MANDATORY GEAR - UTA 100
The weather in the Blue Mountains can change very quickly from extremely hot to very cold and wet. It could even snow in May in the Blue Mountains. Please be prepared for these extremes in conditions. Please <<click here>> PUT IN PDF LINK TO LUCAS' LETTER WHICH IS CURRENTLY INCLUDED BELOW ON THIS PAGE to see an explanation of why you are made to carry mandatory gear.
Please click here to view the Mandatory Gear List – 100km UPDATE GEAR LIST
There will be random gear checks during the event and if you are missing any item you will not be allowed to continue until the item can be replaced. You will also receive a time penalty.
For the purposes of live tracking of the top runners, the expected top 25 male and top 10 female runners in the field will be asked to carry a GPS tracking unit. The GPS unit is the size of a matchbox and weights 60 grams. The units will be handed out at the race start line.
Other recommended items:
GOING TO THE TOILET ON COURSE
An issue of great concern is toilet paper and human faeces being left visibly on the track. There are toilets at the start and at all checkpoints as well as on the 100km course at 4km and 18km. If you have tricky bowels we suggest you buy a Go Anywhere Toilet Kit ("Wag Bag") from an outdoor retailer. We encourage you to purchase one of these kits as we simply cannot have people leaving faeces and toilet paper in this pristine environment. Remember Leave No Trace!
ABOUT THE GO ANYWHERE TOILET KIT
The Go Anywhere Toilet Kit is a portable, waste collection system that turns solid and liquid waste into a hygienic, odourless, biodegradable substance. The waste collection bags are pre-loaded with non-toxic Poo Powder which treats up to 900g of liquid and solid waste allowing for multiple uses. The Poo Powder contains a decay catalyst that controls odours and breaks down solid waste into a spill proof, bin friendly substance.
After using the kit, carry it with you to the next checkpoint where there will be a waste bin for disposal.
MANDATORY GEAR CHECKS
REWRITE ALL THIS TOGETHER AS THIS PARA WAS TAKEN FROM EXTRA SECTION ON TNF100 WEBSITE: In order to check-in for the race during the event week, you must have already passed gear check. You can either do your gear check immediately prior to your Race Check-In at the same location or if you want to avoid the queues at Race Check-In you should perform early gear check in the months prior to the event. You must remember to collect the gear provided by race organisers at Race Check-In.
Before you can perform Race Check-In during the event week, you need to have passed a mandatory gear check. There are two options for getting your mandatory gear checked;
1. From 1st March perform an early gear check at one of the participating early gear check stores.
2. Have your gear checked at Race Check-In immediately prior to collecting your race pack.
EARLY GEAR CHECK - PARTICIPATING STORES
Early Gear Checks are available at the following stores in NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS and also Auckland in New Zealand.
<<Early-Rego Gear Check Stores>> (2016) (UPDATE LIST AND LINK TO???????)
THERE’S NO EARLY GEAR CHECK STORE LISTED IN MY TOWN?
If there is no store listed in your town, please do not worry, you can still do your gear check at Race Check-In during the event week. You can also do an early gear check via Skype with Pace Athletic (see NSW stores). For details, refer to the ‘Early-Rego Gear Check Stores’ link above.
EARLY GEAR CHECK - GETTING YOUR GEAR CHECKED AT YOUR LOCAL STORE FROM 1ST MARCH
Many stores require you to make a booking so the experts can be available to check your gear (refer to details in the ‘Early-Rego Gear Check Stores’ link above). To organise your gear check you should phone or email the store ahead of time. Then take all your compulsory gear to the store, except for the items that will be given out at registration (ie. maps, course descriptions, firelighters, waterproof matches, race number, emergency instructions card). At the store, your gear will be checked and, if you pass, you will be given a ‘Gear Check Certificate’. The shop assistant will also mark your name off on the competitor list. Note the competitor list will be a download of the list as it stands at the end of February. If you have gained an entry via an online entry transfer after the end of February, your name will not appear in this list. In that case you should get the shop staff to add your name to the bottom of the list. Please be patient with the store staff as this may be a new process for them.
BRING THE ‘GEAR CHECK CERTIFICATE’ TO REGISTRATION
If you pass the early gear check, please make certain that you are given a ‘gear check certificate’ and your name is marked off on the competitor list spreadsheet before leaving the store. If you pass gear check at registration you will be given a gear check certificate at that time. You must show your gear check certificate at registration.
