mentioned above, even though some type of bottom covering is
required.)
- A watch
- Sunglasses
- Socks
- Hat
- Water bottle/hydration pack
- Hair tie/headband
- Gloves
- Sweatbands/bandana
Some things you may not want to wear that could get caught on obstacles and/or ruined in the mud include:
- Jewelry (rings, earrings, etc.)
- Nice shoes
- Nice watch
- Nice anything
Basically, if it can hurt you while racing or you don’t
want it ruined/broken, don’t wear it. I usually wear a cheaper watch to
keep track of my time (after scraping the mud off the face every so
often) and have a designated pair of shoes that I use for mud runs and
obstacle races throughout the year until winter, and then I donate them
if I can get them clean enough, or dispose of them if I can’t get them
clean enough.
Usually all clothing items come clean with a
thorough hosing down and then running them once through a washing
machine. Shoes are a bit trickier, so it may take more time if you
don’t want to designate a specific pair to these events.
