A jacket/smock is part of the mandatory kit for many desert races and righty so. Although it can be super hot during the daylight hours, it can be very nippy at night.

In previous 4 Deserts races (The Sahara Race, Gobi March) I’ve simply used the free wind jacket that was given to me for completing The Swiss Alpine 78km ultra in Davos. A nice little jacket, but in Atacama 2013 it’s time to get serious!

Serious means packing light, and although I’ve not quite got to the point where I don’t take ‘optional’ toothbrush and toothpaste, cutting down the weight on all mandatory equipment is essential.

With Montane’s Slipstream GL Smock, this saving on weight is not at the expense of comfort or warmth. The jacket/smock does everything you want it to, and first and foremost that is to act as another layer (it’s all about layers if it gets nippy), and also completely negates the impact of cutting winds.




I’ve been using the smock in the current UK climate of freezing conditions, and harsh winter winds and it’s stood up to the tests very well. At only 80 grams it’s fantastic and saves me 60 grams on what I was previously using. That might not sound like much but if you approach everything on the kit list with this mentality you’d be surprised how much weight you can save. And if you don’t want to save weight, well, just think how much benefit another 60 grams of carbohydrate might give you.

An added bonus is how very little space it folds up into. I’ll aim to get everything into a 15 litre rucksack so this is essential. I am so happy with the Montane smock, and it’s raised the quality and efficiency of my gear. Now to try and get everything else up to that level…

I don’t know why today, of all days, but today let’s start the countdown to Racing The Planet’s Atacama Crossing 2013.

This is the race that has been on my radar, and has been not so much my ‘sole’, but rather my ‘main’ focus since around October 2011. This is when I originally signed up for the 2012 version of the race, which I ended up not running for one reason or another.

So the long wait is finally coming to an end, I cannot really put into words how excited I am about the prospect of being back out there, competing in a desert race, and having my first South American adventure.





With today being just 38 days ’til kick off, and more importantly, only 18 days before I fly to Chile, it is getting very serious indeed regarding kit choice, nutrition plan, and last minute/months training.

This blog post is just an introduction to the 38 days ahead. Over the next 5 weeks and a bit I will write a bit about all the aspects of desert racing, and my plans for kit etc, so that it might shed a little bit of light to what’s involved, and may also help as a guide to my fellow competitors of this race, other Racing The Planet events, and similar race like The Marathon Des Sables.

Upcoming posts will fall into one of the following categories: kit, nutrition, tapering, acclimatisation, camaraderie, and training.

Before I continue just know one thing. Life is always better in the desert!!!!

For a read of my preparation for The Atacama Crossing 2013, please check out my blog over at WordPress. Apologies for being too lazy to do both! http://confessionsofanobsessiverunner.wordpress.com Best wishes, Matt

Ok so as Alina just rightly pointed out, it's less than 5 months to the start, far less in fact, closer to 4 and a half...time to PANIC!!! Well, no. That's plenty of time. But it is time to get serious. Plan of attack: Get the flights booked. In Chile early, with enough time to chill out. Get the equipment sorted. Check what needs to be added to previous gear, and where improvements can be made. And apart from that, run like crazy!!! Questions to ask, things to consider? 1) Is running with weight on back beneficial or detrimental to training? 2) How best can heat training be achieved, is Bikram Yoga really the only option? 3) How best to prepare for the altitude? A simulation mask, altitude tent, or just getting there early enough? 4) What is the best balance of nutrition. Carry the bare minimum of 2000 kcals a day so save on weight, or carry more and better rebuild and fuel? 5) Is there any benefit in doing speed work, or is simply getting the fat burning engine totally primed with heart rate training the better option? And as for that last one, well, I can't see how speed work can be detrimental so tonight I run intervals with Hearne Hill Harriers at Tooting Bec.