Essential Gear

Athlete Tip - What to Wear? | Video: Blister Prevention | Video: No-Slip Lacing Tricks | Gear Recommendations

What to Wear

The North Face® Athlete Tip - Sam Thompson
My feeling on what to wear is that you want to be as comfortable as possible; if you aren’t comfortable when you put your clothes on, it’s only going to get infinitely worse as you run for hours and hours, so best to start off happy. For warm weather I try to go as minimal as possible, but like to wear functional technical shorts like the Thunder Short (from The North Face) with good movement and not too much material. For a top I’ll often wear the Spirit Tank (also from The North Face), which is a nice, breathable sleeveless that still protects your shoulders from the sun. My mandatory accessory is always a water bottle, too—whether it’s hot or cold—and more often than not, I carry two bottles to balance myself better. For colder weather I go with layering on the top and stick with shorts down low unless it’s bitterly cold. Then I go for tights. On top I love wearing The North Face Vitesse Delta ¼ zip. It’s great for layering and easy to take on and off. The Hydrogen jacket is the perfect lightweight jacket for running in light rain and cold too. Also I almost always wear a lightweight glove and an ear band (the Windstopper™ variety if it's especially chilly).

Joe Kulak Video: Blister Prevention

Kami Semick Video: No-Slip Lacing Tricks

Gear Recommendations

Stay tuned for complete gear recommendations that keep you fast and light!

Countless factors come into play when selecting gear, including terrain, distance, time of day, and weather conditions. Below we have compiled a table with gear recommendations for each of the Endurance Challenge distances. Wherever necessary, we have included some general guidelines to follow when considering gear, as well as very specific gear recommendations.

Always train as much as possible with your gear before the race in order to get comfortable with it and break it in. By Race Day, your gear should be your best, most trusted running partner, one that you know you can trust no matter the weather, course conditions, or distance.

Also, what you wear on Race Day will depend on WHERE you’re racing. For example, moderate temperatures and monsoon-like conditions greeted some Bear Mountain, NY runners in 2008, while participants in the 2007 Washington, DC Endurance Challenge had to brave sweltering heat. Once you register for a race, we will do our best to advise you on smart gear choices through our regular emails throughout your training period. For now, here are some reliable guidelines for the gear you’ll need for each race distance.