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Lee-Stuart Evans crossing frozen Lake Khovsghol on the Mongol 100

This is without a doubt the single most specific blog post I’ll ever write. Its also the apologetically longest !This potentially has a maximum intended number of readers of 100 per year!

The first thing to understand with kit for the Rat Race Mongol 100 is that to cross a Frozen lake at Minus 40 C required me to spend LESS THAN £100 on gear. That’s right…. Less than £100.  You may think that you’ll need £1000s of pounds worth of specialist gear for this trip but you wont. Almost everything you need you will already have if you are a multi day adventure racer already. If you aren’t then this blog will give you ideas and places to get gear at reasonable prices without spending a fortune.

There is a reason for not needing loads of gear. The cold at Lake Khovsghol is a dry low humidity cold. I can tell you from experience that minus 5 C in the damp UK is far less bearable than minus 25 C out on the Lake.

Lee-Stuart Evans kit for Mongol 100

This kit list is my guideline for clothing and tips for the Rat Race Mongol 100. It is gleaned from a weeks experience on the Ice of Lake Khovsghol when I was part of the team that Recced the route for the race.  Everyone is different but this should form a fairly good outline of what you’ll need (and just how much you already have !)

Khovsghol has its own challenges and unique weather and humidity. Kit lists for the 6633 or Arctic Ice Ultra will come close but won’t nail it and remember you AREN’T self sufficient on the ice, you can leave a lot of gear to be moved for you each day so you don’t have to make agonising weight and kit choices like you do for the Arctic Ice Ultra or 6633. 

The sharp eyed among you will notice that the kit list is almost identical to my outdoor adventure multi day running kit list guide.This is because good kit works in all conditions, from crossing the Sahara, to 625 miles alone through the UK to the arctic tundra in Outer Mongolia my gear choices remain consistent because the gear is good quality and well thought out. 

I have also created separate blog on Footcare and Blister Prevention that you may also find useful.

As usual I’ll start from the ground up and finish this blog with an overall 24hr cycle admin guide to get you well on your way to enjoying every minute of your adventure on Lake Khovsghol. 

This kit list is geared for runners and walkers , but a little common sense will allow this to be relevant for Cyclists and Skaters too for the Mongol 100.  Cyclists should be aware that circulation and wind chill are a bigger factor and dress accordingly. 

Lee-Stuart Evans crossing Frozen Lake Khovsghol on the Mongol 100

Shoes

Shoe choice is the most varied for Ultra runners. Whilst I am the first to say you should stick with the shoe you like and trust I think when ‘stepping up ‘ to longer distances and multi day running there are two factors you should consider. Firstly your feet will take an increased pounding as the ice is like running on concrete so its usually sensible to look at shoes that are more cushioned. Secondly your feet WILL swell more than you are used to and they will swell in width so narrow fitting shoes like Salomon, HOKA or Innov8 are going to potentially cause you some grief.

There is no point trying to buy shoes with built in spikes they are all inadequate. 

This means you may need some decent toe room to accommodate the swelling  or your will rapidly find you have blisters.  I solve both these issues with Altra shoes, they have a very wide toe box ( I still order half to 1 size bigger to accommodate swelling in the UK) and plenty of cushioning combined with good build quality. You will need to consider opting for a whole 2 sizes bigger than normal for the Mongol 100 as you will want the potential space for 2 pairs of socks. We found that if your shoes were too tight 2 pairs of socks made your feet colder than one pair because the bloodflow got restricted. I normally wear size 8 shoes in the UK. My Mongol 100 Altras were size 10s !

 

 

 

Altra Lone Peak Neo Mids on the frozen lake khovsghol  – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans

My top choice here was the Altra Lone Peak RSM Mid . They are cushioned, grippy, windproof and waterproof.  You will get all the grip you need from your attached spikes which I talk about later on in this blog. I do a separate review of them here.

