Weight is a red-herring!

Overview

For anyone not familiar with the term red herring, Cambridge dictionary defines it as: a fact, idea, or subject that takes people's attention away from the central point being considered. I don’t mean to be belittling by starting with the definition, more I want to be concrete about what I am trying to say so we are on the same page.

I have yet to define what I mean by weight, so in fact, let’s assume it’s both body weight and bike weight. I too, in the early years, fell prey to worrying about primarily weight; both of my body and bike. I would try and keep lean, it took me a few years of struggling to realise the detrimental effect this had on the later part of races. Further, I ended up freezing my (insert body part here) off when racing, or getting wet, because I was running a minimal setup – to save myself all of say 500g. 500g is half a liter of water, NOTHING!

Now before you jump on me, I am not saying weight is not a factor for consideration, it is. However it is not THE factor you should define decisions by.

Me with the kitchen sink at SRMR

Photo: Usmanov Danil

Body weight

I wrote something a few years back about what would happen if professional cyclists: the lean racing machine kind, came and raced ultra-endurance events. Well since that piece we have seen a few, but none are yet to race the long events, only the 2 or 3 day events. I think it is these races of duration around 3 days where we see a turning point. A race of 3 days, even if you under fuel, your drop in body mass will not be extreme. However once we start going out to 7 days and longer, running a deficit of 5,000 calories per day will soon add up and turn catabolic. I would end up loosing around 5kg over the period of 9 days racing Transcontinental: and that is a race across Europe, from bland service station to the next. The effect becomes far more profound if you head to Kyrgyzstan to race Silk Road Mountain Race and you’ll be glad to see a single shop a day, who sell god knows what. You will loose serious weight.

This is a longwinded way of saying I am concerned less with my body weight now. Long gone are the days of keeping down around 72kg to start a race (I am 184cm). As I type this today I am 75kg, I carry both more fat and muscle. The effect is in the later stages of a week or longer race, I will not begin to go (as) catabolic (eating muscle mass) and if I do, I have more to go through. I used to finish very weak, the last days would be tough. Now, they are still tough, but my energy availability is better. I also feel it is likely healthier. For specific races, such as SRMR, I put on even more weight, I started that around 78kg, and was thankful for those extra kilograms of fat, still finishing around 70kg.

So carrying a few extra kilograms is no issue, and body weight is generally a red herring. That said, it can become a pertinent issue at points. I have occasionally had a bit too good a time off after racing, it’s rumored I weighed 83kg in late 2018. Anyway, that was more fat than I needed, or deserved. But when getting back into training it fell off. So to be clear, if you are carrying a dozen kilograms of body weight you could lose, without becoming lean, yes it will help you. However, I am saying that chasing those final few kilograms to become lean, won’t, and could impede you.

Running a pretty lean (for me) setup for Atlas Mountain Race.

Photo: Nils Laengner

Bike and kit weight

More important than bodyweight, bike and kit weight really is a red herring. I see people picking up each other’s bikes at the start of races, and without fail people would always comment how my setup was heavier. I remember Transcontinental 2017, Bjorn and I were chatting at the start and he picked up my bike. Well I say picked up, but he decided he’d need a crane to get that thing lifted off the ground! The setup I ran for SRMR was around 30kg, bike + kit + food + water, no mean feat. People would ask what I have or similar, the response is ‘everything I need and nothing I do not’. I am not particularly interested in what my setup weighs in the end, because it has everything I need. I am fortunate to have some money and I choose to spend it on some of the best kit about, so generally my setup is lighter than it could be. However, we are talking the difference of 1 or 2 kilograms overall. My bodyweight is 75 kg. So 2/75 = 2.5% of the overall mass. The point is, you should not be looking at your kit thinking which bits you can dump to save weight.

You could go lighter, if you ditched the rain trousers, or the insulated jacket, or maybe the sleeping system. But what will saving 2kg in weight save you over the course of the race? It’s such a small time that it will be inconsequential in comparison with the time you lose due to not having the kit you need, when you do. Rarely in these races do we see perfect conditions and perfect races. Very rarely will I push the envelope and run a more minimal setup these days, and only when I want to play bigger with the risks and have a high confidence in the weather. But I have years of experience, and I am trying to squeeze out the last few percent. Even here we are talking small details: ie. At Atlas Mountain Race I chose not to take a bivi bag, but only my sleeping bag and pad. See I still had a sleeping bag and pad! Some would consider even those excessive, however at their joint weight of 700g I consider them inconsequential when it means I get a good few hours kip. And I have paid the price a few times for being underprepared; swearing to myself I would never let that happen again.

Also it’s worth noting that two items that are the same type but different weights are not necessarily equal substitutions. The item that springs to mind as an example is a rain jacket. Often lighter rain jackets are made of a thinner material, which is likely not as waterproof or even if so, might not be as durable and wind resistant. So before swapping out for a lighter item, again check that it really meets your needs.

The fact of the matter

So what is the central point, that you should be concentrating on? Well if you didn’t get it already; it is having all the kit you need, and nothing you don’t. How do you work that out? You do your pre-race analysis, you get experience and you think. But better to have something you consider important, than not have it. Especially when you’re crossing 4,000m peaks in Kyrgyzstan. Only once have you determine you have everything you need can you look to save weight, and that is not by throwing it out, but spending money on lighter kit.