I’ve been dreaming about Tough Guy lately. In fact, I’ve been having dreams about Tough Guy on and off for the last few months. The dreams have all been on the same theme: I’m late for the start, forgot to go or, having remembered to go and been on time, I’ve forgotten, lost or brought the wrong kit. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something. (My wife reckons it’s that I shouldn’t do it but I think that’s actually a mental telegram sent directly from her conscious mind.) I wasn’t entirely prepared for TG in January because although I had an entry, I only decided to ignore the cold I had the night before (after a couple of pints down the pub) and so spent most of the Sunday morning delaying our departure by trying to get my kit together in a hurry. This wasn’t helped by my mate realising that he’d left his pants at home. (Special moisture wicking, non cotton pants for running in!)

Like most things in life, having the right kit is useful. So here’s a list of things I need to remember to take (and hopefully a useful list for the countless number of people who find this site when searching for Nettle Warrior information).

• Shoes (Well you’re hardly going to Zola Budd it are you?) Trainers are fine but I prefer fell shoes because they’re light (even when wet) and have good grip which is useful on wet, muddy grip.
• Socks Again, obvious, but again, I go for a pair that are likely to wick water and that are also double layered to help prevent blisters.
• Gloves There’s a fair bit of rope work - climbing, traversing etc, so gloves are useful for avoiding rope burns (unless you’re into that sort of thing). I favour a pair of rugby gloves which are light enough you don’t feel you’re wearing them (and your hands don’t get hot) but have a very good grip, useful for wet ropes.
• T-Shirt/Vest & Shorts There’s one real rule I follow about this: cotton is bad. Polyester or some “dri-fit, microfibre, ultradry, hexlite” gear is best. Whether you wear long sleeves or short sleeves, leggings or shorts is up to you. Full covering will stop you scraping your skin so much but might be heavier out of water and may well be quite warm in summer. (Fancy dress is optional. I am considering it for this year but may or may not do it).
• Vaseline Stops blisters and chafing. ‘Nuff said
• Safety Pins Needed to keep your number on. I’ve seen some people actually sew their number to their vest but I’ve never had a problem with safety pins. Don’t use less than 4.
• String Always useful! In this case, it’s to tie the number tag around your waist to make it easily retrievable at the finish line.
• Towel To dry yourself with.
• Shower shoes/flip flops/beach sandals Not essential but a nice to have when leaving the showering area.
• Shower gel You will be thankful you remembered to bring this. Make sure you have plenty and feel free to share with others.
• Another towel Believe me, you can’t have too many!
• Clean clothes to change into Another obvious one but people forget. Socks, jogging pants, sweatshirt (you may get cold), t-shirt, underwear.
• Clean pair of trainers Don’t. Forget.
• Plasters You may need them for scratches, blisters and shallow cuts. Just in case you do draw blood, bring
• Antiseptic Spray to help clean the wound. There’s a good Savlon spray which is very useful. Make sure you clean the cut well first. (If it’s a deep cut, St John’s Ambulance are your friends).
• Eye Wash I’ve always suffered from mud in my eye (and that’s not just from drinking too much). I’m going to run without contact lenses this year to see if it makes a difference but it’s probably an occupational hazard of submerging your head in muddy water.
• Carrier bags For wet and muddy kit. Bring plenty. You’ll need a largish one for your shoes.
• Big bottle of water By big, I mean those 6 liter plastic bottles you can get in the supermarket. Bring two if you need to. This will be useful for rinsing kit, washing hands and feet etc. Bring smaller bottles for drinking.
• Another carrier bag or gym bag or something. You’ll need to put your shower gel, towel(s), shower shoes, clean clothes and carrier bags in here to leave in the showering area. Believe me when I say you’ll be thankful that they’re close to hand. Yes, there’s the possibility of them being stolen or mistakenly picked up - but better to risk it than get cold (and have to run back to your car naked).
• Laundry Marker Waterproof ink pen to write your number on your arms/forehead/chest/legs etc. By no means necessary but it means they’ll know who you are in case you lose your
• Race Number THIS IS IMPORTANT. Don’t forget this nor your
• Death Warrant although you may be able to get one on the day. You’ll also need your
• Car Park pass otherwise you won’t be able to park, will you?

Now I just need to find a bag big enough to put all this in!