Trail Runner’s Gear – Jamie Donaldson
February 16, 2009 ·
Written by trailrunningSoul.com ·
Filed Under Interviews, Shoes & Gear
TrailrunningSoul – From your race report, I see you used bottles. Anything special about them? Did you use a hydration bladder too?
Jamie Donaldson – Yes, I use the Nathan Quick-Draw Plus bottles. Since the aid stations were relatively close, I didn’t need more than a bottles worth. I try to stay away from bladders because they tend to hurt my back during long races. I will only use a bladder if the aid stations are far apart.
What was in the bottles? What were your source of calories for the race?
My only source of calories for all my races comes in the form of liquid/gels. I try to get about 200 calories per hour and I find it works best on my stomach if I keep them in liquid form (I tend to bloat in races). I drink 1 scoop of Hammer’s Perpeteum and 1 Hammer gel every hour.
You had some issues with your Garmin 405. I’ve been using it for a while and only had problems locating satellite signal when running through high-rises. What do you thing the problem was? How do you like this gadget?
I usually turn my watch on in a new place early, but we arrived in TX late Friday night. I waited until the start to turn it on and apparently it couldn’t locate the satellites in time. I normally like the watch a lot because it helps me keep my pace in the early parts of the race (when I need it most). The battery usually doesn’t last more that 50-60 miles, so after that I just take it off. It does the job for when I need it. When I was at the World 24-Hour Championships in Korea, people said Garmins wouldn’t work. My watch worked perfectly even in Korea!
What kind of headlight did you use during the dark hours?
I tried a new headlight for the first time, The Black Diamond Spot On. I previously used Petzl’s Tikka, but found it to not be bright enough on trails. I was still having problems seeing with the Black Diamond alone. Fortunately, my pacer had an awesome hand held scuba light (Tektite Expedition 1400, 14 LED). This was an amazing hand held that I will definitely purchase for my next trail run. It lit up the entire trail!
What shoes did you choose to tackle those rooty trails? Were these Montrail shoes?
I actually wore Nike Air Pegasus for this particular race. I usually wear Montrail Streaks, but was having some toe box issues and opted for a wider shoe for this race. I wear Nike on all roads and thought it wouldn’t be much different for this race since it wasn’t really technical.
Tell us about Drymax socks. Are they really that amazing?
I had the worst blisters, toe problems, etc. my first few years of running ultras. I tried every sock out there and still had many problems. When I finally found Drymax Maximum Protection Socks last year, I couldn’t believe how great they were. They wick moisture away from feet so they stay dry and blister free. I didn’t have 1 blister in 2008. That is amazing even after running the Badwater Ultra marathon where it is so hot and you are sprayed down constantly. The previous year wearing another sock, my feet were so mangled with blisters that I couldn’t even put shoes on for a week after Badwater! They are truly amazing!
From the race pictures, are those compression sleeves what you wore on your legs?
Ever since some shin problems in my 2007 Badwater race, I have been wearing compression socks. They are very thin and you barely know they are there. They work great at circulating blood, preventing lactic acid build up, and recovery. I haven’t had any shin issues since and attribute that to my compression socks. So, I wear them for all races now. Drymax socks are currently working on their own compression socks too. I was surprised at the World Championships in Korea how many athletes from other countries were wearing them. Most of the top finishers had them on.
Any other piece of gear you did use on the race you’d like to point out?
I used the Cool Off bandana after the sun came up. It keeps me amazingly cool even when it gets really hot out. They can be purchased at Zombie Runners.
Thanks for sharing this with us Jamie!
Thanks for the great interview. It’s always nice to get the inside scoop that the athletes don’t include on their blog!
It’s great that top athletes agree to be “interviewed” by a fan in such a humble way. There are not many sports where this happens!
Nice job! I think Jamie is the best!!