If you find the zero drop of Altras cause tightness in your achilles or if you haven’t used zero drop shoes before I’m also a big fan of the Topo Athletic Ultraventures which I’ve used on lots of long runs. They have a 5mm drop from heel to toe so will feel much more like ‘normal’ shoes, whilst still having a huge wide comfy toe box. I do a separate review of them here.

Running Spikes

You have three options here and we tried them all on the ice. The main factor to bear in mind here is whether you are a super fit runner, or more likely to be a walker and whether you are heavy or quite a light person. I started with a well respected mountain climbing spikes ….they lasted less than 3 miles before the cold shattered them like toffee.

shattered plastic mountain spikes on the Mongol 100 – Pic by a very upset Lee-Stuart Evans

I then spent the rest of the week scavenging gear , but this meant I got to try out every type which was ultimately very useful for you!

Your budget option is the rubberised pull over nanospikes by kahtoola. In my opinion they are good for heavier people and runners as they have enough ‘downforce’ to grip. Avoid ANY knockoff cheaper designs on ebay as the spikes will break on them and you’ll lose a few. You might just about get away with them if you are a fast runner and fit over ultra distances or if you are a heavy person. I tried the knock off ones of these on day one and had to walk like a sacred penguin. Those with the genuine kahtoolas did much better.

Second option is the Kahtoola Microspikes for about £50. They look like some kind of dungeon gear but work well on the ice . They are the best compromise on price v durability but two runners had links break on them so be prepared to do repairs on the chain links.  Overall I think these are the no brainer option.

Lee-Stuart Evans at the finish of the Mongol 100 wearing Altra Lone Peak Neo Mids and Kahtoola KTS crampons.

Gaiters

 I’m not convinced gaiters are worth the hassle. There is rarely any amount of snow on the lake and they will simply impede your ability to change socks easily during the day.

Socks

My go to ‘dry ‘ socks are Hilly UltraMarathon Fresh Anklets. – They are very close fitting, comfortable, seamless and very very wicking to keep feet dry and comfy and avoid blisters. 

Hilly Trail Ultra Marathon Fresh socks – The best running socks ever for Ultras – Pic by Lee-Stuart Evans

Waterproof Breathable Socks

When the weather is bad or I’m likely to be in a lot of mud or rain my go to socks are military grade MVP ( Moisture Vapour Permeable) socks by Sealskinz. Opt for the long ones that go nearly to your knee to help keep the splashes out. Whilst I don’t think you will need these when out on the ice you may find these very useful during your winter training in the UK out in bad weather. These socks need to be cared for, washed in tec wash only ( not detergent) reproofed and hung dry, but if you look after them they are WITCHCRAFT for your feet. They are breathable and waterproof. They changed winter wet running for me forever.

Opt for at least one pair of waterproof socks and 2 pairs of Hillys in your running bag as well as the ones you are wearing. This combo of socks worked well for three of us on the lake that were running/ walking.  Make sure you have at least one extra slightly larger pair that you can put over the first pair if you get cold, and be prepared to change socks half way through the day at a checkpoint to keep the moisture off your feet.  Cyclists and Skaters with less action on their feet may need more layers. I found my feet got VERY dangerously cold from cycling for 90 mins compared to running. 

Army Sealskinz Military grade waterproof breathable socks . – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans

Injinji Toe Socks

I’m also now quite a fan of these to help with comfort and blister prevention as your ‘first layer’ sock. I do a separate review here about the new Injinji Liner + Sock combo which would be a great consideration for Mongolia.

Leggings

I’m less strict about what I wear on my legs but I do always opt for full length leggings so that your legs get protection from stinging nettles, thorns etc when running in the UK. I’m a fan of skins A200 and A400s for compression and 2XUs if you don’t mind the ‘2XU hop’ you do trying to take them off with such tight ankles but my absolute favourite leggings are by X-Bionic. They have various designs but frankly I have three different ones and they all seem identical to me. They are thick enough to be warm, breathable enough to not get hold and VERY VERY comfortable round your legs and crotch so they help stop chaffing etc .

These leggings will be the start as your base leggings so you can then layer on top with a thicker fleece legging for your second layer.

