Watch any race of any distance and you’ll notice a trend. The people at the front of the pack carry virtually no gear. The middle of the pack runners are loaded down with gear. The people at the back of the pack have about as much gear as the front-runners.
Interesting, huh?
What’s going on here?
For the most part, the amount of gear carried can be used as a measure to roughly predict the level of experience.
Brand new runners likely haven’t been exposed to the vast array of gear that exists. As such, their first few races are run with minimal gear. As they become exposed to other runners, start reading magazines like Runner’s World, start perusing running websites, or visit their local running store, they’re inundated with products promising to shave time off their PRs, reduce or prevent injury, maximize their training, or other promises of greatness.
The new runner enters new territory when they begin buying these products. GPS watches, compression sleeves, hydration packs, heart rate monitors, energy gels, fancy springy shoes, reflective diapers, ipods and accessories, various kinds of tape, braces, and straps to keep body parts in place, and on and on. In longer races, it’s not uncommon to see some runners carrying 10 kilos of electronics, clothing, and gear.
The gear promises to make them better.
Of course, over time the runner comes to realize the vast majority of the gear simply weighs them down. The result is a refining of what is carried. Runners go through a minimization period where they recognize which tools actually enhance performance and what is useless crap.
Here’s a graph:
This process isn’t unique. It occurs in pretty much any endeavor. People start off with no tools, accumulate a bunch in hopes of enhancing performance, then slowly whittle the tools down to the absolute necessities.
What do you think? Have you noticed this trend? What about yourself? Where to you fit in the distribution graph above?
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Barefoot Running University 
HA! My first marathon I wore a CamelBak. Second marathon a Nathan waist pack with 16oz watter bottle. Third just an iFittness waist belt to hold some gels.
However all three I do wear my Garmin HRM+GPS watch. Love it and doubt I’ll be getting rid of it any time soon.
I’m curious for ultras – is the oppostie true? Start out with not enough and then carry more as apporpriate? I guess it depends on the aid stations… I know I’ll once again be carrying a Nathan hydration pack for my first 50K as a Just In Case.
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I agree! I can’t believe how the elites do it! Hopefully one day I learn. I guess slowly I am, now unlike before, I don’t run with hydration belt or Ipod or Gels anymore for longish runs!
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Hmmmm, don’t think that’s quite right; at least not a completely symmetrical Bell Curve. I’ve seen PLENTY of complete newbies carrying way too much gear, possibly even more than their slightly more experienced peers. Another aspect to consider is the “completion” versus “competition” aspects or motivations involved. Somebody just doing a race to finish might be a bit more cautious in their approach, more “worst case scenario” and tend to pack more gear compared to someone who is really there to go as fast as possible (that would imply going lighter). Interestingly these different approaches can be seen by newbies and experienced runners alike and thus would be reflected in the amount of gear they’d likely carry. So it’s not just a simple matter of amount of gear vs. experience; motivation plays a big key as well. Also experience with a given event. Example, even as a very experienced ultra runner, I carried way too much gear at my first Hardrock; 9 years later I did the race again as light (though safe) as I could and was much faster!
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I have noticed this trend with myself. I went through a phase many years ago where I started using a heart rate monitor. About 4 years ago I got a Garmin. That was back when I wore shoes. Now I run with no shoes, no Garmin, no heart rate monitor. Occasionally, when I remember, I put a watch on. I feel very liberated running without the technology. I have always hated carrying water & food. I try and arrange to come home for that stuff. I like to run light:)
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I think it’s more an indication of the support resources available to the runner. If I had a support crew handing me bottles of my preferred beverage every few miles and gels when I needed them, I’d be perfectly fine running a marathon in nothing more than a singlet and split shorts.
But I don’t. So I have to lug my own gear.
Also, elite runners are competing against the guys and gals next to them. Unless they are deliberately trying to set a record, their pace doesn’t matter. They just have to cover the distance faster than the person next to them. For us amateurs, GPS watches provide the benchmark for performance that would otherwise be unavailable.
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You can have my Garmin, but I’ll never give up my reflective diapers.
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My progression:
Watch, shoes – back of pack
Watch, shoes, ipod – back of pack
Watch, shoes – back of pack
Garmin, shoes – middle of the pack
Garmin, barefoot or minimal depending on conditions – front 25% of the pack
I am still a long way from the front of the pack but I have finished in the top 10%. Looks like so far the winning combination is the Garmin with barefoot/minimal
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It would be difficult for you to pay me enough to get rid of my Garmin Forerunner 305 (well, you could… if you paid me enough so that I could buy a Forerunner 605 or 910XT). I also really enjoy running with my ipod shuffle. Other than that, during races, I carry nothing. I’ve only done half marathons so far, but if I do a full marathon, I might carry my own gel packs just to ensure I get them when I need them and that I have a flavor that I like.
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The longer the race the more food and water I would carry. However, I’ve since learned to look just at the longest distance between aid stations and prepare for that instead.
Drop bags play a part as well. Some people appear to go overboard judging by many of the race reports I’ve read. I’ve used as many as 4 for a 100 mile (mostly food and foot care), and really only needed the evening drop in order to put on a warmer top and get a fresh light and batteries.
My kit for races now includes about 30oz of water, S! caps, some small bandages for raw spots, several wet wipes, and an MP3 player for audiobooks.
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I don’t even want to know what a reflective diaper is….
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Is it one of the following:
1. Elites have done that much training and racing they know how to push their bodies to the limit with little resources?
2. Elites would choose the gear if they could afford to lug it all around, but are willing to deny themselves to shave off seconds?
3. Middle of the pack are conned into it by all the ads?
4. Middle of the pack genuinely do better with the support aids and resources than they would otherwise do and enjoy the experience more because of it?
4. Middle of the pack haven’t got the mental attitude of a winner – concentrate on running and just running until crossing the line. They’re not hungry enough?
It reminds me of the old discussion in mountaineering circles about travelling fast and light: Do you need to use oxygen to climb Everest, or is it because you’re carrying the weight of the oxygen the reason why you need to use it?
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the weekend warriors who pay beaucoup bucks to get helo-lifted to BC1 definitely need oxygen; they’d go hypoxic pretty damn quick!
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I think you also need to consider that the elite runners will finish the race so much quicker that they need less support. If you are running a 6 hour marathon, you need a lot more nutrition than if you are finishing in 2.5 hours. Also, so races have run out of water, etc. for the back of the packers, so it isn’t a bad idea to bring your own.
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Thanks Jason. I definitely think there is something to this theory.
Check out my follow-up blog post:
http://www.thenakedrunners.com/blog/2011/12/5/gear-running-experience-follow-up.html
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I am on the downslope portion of the graph. I was moving towards the center during my “marathon every other weekend” phase. Once I progressed to Ultras it became apparent that the gear needed some pairing down. The light running pack with clothing, salt tabs, cell phone, etc. became two Amphipod bottles with pockets and some good drop bag strategery(yes, that’s a Bushism). I am now at a point where the shoes, to some degree, are on their way out as well. I also sold my car and ride my bike everywhere. The more you run, the more you realize that you need much less to live!
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Kind of off topic but why are hand held bottles popular with ultra-runners? Seems silly to strap 1/2 a kilogram (20floz) to each hand before going on a long run. Wouldn’t it be better to attach it to your torso where the weight isn’t moving as much and the weight difference is minimised?
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