Last-minute advice for slow-pokes?

[FatBoySTL]

Hello,

I'm registered for the PPM.  Thanks to life getting in the way of all my fun, I am very much overweight (300 pounds) and under-trained.  I've done a couple very slow marathons this year, but otherwise, my longest training run was about 6 miles.

I'm having a bit of anxiety over the whole thing...  I expect to be the last person up the hill, and the last one back down (assuming I come down under my own power).  I normally wouldn't pack hydration for a marathon, and only a handful of gels, but this is a little different.  Would I be wise to pack a hydration pack with stuff more suited to an all-day hike?  Or maybe a fanny pack?  Rain gear?  Bug repellent?  Are there course sweepers coming back down the hill looking for injured runners?  And are they big enough to drag my corpse to a clearing for the helicopter?

Am I overthinking this?  Getting in my own head?

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks!

[Tim Schumacher]

I do the PPA not the PPM (we never say "just the ascent" and if you do you'll likely get corrected).  I'm at the back of the pack.  You've bit off a lot to make the full circuit.  It won't be easy but there is fun/drama in "racing the cutoffs".  Respect the weather and the cutoffs.  If organizers say you are out - do what they say.

I did Barr Trail Mountain race last month at 215lb.  Made it up to Barr Camp on time I needed but didn't make the cutoff at the end.  Tough on a big guy to go down fast under any control.

Plenty of food, water, and gatorade on the course.  I take nothing along those lines.  Hands free to catch yourself if you stumble.

For weather, you may need a rainproof shell, gloves, and a warm cap - depending on conditions that day.  Be thankful forecast is cool but beware it will be cold up top.  Shed what you don't need that morning before the race and put in sweat check bag at the start.  I get bit by bugs bad normally but don't wear repellent and have never been eaten up on the race or just hiking on Barr Trail.  You DO need to apply sunscreen at least at the start.  There are amazing El Paso County Search and Rescue people frequently and at aid stations.  They've seen much worse than you (and they have a horse for your body).

Good luck.

[Faithful]

Sunscreen. No bug spray. Potassium/Salt pills every hour or two are handy. The course has plenty of food, snacks, and goodies along the route. Lose any extra weight but you may have to pack for the worst. It has been hot the last few years but there was a WONDERFUL little ice(graupel)/thunderstorm in 2008 that had many people hypothermic at the top of the Ascent...if you made it all the way since they closed the course for lightning.

NWS has a great site for the weather at the top of Pikes Peak that I check every morning of the race to get the lowdown.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.840376148661505&lon=-105.04165649414062&site=pub&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

Good luck!

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