What I learned about trail-running gear before a long mountain race

Trending in France tonight: the 90 km du Mont Blanc, one of those alpine ultras that turns a weekend into a pilgrimage. Most people watching will never run it. A few will sign up on impulse — and then panic about gear.

I have paced enough long days in the mountains to know the truth: the kit that matters is short, and the kit that bankrupts beginners is long. Start with trail running shoes that fit your actual feet, not the pair a fast friend swears by. Everything else is negotiable; blisters at kilometer 60 are not.

The gear that genuinely matters

Three categories carry a race like this. Feet first: trail running shoes with grip suited to your terrain, sized half a size up because feet swell over long hours, worn in with the running socks you will actually race in. A blister is a small thing that ends big days.

Carrying water and food is the second pillar. A well-fitted hydration vest that does not bounce is worth more than any gadget — bounce becomes chafe, chafe becomes misery. Fill it with a sane plan of gels and electrolyte tablets, because alpine races eat far more energy than road runners expect. On a course with long gaps between aid, a lightweight water filter lets you drink from streams without gambling on your stomach.

Third, mountain weather. The Alps can swing from sun to sleet in an hour, which is why most long races mandate a packable rain shell and a warm base layer. A buff covers your neck or your head depending on the hour, and if any of your day runs into the dark, a reliable headlamp with spare batteries is not optional — it is usually on the required-kit list.

What separates good kit from expensive kit

Fit beats brand every time. A mid-price hydration vest that hugs your torso outperforms a premium one that sways. Try it loaded, not empty, and jog around the shop. The same goes for trekking poles: for a course with serious vertical, poles save your quads on the climbs and your knees on the descents, but only if they collapse small enough to stow and you have practiced using them. Poles you have never trained with are just awkward sticks on race day.

The cheap things punch above their price. anti-chafe balm is two euros of insurance against a ruined day. A small first aid kit, real sunscreen for high-altitude sun, and a basic running watch to pace your effort all matter more than fancier versions of the same. On exposed sections, trail gaiters keep scree out of your shoes — a tiny detail that prevents the stop-and-empty dance every twenty minutes.

Where I would not cheap out: shoes, vest, and the mandatory safety layers. Where I would: almost everything else. The sport quietly rewards people who spend on fit and food and ignore the rest.

Common mistakes before a first long race

The biggest error is racing in new gear. Nothing on your body should be making its debut on start day — not the trail running shoes, not the hydration vest, not even the running socks. Test it all on long training days first.

The second mistake is under-eating early. Beginners feel fine for three hours and then collapse because they waited to take gels until they were already hungry. Eat on a schedule from the start. The third is ignoring the cold; people pack for the weather at the start line, not the storm at the summit, and a thin rain shell stuffed in a pocket has saved more races than any training plan.

One practical note for travelers heading to the Alps: keeping a watch, a headlamp, and a phone charged across a multi-day trip is its own small problem. A compact power station in the car or gite quietly solves it, which matters more than it sounds when your GPS watch dies before the start.

You do not need to spend a fortune to finish a long mountain race. You need shoes that fit, a vest that does not bounce, food you have tested, and the humility to pack for weather you hope you will not meet. Get those four right and the 90 km du Mont Blanc becomes a hard, beautiful day instead of a cautionary tale.