EARLY GEAR CHECK -IF YOU FORGET OR LOSE YOUR ‘GEAR CHECK CERTIFICATE’
When you are in the Race Check-In queue during the event week, an usher will be checking gear check certificates and diverting people who haven’t done early gear check to the gear check section of Race Check-In. If you have completed early gear check but have lost your certificate just tell the usher and they will send you to the gear check station. The staff at the gear check station will be able to look up the competitor list to confirm your gear check status and issue you with a new certificate so you can continue directly to the Race Check-In tables.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T PASS GEAR CHECK?
If you fail the early gear check, you may be able to purchase a replacement item at the store. Otherwise the store will take your details and record the failing item(s) on the competitor list. That way you only need to return to the same store, or any of the other participating stores, with the replacement item(s).
If you fail gear check at Race Check-In, you will need to find a replacement item from The Pace Athletic store set up at The Event Expo before you can perform registration. The Pace Athletic store will be open until at least 8pm on the Friday night. Summit Gear in Katoomba may also be open until 8pm on the Friday night but call first to confirm on (02) 4782 3018.
WHY HAVE MANDATORY GEAR (SHOULD JUST BE A LINK TO A PDF FROM THE MENTION ABOVE)
The list of mandatory gear has been devised and refined by the Race Director, Tom Landon-Smith and myself -the event Medical Team Director, Lucas Trihey. Together we have plenty of experience with wilderness adventure in all sorts of weather under both race and non-race conditions. We know how grim it can get and what you’ll need to stay safe. I am also involved in search and rescue both commercially and as a volunteer.
The Ultra-Trail Australia mandatory gear list contains what we believe is the bare minimum to keep you safe and well if you are delayed for some reason during the event. Obviously if the weather is good and if you don’t get injured then you won’t use most of your mandatory gear. However the mandatory gear is required so that if you do get injured or exhausted and are immobilised, if you get lost, or if the weather turns nasty you will be able to survive until you can be rescued.
The mandatory gear has nothing to do with insurance company or other bureaucratic pressures – it is a simple, practical measure to keep participants safe.
WEATHER
If you haven’t been in the Blue Mountains in bad weather it might be hard to imagine just how ugly it can get - windy, cold and wet – often all at the same time. Remember that Katoomba is 1000m (3000’) above sea level. Google “wind chill factor” and see just how cold you’ll get if it’s windy as well as cold. Then take a few more degrees off if it is also wet. Then add to this the fatigue of running a long distance with reduced energy intake and you won’t have much energy left to burn to maintain your body temperature. In this case you will need every bit of your mandatory gear to keep warm.
The consequences can be dire if you are immobilised or caught in bad weather without appropriate gear. If you roll an ankle, can’t move to keep warm and don’t have enough clothing to wear to maintain your body temperature you’ll be dangerously hypothermic in under 30 minutes. In all events from 2008 to 2015, we’ve been lucky with pretty mild weather conditions for the race. Yet even when conditions are good we still get many calls to evacuate people with a combination of hypothermia and fatigue. I have spent much of the event nights answering phone calls from people who pushed themselves past their limits and who needed evacuation. Usually I have been able to get a medical team straight to them, bundle them into a 4WD and evacuate them to the nearest checkpoint. Despite the quick response and the mild weather we have still had numerous hypothermia cases that required prolonged nursing to restore a normal body temperature and in 2010 we had a runner who needed ambulance care and hospitalisation for his hypothermia. He had been found lying on the trail, vomiting and lapsing into unconsciousness. All this when conditions were relatively warm!
If we get any combination of wet, cold or windy weather it’s likely the Medical Teams will get lots of requests for help and there might be lengthy delays until we can evacuate everyone. In this case you need to be able to look after yourself to stay warm until evacuated. This is what your mandatory gear is for. We want you to put on all your gear, use your emergency blanket and even light a small fire to keep warm until we can reach you. Your gear might also be used to help care for someone else you come across.
KEEPING IT FAIR
It would be nice to think that we could leave it to participants to self-regulate and select appropriate gear for the conditions but many participants would simply not know the danger they’d be placing themselves in if they went too light. As long as everyone carries the gear it’s fair so random gear checks are a feature of Ultra-Trail Australia. We’d like to think that as well as seeing the sense in carrying the mandatory gear for your own safety, you will also keep to the spirit of the event and will carry the required gear just like everyone else.
Lucas Trihey
Medical Team Director
August 2015
The weather in the Blue Mountains can change very quickly from extremely hot to very cold and wet. It could even snow in May in the Blue Mountains. Please be prepared for these extremes in conditions. Please <<click here>> PUT IN PDF LINK TO LUCAS' LETTER WHICH IS CURRENTLY INCLUDED BELOW ON THIS PAGE to see an explanation of why you are made to carry mandatory gear.
