Anyone else here doing the Cotswold Way Challenge tomorrow? UTMB points available 
I will be supporting my wife. Goes right past our house!
Swinging by the LBS later to get a cardboard bike box to make some signs for encouragement 
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Itâs not the running at night, or the suffering, I think itâs thought of twisting ankles and not seeing holes that scares me (and getting lost 
)
Well I had a real blast yesterday. We set up a hose, water container & couple of buckets of sponges outside the house. We were the most popular people in the Cotswolds yesterday!! People were really grateful as the official stations were every 10k, and very few shops en route. It was 35 in the sun outside the house. Iâm glad weâre not on a water meter 
Had some 80s radio on, signs up and chalk in the road. When Glen Freyâs âHeat is onâ came on, it was awesome 
Enjoyed it so much.
Of course, this now has me thinking, given I have no intention of doing an Ironman next yearâŚ
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CSW Coast to Coast mate. Starts in Wembury⌠pretty much home for you isnât it?!
You know you want to!
Ha. Being ex forces I was checking out everyoneâs âassaultâ vests, and have already been on Google. Feck Iâm doomed. That said, there wonât be much zeal for me doing trail ultras⌠outside of going for the Cotswold Full 100 in a single hit. That would defo be on the approved list.
Really impressed with Mrs âOâ (well H really), 50k in that heat with limited trail running experience and a max run of 20k in training 
Iâve already put her medal above the Aga alongside my clay Cotswold 226 medallion 
They are the only sports memoribilia anywhere in the house.
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Yeah thatâs very impressive! Does she want to do another after the experience, or was it a tick box local event?
I donât think i could get my head around doing a non trail ultra personally. Th legs would not be happy with all that road and/or laps.
Do any of you run with the lightweight shoe gaiter thingies?
At Race to the King I had to stop a few times for grit in my shoes, quite a few had the gaiters on. Keen to try for Race to the Stones.
Nope, never had need for them. I also canât get over the fact that Iâd be just like a hiker with them! 
What are the best vests, is it individual? I like the look of the UD ones. I think Iâd want a mesh back one with soft bottles on the front, if the weather was going to be warm.
It strikes me with events like the Cotswold, that you can have various equipment strategies if the race passed your house at 30k and thereâs a left baggage/support crew opportunity at half way.
Yep, as with most itâs all about fit. As iâve mentioned on here previously i love the Osprey Duro. Iâve tried the Salomon one, and thatâs great as well (but was literally double the price, so no contest for me, plus i have a bunch of other Osprey packs that i really like).
And yes, lots of things will determine your strategy. Lots of races will allow you to send a drop bag half way or so for you to top up your stuff. Heat obviously messes things up as will very inclement weather. Mandatory kit will also have a bearing on pack size - milder summer/non technical runs wonât have much on the kit list, gnarly winter ones obviously are going to require more of a pack-horse type situation.
Iâve tried multiple shoe changes (via a support crew) and single socks and shoes the whole way through. No right or wrong, but having options is always the best thing for an ultra (support crew, drop bags, houses being en route etc). Iâd rather have access to a whole bunch of âstuffâ and not need it than be wishing i brought an extra pair of socks for example.
Also, look at how much space is in the front of the pack/is accessible without taking the pack off for food especially. A few mates and i were sharing a common experience recently, whereby weâve all carried food around for a whole 24hrs +, but because it was in the main zipped part at the back of the pack we didnât touch it. Thatâs despite it being something very appealing. When the cloudiness of exertion and lack of sleep descends on your brain you begin to make poor decisions (though i am sure a man of your rank @Jorgan Jorgan would never be susceptible to such weak mindedness).
Take a look at the soft flasks as well. Some are much easier to refill than others - though really only a problem if youâre doing something like a fast 50km where time really is of the essence - but look at the size of the opening once you take a lid off. On longer races it doesnât really matter as much; other than poor hand eye coordination when youâre shattered!
I have the Salomon Sense Ultra 5 (or summat like that, who thinks of the names!). I really like it, very easy access to the side pockets and the lower pocket at the rear. I canât reach in and out of the main pocket at the back unless what I want is at the top (like a hat).
The soft bottles are great and easy to load as they are torpedo shaped. The whole vest moves with you and is very easy to adjust on the fly, which can be important as you pack size changes of the course of a long day.
Having said that, I got this thing for ÂŁ70 which was half price! Itâs a good buy for ÂŁ70 buy laughingly expensive at ÂŁ140 and not worth that IMO. Itâs a couple of months ols and has had to have some stitching reinforced in one area.
I would like to try the UD type with the straws coming out of the bottles. With my Salomon vest, drinking the full bottle can be a bit of a neck stretch when getting to the last third, especially when youâre tired.
Iâm a trail and ultra novice but for winter I reckon youâd need more of a closed pack type of bag. i have bought the OMM Ultra 20 which should be be good for winter running but i primarily bought it for mtbing. It is very light but you can get an additional âpodâ that clips on and increases capacity.
Yes, ref accessibility to kit/food - I do think brands are missing a trick by not having some (small) pockets on the side of the waist section too (or did I miss them?). Even if itâs for gels/bars or a small map/compass or whatever, the ability to get it without taking the vest off is a definite plus. It looks like the UD 4.0 Race can just about be accessed at the rear using the side zips. Thatâs a fair weather vest though for sure.
My wife changed socks at the house and I think that made a big difference for her, especially after all the cooling water at our rest stop! She didnât get any blisters, and ran in Hoka road shoes (it was very dry!).
Jorgan, the side pockets are great but two things to bear in mind. Some vests have side pockets but then have fastening straps that run right over the top of them (dumb!) and depending on body shape., if you stuff them too much, they can hinder your arm swing.
I havenât tried one but for cheap and cheerful, check out the Aonijie (sp) brand on Amazon, they get good reviews.
Also, Clare Maxtedâs channel âWild Ginger Runningâ has a ton of vest reviews and a lot are women specific (for Mrs O).
Yep, echo FPs thoughts there. I have side pockets below my water bottles, and then two wrap around style pockets that i can access with the pack on (though it isnât quite as big as the salomon one).
Anyone used the Nike Wildhorse, quite like the look of them. Sister-in-Law has them for dog walking!
Not tried them in person, but if i recall theyâre a trail âliteâ shoe i.e. good for paths and trails, not so much for broken, open, wet, muddy etc.
So theyâd probs be fine in this weather!
Probably ideal around here then.
Review here. he talks very very fast!
I DNFâd Race to the Stones today. Took a huge tumble at 18km in. Smashed my knee, wrists and buggered my already damaged hip.
I hung on until 55km but the pain was unbearable and I was reduced a severe limp and almost zero progress.