Figuring how to run Wasatch

I now knew approximately how long it would take me to reach each aid station.  For safety, I used the 36 hour schedule for packing bags.  I was actually mostly concerned about the first leg of the run.  After 4 miles of relatively flat trails the run starts up the Chinscraper climb.  The summit of Chinscraper in at 9.6 miles and the first aid station is at Grobben,s Corner, at mile13.35 which only has water.  The first drop bag aid station is the Maintenance Shed at Francis Peak, mile 18.76.  I estimated it would take me 5 hours to reach Francis Peak AS so I had to start with a lot of stuff.  Here is the profile of the first section with my editing.

I always drink Hammer Products, Perpetuem in ultras.  I have a Nathan Speed Belt R4 which holds four 10oz bottles.  I pour two scoops of Perpetuem in each bottle. (Use a funnel.)  Race morning I add water to the number of bottles I will drink before the first aid station.  Usually, that is only one bottle.  Not at Wasatch.

This is the chart I created so I would know how many 10 oz bottles I would need to start each section carrying a how many needed water as I left the aid station.  (The Column in Yellow)

Estimated Aid Station Times			Miles
	Cumulative	Distance	To Next	Hours	10 oz
	Distance	Between	Drop Bg	Betw.	Bottles
Start	0.00		18.76		4	2 full
Grobbins Corner – 13.38	13.38	13.38
Francis Peak – 18.76	18.76	5.38	20.64	5 – 6	4	2 full
Bountiful Peak - 23.95	23.95	5.19
Sessions – 28.23	28.23	4.28
Shallow Rocks – 34.91	34.91	6.68
Big Mountain – 39.4	39.40	4.49	13.73	6 – 7	4	2 full
Alexander Springs – 47.44	47.44	8.04
Lamb's Canyon – 53.13	53.13	5.69	8.55	5 – 6	4	2 full
Mill Creek (Upper big water) - 61.68	61.68	8.55	13.93	4	4	2 full
Desolation Lake – 66.93	66.93	5.25
Scott's Peak – 70.79	70.79	3.86
Brighton Lodge - 75.61	75.61	4.82	7.78	5 – 6	4	2 full
Ant Knolls – 80.27	80.27	4.66
Pole Line Pass – 83.39	83.39	3.12	9.74	3 – 3.5	3	2 full
Rock Springs – 87.39	89.39	6.00
Pot Bottom – 93.13	93.13	3.74	6.87	3 – 4	2
Homestead Finish – 100	100.00	6.87
		100.00	100.00		29

Most ultras serve Hammer Product's "Heed."  If you can drink it, you can avoid all the mixing.  Unfortunately, I cannot drink Heed, so I carry my own.

I carried this chart at the start of the race and had one in each drop bag, just in case I happened to loose it.  I calculated how much water I would need to reach the next AS with water and how many NUUN I would have to add to that water.  I was so concerned about water in the Chinscraper section that I carried 70 oz of water at the start.  I did not add any water until the Francis Peak AS 5 hours later.  I should have started with 40 oz.  I would have had plenty to reach Grobbin's Corner.

Hydration Pak Water Level Needed at Each Aid Station
		Max Time		Water Needed	NUUN
		to Next AS		Per Segment	Tablets
Start		4.5 hours		60 oz	3.5
Grobbins Corner – 13.38		2 hours		30 oz	2
Francis Peak – 18.76		2 hours	1	30 oz	2
Bountiful Peak - 23.95		2 hours	2	30 oz	2
Sessions – 28.23		3 hours		45 oz	3
Shallow Rocks – 34.91		2 hours		30 oz	2
Big Mountain – 39.4		3 hours	3	45 oz	3
Alexander Springs – 47.44		2 hours		30 oz	2
Lamb's Canyon – 53.13		3.5 hours	4	50 oz	3.25
Mill Creek (Upper big water)		2.5 hours	5	40 oz	2.5
Desolation Lake – 66.93		2 hours	6	30 oz	2
Scott's Peak – 70.79		1.5 hours		30 oz	2
Brighton Lodge - 75.61		2.5 hours	7	40 oz	2.5
Ant Knolls – 80.27		2 hours		30 oz	2
Pole Line Pass – 83.39		3 hours	8	45 oz	3
Rock Springs – 87.39		2 hours		30 oz	2
Pot Bottom – 93.13		2.5 hours	9	40 oz	2.5
Homestead Finish – 100		0.00

I also carried a course description and trail map for each section.  I had maps from each drop bag AS to the next.  The race organizers recommend this because there are places a wrong turn can send you miles in the wrong direction.  The course was well marked, and there is no reason to miss a turn, but at the Leadville training camp me and several others missed a well marked turn coming down into Twin Lakes and ended up running a couple of extra miles.  I finally realized we had seen no trail marking for a long ways and there was a guy a few hundred yards in front of me.  I knew from maps that the town of Twin Lakes was at the upper end of the Twin Lakes and we were heading down to the strip of land that divides the lakes.  I finally turned around and started back up the trail.  I soon ran into several others heading off the wrong way too.  As were were talking and trying to figure out which was the right direction, the guy I had been following reappeared.  Two of the other runners were adamant, certain we had not missed a turn.  I was sure we did miss a turn and finally left the others to sort it out.  About a mile back I came to a trail with ribbons all over it and more ribbons leading off to the left.  We had only run about 24 miles that day when I missed the turn.  You have to figure after running 60 or 70 miles it would be a lot easier to miss a turn, especially in the middle of the night.

I no longer have my checklist, but here are a few pictures of my "stuff" sorted by location ready to go in the appropriate drop bag.  The first picture is what I started carrying.

There are all the drop bags and my start bag, with the trekking poles on it, ready to be boxed and shipped.

I almost forgot, the red bag up against the wall is Marye Jo's bag with all the backup equipment with extra cloths, jackets, headlamps, batteries, Honey Stingers, etc.