The Gear That Got Us Through a 200-Mile Overnight Race

Our team primarily wore gear from Montreal-based brand Ciele, and for good reason. After discussing the idea to get GoCap hats for the entire team (IFKYK), we worked with Ciele to get our team a matching running kit for one of everyone’s three legs. With Ciele, everything starts and ends with their hats. While they offer an infinite number of designs, colors, and sizes, the GoCap is the original icon. It offers an incredibly lightweight feel with sweat-wicking COOLmatic mesh, UV protection, and a pliable soft brim. It’s the best performing running hat on the market––and it just happens to be the most comfortable one as well.

For our team tops we wore Ceile’s FSTSinglets. With the brand’s signature venting at the sides for increased air flow, it’s the ideal race-day top for going fast and feeling free. It keeps you cool, wicks away sweat, and is exceptionally lightweight (only 82 grams). So lightweight, in fact, that even while drenched in sweat during my last leg of Hood to Coast, it still felt much lighter than most other singlets I’ve worn that absorb sweat without actually wicking the moisture away. It’s also one of the only singlets I would ever consider wearing a hydration vest with, given that the shoulder straps are wide enough and the neckline tall enough to not need to worry about chafing. The FSTSinglet is available in an incredibly expansive selection of colors, making the perfect choice whether you’re a run club coordinating a unified fit with team colors or someone looking to add some variety to your wardrobe.

The DLYShort from Ciele was my top pick for men’s running shorts. That made the question of what we chose for our team shorts an easy decision. They are ultra-lightweight, made with a no-chafe liner that’s soft-to-the-touch, and come equipped with plenty of storage. Given that our team encountered all types of weather during Hood to Coast––some legs were 70 degrees and sunny while others, particularly in the mountains, were 40 degrees and raining––it also helped that these shorts were treated with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish to keep us protected rain or shine. The women on our team wore the equally beloved female equivalent: the DLYShort 4" Short Brief.

While the Hood to Coast race covers about 200 miles, a majority of it was surprisingly on paved roads. Lucky for us, that meant we could wear what I definitively named the best road race shoe in our guide to the best running shoes. The Alphafly 3 provides the most bounce out of any carbon plated shoe I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot), while its upper is made from Nike’s premium soft and airy Atomknit for a super secure fit. It propels you forward with two Zoom air pods underfoot, a full-length carbon-fiber plate, and its soft yet responsive ZoomX foam midsole. The result is a ride that helps you set personal records––which, in fact, it did, as many of our runners set PRs in the 5k and 10k during some of their Hood to Coast legs.

For the race legs that were across more technical terrain, the Norda 001 delivered. Released in 2021 to widespread acclaim from the trail running community, the 001 was originally designed to be an uncompromising trail running shoe crafted with the best materials on the market. Its upper is made from a bulletproof, laser-cut fabric called Dyneema that’s 15 times stronger than steel, and its Vibram Megagrip outsole and foam midsole makes for an exceptionally supportive and strikingly responsive shoe. Whether you’re running on winding trails, wet gravel, dirt roads, or really anything that’s not paved, the 001 delivers a smooth and safe ride in contrast to its road racing counterparts.

As useful in training as it is on race day, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is my favorite running watch. It is feature-rich and lightweight, with a vibrant AMOLED display that delivers sharp, clear visuals even in direct sunlight. It boasts an impressive battery life, especially while GPS is activated, which proved important since our race lasted just under 24 hours. There are a lot of running watches out there, but I’ve found the Forerunner 265 to simply be the best at giving me what I want and nothing I don’t. And when paired with Garmin’s app, it became an invaluable resource for me as I trained for Hood to Coast in the months leading up to it.

The Original Massage Stick, also just known as "the stick," has had a massive cult following since its invention in 1989. During the Hood to Coast relay, our team made sure we always had one in our van. Its compact size makes it the perfect on-the-go recovery tool for compressing and stretching muscles, improving circulation, and enhancing overall muscle recovery. With each runner tackling three legs over 24 hours, it was crucial we rolled out our muscles during downtime, which often meant in our van. The Original Stick works wonders––even in tight places–– to provide quick and instant muscle relief to help keep your legs fresh whether you’re using it before, after, or in-between runs.

