As most people know if you have been following my blog or facebook is that I'm very lucky to be sponsored by Buff for my running kit & I really love running in there products.
These are the Buff products that I wore in the desert & I would highly recommend them.
All of these items can be found on www.buffwear.co.uk
Buff Visor Cap
This was a brilliant piece of kit & invaluable in the desert sun & I can honestly say I wouldn't run in a race in the heat without one.The Buff visor cap is lightweight, breathable & the extra long piece that protects your neck is a great added bonus as it keeps the sun of your neck.
Buff High Uv Protection Buff
This was worn around my neck to keep me cool during the day & its made from 100 percent coolmax extreme which will wick moisture (sweat) away from your skin faster than any other fabric making it perfect for running in the heat of the desert.
At a few points throughout the race these Buff's were brilliant especially when the wind got up and the sandstorm hit , as we had 2 buffs on with just our eyes showing to stop the sand getting in our mouths and eyes.
Then when it got cold at night it was transformed into a beanie hat to keep me warm.
As for t shirts & shorts I wore my official Team Buff kit , the kit is excellent as it is so lightweight, breathable & very very comfortable which you really need on a event over a few days.
Fat Feet how about designing a Ocean Floor race Buff for the 2014 race?
A perfect prize for every finisher & a great marketing product too!!
Out of all my kit without a doubt a Buff is the most useful & versatile piece of kit.
A massive thank you to Buff for your continued support with my ultra running & it's a pleasure to compete in your kit.
SHOES.
I ran in Hoka one stinson B evo trail shoes, which are a amazing piece of kit & once you get over the fact that they are big looking & make you look taller (a advantage for me as im only 5ft 3) you will soon come to realise what you have been missing !! Ok they are expensive @ £135.00 but I must admit I really think they are worth every penny.
This particular Hoka is designed for trail running as well as road & its a perfect choice for running across the Ocean floor in Egypt as ocean floor IS made up of sand, hard rock & generally feet killing material.
Even though I lost 4 toenails in the end Im pretty sure if i had worn other shoes my feet would of been alot worse, I was told by the race physio that all the peole who ran in hokas had the best feet at the end.
So that must prove something & I would without a doubt where these again in a desert race. (especially as they now have black velcro stuck on them to hold my gaiters on)
RAIDLIGHT GAITERS
Ok anyone looking at this picture who did the race will find this funny as yes I was slightly tired the one day and I ended up my one gaitor on back to front.
Anyway back to the review , these were ok & did the job to be fair as no sand got into my trainers at all, But although they were only £29.99 I didnt think the quality was very good as they did start to come away after the 2nd day.
INOV8 BACKPACK
We were very lucky to have been sent the Inov8 25l race pack free of charge to use & test on the Ocean floor race from www.inov-8.com and I wasnt disappointed .
I have used inov 8 products in the past & have always been pleased with how they have performed & I was hoping that this pack was going to live up to the expectations.
Even as soon as we got to the airport it was good to see that a fellow runner Matt had also got the same backpack (matching kit always good).
So onto the pack considering its 25litres its very lightweight & made from ripstop material making it hardwearing. The pack itself had loads of pockets which was great for stashing rations & the top of the pack had a massive pocket which was perfect for storing warmer clothes & a waterproof.
There was also a secret inside pocket just under the clip which stored my first aid kit.
The pack itself is remarkably comfortable & it has a padded back & a separate internal bladder pocket which was perfect for my 2litre bladder.
One of the best features is the built in safety whistle which was attached to the chest strap of the bag which was in a perfect position if needed in an emergency.
Without a doubt a great bit of kit & it didn't rub me once .10 out 10.
HOPE HEADTORCH
Once again I have some great friends who work for great company's & I have to send a massive thank you to Chris Crabtree for arranging for me & Amanda to test out these amazing head torches in the desert.
We were both sent a Hope Technology Vision One Led Adventure Head Torch.
It may not be the lightest head torch on the market weighing 295g inc batteries, but it certainly has to be one of the brightest the light output is 215 measured lumens, 300 generated lumens.
Just as an example of how good this head torch was this picture was taken using my iphone 4s when it was pitch black in the desert, no flash was used the tree was just lit up with mine & Amanda's Hope head torches.
Please check out www.hopetech.com for all the specification on this great Head torch I also look forward to wearing it in the Joust 24hr www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk/thejoust24hrhtml & the 24hour thunder run www.tr24.co.uk later in the year.
FEETURES SOCKS.
The great thing about these socks is how comfortable they are I ran in the Feetures Elite light cushion no show tab socks & is one of feetures most technically advanced sock.
They are that lightweight that it actually feels like you have no socks on yet saying that they are a very supportive sock , which has extra cushioning where you need it.
I found these perfect for desert running & ok blister wise I got a few but I don't know anyone in the race who didnt get a blister,
I will continue to train & race in Feetures socks as they suit my feet & they really are great socks,
I look forward to seeing the USA feeture guys later in the year again at the RNR LAS VEGAS MARATHON & see what new products will be hitting the shelves.
www.feeturesbrand.com
RAIDLIGHT ECO CUP.
I loved this little cup & it only weighed 2.1 oz & it literally took up no space at all in my pack as the cup as the picture shows folds into itself genius in my opinion.
perfect for use at the checkpoints I purchased mine from www.racekit.co.uk
on special for £8.99 money well spent.
GARMIN GPS e TREX 30
Well as most of you know already the Gps part of the Ocean floor race was the most worrying part & i'm sure my family honestly though they would never see me again as my navigational skills are not the best!!!
That was until my hubby brought me this awesome little hand held G.P.S & it may not be one that you can where on your wrist but it clipped onto my strap on my backpack perfectly.
Once I was showed how to use it & we had a crash course on Cannock chase beforehand , I soon became an expert (yes I know very funny) . once you know how to put in waypoints it's a very straight forward bit of kit which comes with a sunlight readable display (perfect for the desert) its very durable & waterproof.
We didn't get lost once & it seemed to out perform the wrist mounted units that some of the other competitors had problems with.
10 out of 10
I will be updating this with other products as soon as possible & a list of food & drink will also be added asap.
Thank you for reading & I hope it is useful for anyone looking at doing a desert ultra in the future.