SPRINT Issue 59

the next aid station (the real distance, even if you get lost), and
ETA. This allows for pretty accurate pacing.
My new headtorch – a Suprabeam V3 Air – was really good. Takes 3
AAA batteries and was a bit lighter overall than my Petzl Myo RXP
and brighter too. Highly recommended.
The new Inov8 Race Ultra mitts I bought are ridiculously light but the
warmest gloves I’ve ever had. They’re completely waterproof and
although my hands still got cold they were just about comfortable for
most of the time. I suffer from fairly mild Raynaud’s but I usually end
up with hands that are pretty useless and painful even in gloves if the
temperature drops below about 4C, whereas I could still use my
hands even in sub zero temperatures with these mitts,
It may feel like it’s dragging in the night, but you will get a boost
when the sun comes up. I didn’t believe it in the night, but a ragged
determination comes into play as the sun rises and you get nearer
the end. The world seems a much friendlier place when it’s light, like
it’s trying to help you get to the end rather than hold you back.
I think stopping caffeine for a week before the race was very useful. I
didn’t have my first caffeine until Henley (51 miles) and then drank it
pretty much continuously through the night.
Decathlon anti-chafe underpants combined with compression shorts,
and a liberal helping of body glide to appropriate parts led to not a
single hint of chafing over 24 hours!
Injinji socks and 2Toms Anti-Blister powder worked a treat for the
feet too – tender spots on the balls of my feet and a couple of fairly
minor little-toe blisters was all I have to report.
Rich Meston
36