There a long list of mandatory equipment and other equipment in the TAM Web site but I won’t be going over item by item as this is going to be too long.
Rather I will focus on a few items that I found to have importance. As you probably know there’s a huge difference between a mistake you make on a 30 km race to one made on a 300 km race. Everything is intensified during such a race so chooseing the right equipment is crucial.
I will focus mainly on the things you carry with you during the race itself:
Treks G poles: I was debating whether or not to take or not. At the last minute I took them and I am very happy with my decision.
With so much elevation gain, poles can be very helpful in taking some of the weight off ones feet and if used correctly, to propel you uphill and support the knees which are getting hammered on the downhills.
The mountain hardware ultra will do the job. They are superlight and fold easily but expensive. If price is an issue. Chinese poles will be almost as good, maybe will weigh a few grams more but I wouldn’t be worried by that.
Anywhere between 250and 400 grams is well worth the carrying.
Running bag. Keep your gear to the minimum. I used Ultimate Direction and it was a perfect choice. About, 10 litres is more than you need, not taking water into account.
Keep the bag tight around your body. Make sure the size fits you with only one layer of clothes. You don’t want the bag bouncing around you all day.
I saw many Salomon bags and heard good feedback from people. The nice thing about UD is that it has many pockets so you can put each item in a separate pocket. Then, you’ll only need a memory of a blind chess player to remember in which pocket you put what, but if you overcome this little issue (this usually happens on the sixth day towards the end of the race…) you will be fine!
Easter bottles vs water bag. Personally I don’t like water bags. To begin with that have a failure rate ten times higher than a bottle. They clog, drip, freeze and leak but even if they work fine they have other big disadvantages. One is the fact that it’s hard to know how much liquid you have on your back. Secondly it lacks the flexibility of running with bottles. I mean that I run with two bottles, one is water and the other with isotonic drink or protein drink. Most of the time I drink from the water bottle but when I need I have the other drink at hand and I know exactly how much I drank and how much is left.
Finally, a water bottle is easier to refill. It does not require taking the bag off your back.
Watch. Before the race I had uploaded the route to my watch only to find out the course was marked properly with markings every 10—20 meters. Yes, sometime even this is not enough but a watch is not the answer. There is no reason you will be off route by more than 100 metres. If you are just back trak and you’ll find the right path. Following a map on your watch takes all the fun away and makes you focus on the wrong thing. Have your eyes up and enjoy the magnificent views is far better.
Camera. Dont save weight by not taking a camera. Take one that is lightweight and use it. Some of the places are beyond words or description. You will want to have as cameras with you!
That’s it for now. If you have a question please don’t hesitate to write to me and I will do my best to answer.
Author: Daniel Keren (IL) ran the TAM in 2016.
COMPULSORY EQUIPMENT FOR TAM RACE. ITEMS IN RED MUST BE CARRIED ON ALL STAGES.
- Compulsory equipment:
- Mobile phone which works in Morocco.
- A good flashlight with extra batteries.
- Safety blanket 40 m x 2 m minimum.
- adhesive elastic band to make a bandage or ‘strapping’ (minimum 100 cm x 6 cm).
- food reserve for each day, minimum 1000 kcal per day. [Total 6000 Kcal for 6 days [but wearing only food for the day with you].
- Micropur tablets acting in 30 minutes to treat water sources in case of emergency.
- Jacket with hood waterproof to withstand the bad weather in the mountains.
- Trousers or running tights with long legs.
- warm sweater with long sleeves.
- waterproof trousers.
- Backpack or Camelbak equivalent.
- warm sleeping bag to sleep for a temperature of 0 ° C.
- Water bladder / Camelbak 3 liters or equivalent.
- First aid kit. Minimum: elastic band, antiseptic, bandages, Compeed, small scissors).
- salt tablets.
- A minimum amount of € 250 or equivalent (to cover additional transport costs in case of abandonment (see Article 12). Small amount of €25 to be on you throughout the race. Larger amount can stay in baggage.
Recommended equipment (non-exhaustive):
telescoping poles. If (the) competitor (s) chooses to use telescopic poles, this choice is permanent for all stages. It is then forbidden to leave without telescopic poles.
- cap, bandana or equivalent.
- Change of clothes
- Some string
- sunscreen
- Vaseline or anti-overheating / burn cream
- Sewing kit
- hiking GPS to stay on the route of the trail and water sources.
- Warm clothes spare in case of cold or rainy weather or in case of injury.
The competitor carries this material on him in a backpack on each stage. NB: The baggage for transfer to end of stage must be deposited 1:30 hr before the start of each stage, and must not exceed 20 kg; wheeled suitcases are not recommended. The bag must be waterproof. Luggage storage can be organized on site by the runner at hotel in Marrakech, so they can leave their baggage unnecessary for trail in Marrakech.
Materials provided by the organizers:
- Road book.
- GPS Points: waypoints.
- mattress or Berber carpet to sleep in the tented camp.
- IMPORTANT NOTE ON FOOD:: Competitors must provide their food rations for six days of racing. Each competitor (s) must obligatorily have 1,000 Kcal per race day, either: (1.000 x 6) = 6,000 Kcal for the start of TAM & TAMC. Each competitor (s) will take the start of each stage with a minimum of 1,000 Kcal.