If you want great sound while staying aware of your surroundings, Shokz’s signature open-ear headphones are the way to go. Using bone conduction technology to deliver premium sound and strong bass, they allow you to jam out on your run while staying alert in your environment. During Hood to Coast, it wasn’t advised to run with earbuds since you were often running beside highways, at night, or on backcountry roads. That said, those who did choose to listen to music often opted for Shokz since the headphones didn’t compromise their safety.

During our night runs, from about sunset to sunrise, we were required to wear reflective vests and carry LED flashers. The Tracer2 vest from Noxgear covers both of those requirements by pairing powerful multi-color LED fiber optics with ultra-reflective 3M patterns and fluorescence. Needless to say, if you’re on the road when it’s pitch black, you’ll be impossible to miss. The Tracer2 is also surprisingly comfortable (never bouncing around), lightweight, and customizable with plenty of light patterns to choose from. If you like to run at night or in the early mornings before sunrise, this vest can be a great way to stay visible to cars on the road.

Of course, what’s a race like this without the memories? We were lucky enough to have a runner on our team who used the latest handheld action camera from DJI to capture the race in 4k. The Pocket 3’s compact size and long battery life make it the perfect companion to bring along for events like a 24-hour relay race, while its built-in gimbal provides stellar stability to enable smooth hand-held footage. You can also easily switch between horizontal and vertical shooting with a simple flip of the OLED touchscreen display. If you’re looking to capture content that’ll look more professional than what you’d shoot with your iPhone or even a GoPro, opt for the Osmo Pocket 3. In a few years time, you’ll be glad you did.

If I use a gel, it’ll be a Maurten gel. The gold standard in racing, the Maurten Gel 100 stands out from traditional gels by using a unique biopolymer matrix with fructose and glucose that allows for a high intake of up to 100 grams of carbs per hour. In fewer words: it’s better at getting your body the nutrition it needs than anything else on the market. And, with just six natural ingredients and no colorants or preservatives, a Maurten gel tastes distinctly neutral and goes down easy without any water. After all, the last thing you want when you’re tired and fatigued is a blast of artificial flavoring. In preparation for Hood to coast, before our team even talked about race strategy or course logistics, the first thing we all said to each other was, “Who is getting the Maurten?” Needless to say, we stocked up on plenty.

In any race, whether it’s your local 5k or an overnight ultramarathon, you need electrolytes. Nuun tablets served as our go-to source since they have minimal sugar, a complete electrolyte profile, and tasty flavors. They even spark up your drink with effervescent bubbles when dissolved in water.

Think Nuun, but with carbs. When you need to replenish more than just the sodium lost while sweating, Skratch is there to provide two types of carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) to help speed up fluid and fuel delivery to your working muscles in addition to providing basic electrolytes. Even more, Skratch is made using real fruit––and trust me, you can taste the difference. Each flavor is distinctly light and delicious. My favorites are Lemon Lime and Pineapple.

These are my go-to pre-run snack. Every morning, I have a Honey Stinger waffle and a cup of coffee before I head out the door. Sure, they have a nice and light carb profile that’s easy to digest along with a little bit of sugar, but the bottom line is that they’re also just so dang delicious. I munched on these waffles during Hood to Coast whenever I needed a quick bite. If you’re seeking some morning fuel before your runs that’s not a chew or gel but also not a full breakfast, give these waffles a try.

This powerhouse of a pre-workout supplement boosts your endurance and oxygen capacity for a full five hours. By increasing nitric oxide production in your body, it helps enhance blood flow to working muscles which results in increased endurance and easier recovery. Sound too good to be true? Despite the overwhelming clinical evidence that L-Citrulline (the key ingredient in Nitric Oxide, and naturally found in watermelons) delivers on its promise, I too was highly skeptical…until I tried it on my long tempo runs. I found myself breathing easier during high-intensity efforts and feeling not as fatigued the following day. So, come race day, having had no sleep for 24 straight hours, I relied on SwissRX’s Nitrous Oxide to help get me through my third and final leg of Hood to Coast––the longest of the race at just under 8 miles.