Equipment
NB – The use of the term ‘teams’ refers to all teams racing, including Pairs & HTC-Trios
A full list of equipment will be included in the rules, which will be clarified on the website at least two months before the race, but it is unlikely to include much more than is described here. This section also includes a few hints about equipment that might be useful but that is not mandatory. Teams must supply all of their own equipment including a vehicle, bikes, kayak(s), wetsuit(s) for swimming, personal kit and camping equipment.
Vehicle
You are strongly advised and requested not to bring a team vehicle of more than 5m in length.
The issues of vehicle length and seat belts have caused some friction and problems for us in the past, especially with Calmac, hence the introduction of the HTC-Trios. Please do not ignore this advice.
If your vehicle is over 5metres length Calmac will charge you significantly more and Commercial Rates apply on all ferries. You must declare vehicle type length when booking and if this changes you will need to pay extra. Large vehicles also compromise the space on ferries adding to the stress for all of us. Trailers are not permitted. For teams of five the most popular choice is a short wheelbase Ford Transit or similar. With the back seats removed from the vehicle it is possible to fit teams, bikes and other gear into the vehicle, though many teams use a bike rack. Teams and Pairs, will need a roof rack to carry their kayak. Pairs and HTC-Trios are requested to use a car or small (low)van and not a high vehicle, such as a Transit. The law states that any vehicle must have seatbelts for ALL its occupants, also that bike racks may NOT be carried on the front of the vehicle as this poses a hazard to other road users and to the vehicle’s occupants. Bikes may need to be removed from roof racks during ferry crossings.
Ferries – The optimum road/ferries route is: Saturday: Oban to Lochboisdale. Wednesday (tbc): Berneray to Leverburgh. Saturday: Stornoway to Ullapool.
Bikes
Teams of Five will need a minimum of two mountain bikes and one road bike, although two of each kind are recommended. A spare set of MTB wheels with road tyres fitted might be useful too. Ideally, bikes should be adjustable to fit the whole team and the best prepared teams make sure that all their bikes have the same clipless pedal system, and a couple of sets of flat pedals.
The optimum setup for Pairs will be one road bike and one Mountain bike that fits both team members. You will not be riding together for any lengthy sections. A spare MTB may be a worthy stand by. Two bikes each would be nice but probably impractical for your small vehicle.
HTC – Trios need a minimum of two Mountain bikes (they may be ridden concurrently) with ‘slicks’ or ‘semi-slicks’, as an alternative to a road bike. A road bike is optional but not at all necessary, your third team member may prefer to bring their own MTB, instead.
Helmets are of course compulsory whenever a bike is being ridden, whether racing or not. Gloves are strongly advised. Also see note re ‘Skinny Racing Kit’ as detailed below.
Kayak
Kayakers are expected to provide their own boats, although Stef has located boats for teams to hire in the past if they have been coming from abroad or have had some other pressing circumstances. Any standard glass or plastic touring type sea kayak with a minimum length of 16’ 2" should be acceptable, though a minimum length of 16’ 11" is recommended.
Kayaking in the Heb is a more serious business than in most adventure races, partly because it takes place in waters that are open to 3,000 miles of Atlantic swell with strong tidal flows, and partly because the kayaking legs are completed by solo competitors. Because of this there is a comprehensive kit list. The definitive list will appear in the rules but in previous years it has included: A waterproof and windproof cagoule, a first aid kit, a boat repair kit, orange survival bag, in-date flares comprising at least a hand-held red, a red parachute and an orange smoke flare, map and compass and a drinking system.
The kayakers may spend one night camping away from the main race, and will need food and a complete set of overnight camping gear that they can carry in their boats.
Personal gear
All competitors should be prepared to run (a bit) and possibly cycle at some point in the race and will need suitable gear for survival in wilderness terrain when they are “on the hill”. The most common kinds of shoes used by the main team runners are fell running Brands such as Walshes or Inov-8; other grippy trail running shoes such as Montrail Highlanders or La Sportiva Crosslites would be OK. The main runners in the team at least would be advised to bring spare shoes.
The definitive list of hill running kit will be published in the Race Rules but will include; a waterproof top and windproof bottoms, food for the section, map, compass, whistle, first aid kit, thermal leggings and long sleeve top, hat and gloves, emergency signal torch and a survival bag.
The Outer Hebrides is wild mountainous terrain with ever changing weather conditions, personal safety is paramount.
If the weather is good then on short sections the race director may allow the use of “Skinny Racing Kit” which is a reduced subset of the above. ‘SRK’ will always include a long sleeved windproof top, hat/buff, and a whistle. This includes all road and MTB sections, as a matter of safety/first aid. A top tip is to have the basic ‘SRK’ kit permanently mounted in a bike saddle bag, on each bike, along with pump, spare tube and mini-tool, etc. Long MTB sections will require full Hill Kit, as detailed.
It is advisable for teams to have at least two sets of Hill Kit items between them, although if each team member does have a full set of gear then it does make life easier in stage transitions during hectic race conditions. Remember – Less is More – Less Faff – More Speed!
Maps
The official race maps are the 1:50,000 OS Land ranger maps, and numbers 13, 14, 18, 22 and 31 cover the entire event area. This area is also covered by 1:25,000 OS Explorer maps and teams may occasionally wish to consult these, though there are a rather large number and it would prove quite expensive to purchase the whole set! We may be able announce some map purchasing offers in due course.
Please note that NO mapping software will be given out this year but teams may find it preferable to buy some themselves and print out sections that they need, after they are given the route (a week or two before the race starts).
Camping equipment
We anticipate that the majority of teams will choose to camp each night and therefore be prepared to camp. We aim to resource camping space immediately adjacent to the end of each days racing, in order to make evening life more restful and sociable. As a minimum this means teams should have tents, sleeping bags and mats. There is the chance that one or two team members may be taken to remote locations, depending upon sea kayaking sections. It may be necessary for camping gear for two people to be packable into a sea kayak and kayaks will need to be capable of carrying such kit. More details later! Water purification tablets may also be advisable in some remote locations.
It is permissible for team members to book local B&B if they wish to do so, on nights when the route is located in civilization. Many teams choose to mix the two sleeping methods, ensuring that they get a warm bed and hot shower on at least some of the nights. Overnight locations will be confirmed in due course.
Due to Insurance considerations, and the time of year, there will be NO hall sleeping provision.
NB – When we referto camping this does NOT mean a formal campsite – it means a piece of grass, which may be lumpy and may not have many recognizable facilities Shower facilities will limited and getting clean may well entail jumping into the sea, or local lochan!