Please click here to view the Mandatory Gear List – 100km UPDATE GEAR LIST
There will be random gear checks during the event and if you are missing any item you will not be allowed to continue until the item can be replaced. You will also receive a time penalty.
For the purposes of live tracking of the top runners, the expected top 25 male and top 10 female runners in the field will be asked to carry a GPS tracking unit. The GPS unit is the size of a matchbox and weights 60 grams. The units will be handed out at the race start line.
Other recommended items:
- Anti-chafe / body lubricant
- Sunscreen
- Cap or sun hat
- Spare socks
- Spare headlight batteries
- Additional warmer clothing at supported checkpoints
- A spare good quality headlamp in case your primary headlamp stops working and so you don’t have to run the rest of the way with only your backup light.
- More substantial first aid kit (sterile dressings, roll of strapping tape, blister care such as blister block patches, Compeed or Fixamol, antiseptic wipes, painkillers, and any relevant personal medications).
GOING TO THE TOILET ON COURSE
An issue of great concern is toilet paper and human faeces being left visibly on the track. There are toilets at the start and at all checkpoints as well as on the 100km course at 4km and 18km. If you have tricky bowels we suggest you buy a Go Anywhere Toilet Kit ("Wag Bag") from an outdoor retailer. We encourage you to purchase one of these kits as we simply cannot have people leaving faeces and toilet paper in this pristine environment. Remember Leave No Trace!
ABOUT THE GO ANYWHERE TOILET KIT
The Go Anywhere Toilet Kit is a portable, waste collection system that turns solid and liquid waste into a hygienic, odourless, biodegradable substance. The waste collection bags are pre-loaded with non-toxic Poo Powder which treats up to 900g of liquid and solid waste allowing for multiple uses. The Poo Powder contains a decay catalyst that controls odours and breaks down solid waste into a spill proof, bin friendly substance.
After using the kit, carry it with you to the next checkpoint where there will be a waste bin for disposal.
MANDATORY GEAR CHECKS
REWRITE ALL THIS TOGETHER AS THIS PARA WAS TAKEN FROM EXTRA SECTION ON TNF100 WEBSITE: In order to check-in for the race during the event week, you must have already passed gear check. You can either do your gear check immediately prior to your Race Check-In at the same location or if you want to avoid the queues at Race Check-In you should perform early gear check in the months prior to the event. You must remember to collect the gear provided by race organisers at Race Check-In.
Before you can perform Race Check-In during the event week, you need to have passed a mandatory gear check. There are two options for getting your mandatory gear checked;
1. From 1st March perform an early gear check at one of the participating early gear check stores.
2. Have your gear checked at Race Check-In immediately prior to collecting your race pack.
EARLY GEAR CHECK - PARTICIPATING STORES
Early Gear Checks are available at the following stores in NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS and also Auckland in New Zealand.
<<Early-Rego Gear Check Stores>> (2016) (UPDATE LIST AND LINK TO???????)
THERE’S NO EARLY GEAR CHECK STORE LISTED IN MY TOWN?
If there is no store listed in your town, please do not worry, you can still do your gear check at Race Check-In during the event week. You can also do an early gear check via Skype with Pace Athletic (see NSW stores). For details, refer to the ‘Early-Rego Gear Check Stores’ link above.
EARLY GEAR CHECK - GETTING YOUR GEAR CHECKED AT YOUR LOCAL STORE FROM 1ST MARCH
Many stores require you to make a booking so the experts can be available to check your gear (refer to details in the ‘Early-Rego Gear Check Stores’ link above). To organise your gear check you should phone or email the store ahead of time. Then take all your compulsory gear to the store, except for the items that will be given out at registration (ie. maps, course descriptions, firelighters, waterproof matches, race number, emergency instructions card). At the store, your gear will be checked and, if you pass, you will be given a ‘Gear Check Certificate’. The shop assistant will also mark your name off on the competitor list. Note the competitor list will be a download of the list as it stands at the end of February. If you have gained an entry via an online entry transfer after the end of February, your name will not appear in this list. In that case you should get the shop staff to add your name to the bottom of the list. Please be patient with the store staff as this may be a new process for them.
BRING THE ‘GEAR CHECK CERTIFICATE’ TO REGISTRATION
If you pass the early gear check, please make certain that you are given a ‘gear check certificate’ and your name is marked off on the competitor list spreadsheet before leaving the store. If you pass gear check at registration you will be given a gear check certificate at that time. You must show your gear check certificate at registration.
