What’s In My Race Bag

Kim Doerksen’s World 50K Championshop Kit

Vancouver’s Kim Doerksen was selected to represent Canada for the first time at the World 50k championships in Doha, Qatar. We asked her to share with us what she brought with her halfway around the world in order to survive one hot, long run in the desert.

Water bottle

Necessary during the warmup of the race. I had to make sure I took this everywhere I went to be sure I wasn’t going to put myself at risk for dehydration.

Add-A-Day roller

As I wasn’t going to be doing a crazy long warmup, I wanted to ensure that my muscles had loosened up so the Add-A-Day Type C roller was a perfect size to fit in my carry-on and subsequently in my race bag in order to efficiently roll out and loosen my stiff legs.

“Athlete” lanyard

We needed these to get into any medical area/ VIP section/any athlete access point. Without this we’d be hooped!

Powerbar gels

I had about seven gels total, but probably only consumed two during the race. I love the Powerbar gels as they are liquidy and are able to get down the hatch without too much trouble. I’ve used vanilla and chocolate Powerbar gels in both my marathons, and although I hadn’t trained extensively using gels in preparation for this race, I figured I would opt for a gel that has worked for me before.

Nuun Pink Lemonade tablets

Knowing it was going to be 25 C and humid, I didn’t want to only have water during the race. There was going to be Gatorade and bottled water at the various aid stations along the looped course, but I had my Nuun electrolyte drink available at the Canadian aid station for an extra dose of electrolytes that I knew I’d be losing at an alarming rate.

Shiver Dentyne Ice

I always chew a piece of gum before races, usually, for only for a couple minutes, but it’s enough to make my mouth feel minty fresh and eases my nerves.

Singlet and shorts

We are allowed to wear whatever shorts we wanted on race day as long as they were black. I opted for my favourite pair of New Balance shorts that I had done a number of long runs in so I knew they wouldn’t cause any discomfort while on the course for three-plus hours. My singlet is probably one of my most prized possessions. I’d dreamt of the day I would get to wear a Canada singlet, and the moment I put it on it cleared my worried mind of doubt and allowed me to focus on the task ahead.

My phone

Although I was in a totally different time zone and was unable to contact any of my usual “soundboards,” I had numerous pictures and videos to help with my pre-race prep. A good friend of mine had sent a video of his daughter in her dinosaur pyjamas running on the spot saying “Kim’s so fast!” The excitement she has makes me laugh every time and helps to ease whatever worries I have. In addition, I have my pre-race playlist on my phone so it’s with me wherever I go. From Whitney Houston’s ‘Step by Step’ remix, to Hercules’s ‘I Can Go the Distance’ and The Wilderness Crew’s ‘The Push,’ I know as soon as I hear those familiar jams, I’m in race mode and it’s time to focus.

My shoes

An integral part of any race kit are the shoes. My new favourite are the New Balance Vazee. They’re a lightweight trainer and not a racing flat, but because the course was comprised of brick, tile and some asphalt, I knew I needed cushioning to get me through the race. They’re ridiculously hot pink, and ended up staining my white shoes pink by the end of the race, but the best part about them are the sparkly white soles that are actually glittery. It’s the next best thing to light-up shoes, which are apparently unavailable for adults, unfortunately.– MD