EARLY GEAR CHECK -IF YOU FORGET OR LOSE YOUR ‘GEAR CHECK CERTIFICATE’
When you are in the Race Check-In queue during the event week, an usher will be checking gear check certificates and diverting people who haven’t done early gear check to the gear check section of Race Check-In. If you have completed early gear check but have lost your certificate just tell the usher and they will send you to the gear check station. The staff at the gear check station will be able to look up the competitor list to confirm your gear check status and issue you with a new certificate so you can continue directly to the Race Check-In tables.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T PASS GEAR CHECK?
If you fail the early gear check, you may be able to purchase a replacement item at the store. Otherwise the store will take your details and record the failing item(s) on the competitor list. That way you only need to return to the same store, or any of the other participating stores, with the replacement item(s).
If you fail gear check at Race Check-In, you will need to find a replacement item from The Pace Athletic store set up at The Event Expo before you can perform registration. The Pace Athletic store will be open until at least 8pm on the Friday night. Summit Gear in Katoomba may also be open until 8pm on the Friday night but call first to confirm on (02) 4782 3018.
WHY HAVE MANDATORY GEAR (SHOULD JUST BE A LINK TO A PDF FROM THE MENTION ABOVE)
The list of mandatory gear has been devised and refined by the Race Director, Tom Landon-Smith and myself -the event Medical Team Director, Lucas Trihey. Together we have plenty of experience with wilderness adventure in all sorts of weather under both race and non-race conditions. We know how grim it can get and what you’ll need to stay safe. I am also involved in search and rescue both commercially and as a volunteer.
The Ultra-Trail Australia mandatory gear list contains what we believe is the bare minimum to keep you safe and well if you are delayed for some reason during the event. Obviously if the weather is good and if you don’t get injured then you won’t use most of your mandatory gear. However the mandatory gear is required so that if you do get injured or exhausted and are immobilised, if you get lost, or if the weather turns nasty you will be able to survive until you can be rescued.
The mandatory gear has nothing to do with insurance company or other bureaucratic pressures – it is a simple, practical measure to keep participants safe.
WEATHER
If you haven’t been in the Blue Mountains in bad weather it might be hard to imagine just how ugly it can get - windy, cold and wet – often all at the same time. Remember that Katoomba is 1000m (3000’) above sea level. Google “wind chill factor” and see just how cold you’ll get if it’s windy as well as cold. Then take a few more degrees off if it is also wet. Then add to this the fatigue of running a long distance with reduced energy intake and you won’t have much energy left to burn to maintain your body temperature. In this case you will need every bit of your mandatory gear to keep warm.
The consequences can be dire if you are immobilised or caught in bad weather without appropriate gear. If you roll an ankle, can’t move to keep warm and don’t have enough clothing to wear to maintain your body temperature you’ll be dangerously hypothermic in under 30 minutes. In all events from 2008 to 2015, we’ve been lucky with pretty mild weather conditions for the race. Yet even when conditions are good we still get many calls to evacuate people with a combination of hypothermia and fatigue. I have spent much of the event nights answering phone calls from people who pushed themselves past their limits and who needed evacuation. Usually I have been able to get a medical team straight to them, bundle them into a 4WD and evacuate them to the nearest checkpoint. Despite the quick response and the mild weather we have still had numerous hypothermia cases that required prolonged nursing to restore a normal body temperature and in 2010 we had a runner who needed ambulance care and hospitalisation for his hypothermia. He had been found lying on the trail, vomiting and lapsing into unconsciousness. All this when conditions were relatively warm!
If we get any combination of wet, cold or windy weather it’s likely the Medical Teams will get lots of requests for help and there might be lengthy delays until we can evacuate everyone. In this case you need to be able to look after yourself to stay warm until evacuated. This is what your mandatory gear is for. We want you to put on all your gear, use your emergency blanket and even light a small fire to keep warm until we can reach you. Your gear might also be used to help care for someone else you come across.
KEEPING IT FAIR
It would be nice to think that we could leave it to participants to self-regulate and select appropriate gear for the conditions but many participants would simply not know the danger they’d be placing themselves in if they went too light. As long as everyone carries the gear it’s fair so random gear checks are a feature of Ultra-Trail Australia. We’d like to think that as well as seeing the sense in carrying the mandatory gear for your own safety, you will also keep to the spirit of the event and will carry the required gear just like everyone else.
Lucas Trihey
Medical Team Director
August 2015