Lee-Stuart Evans running at Minus 20C in America in X Bionic Leggings

In very cold weather I layer up with a helly hansen baselayer OVER the X-Bionic leggings.

For Khovsghol I wore X-Bionic leggings as a baselayer (the red ones in the pic of me in America above ) with a Northern Diver Fleece Arctic Baselayer leggings designed for cold UK drysuit diving.  Its well worth looking online for Fourth Element and Northern Diver gear as its perfect for the job on the lake being breathable , reasonably windproof and waterproof.  Water can take heat away 20 times more efficiently than air so diving undersuits to be worn inside a drysuit ( where you aren’t wet) are superbly made for the Arctic environment and running too.

This inexpensive undersuit from Typhoon for divers is a perfect addition to your layers.

A ‘hot person’ bombing along on the ice may well only need leggings and then a fleece legging or windproof top layer.  For those that feel the cold you may want up to 4 layers which would be a baselayer or x bionic leggings , then a mid fleece layer and then a top layer of a windproof trouser or even a cheap pair of ski snowboarding trousers.

top tip–  I confused windproof and waterproof/ breathable on the first day with hilarious consequences with ice forming inside my trousers.  DO NOT USE WATERPROOF BREATHABLE LAYERS AS YOUR OUTER LAYER.

Upper Body Layering

Layering up for the outdoors in the UK and Mongolia are the same principle. Baselayer- Midlayer and Top layer which you can adjust according to how hot or cold you are, keeping the spare layers in the pack you will wear during the day out on the ice.

Baselayer

I recommend the super low budget Helly Hansen LIFA baselayer as your starting baselayer. You’ll possibly want two pairs to help with layering but also so you can leave one out to dry at night in your Ger and one to wear.

With a baselayer I recommend ALWAYS going full length on the arms. This gives you much more options for temperature management, you can roll your sleeves up when you are hot and roll sleeves down when cold. You don’t get this flexibility with a t shirt. It also affords more protection on your arms if you fall or are climbing over styles and gates etc.

Midlayer

A superb start for a budget midlayer is the one made by Helly Hansen. With the quarter zip you get the flexibility to help regulate your temperature too.

Top Layer / Jacket

My  jacket of choice on the ice was the Alpkit 0Hero. This is a synthetic belay jacket and its important you opt for synthetic and NOT down filled due to the negative properties of down when wet or damp. Sadly the 0Hero is no longer made but Rate Race so a superb inexpensive synthetic jacket that I do an in depth review of the Rat Race Thermal Jacket here.

Lee-Stuart Evans wearing Alpkit 0Hero synthetic jacket in Mongolia on frozen Lake Khovsgol

The key here is find the number of layers that work for you … and I promise you no matter what you think you’ll need less than you think.  Bear in mind trying to dry gear by hanging it up in the Gers ( the Mongolian yurts) at night will help you need to have a spare change of most tops so you can alternate each day if you get things very sweaty ( or even half way through the day if you are a hard a sweaty runner) .  There were times on the ice during the warmest part of the day when I was in only 2 layers top and bottom.

Finally you will need a super warm down filled jacket for the evenings. Many people already own a jacket like this, I’ve had the same north face jacket for years . This jacket is for throwing on after racing, round camp and in the mornings. Because you aren’t running arond in this jacket its fine for it to be insulated with Down.

Lee-Stuart Evans on Frozen Lake Khovsghol wearing a North Face Jacket

If you don’t have a super big warm jacket then SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DON’T BUY ONE IN THE UK. Instead let Rat Race know in advance and potentially ‘buy’ or ‘borrow’ a traditional Deel made of Yak fur off the local support crew for about $50. Its made of yak fur and immensely warm . I found mine I was leant was warmer than my expensive North Face jacket. If you don’t want to travel home with it you can easily give it back to the locals at the end of the week and thus have simply spent a small amount of money for ‘kit hire’.

Lee-Stuart Evans wearing a Yak Deel on the Ice on Lake Khovsghol

In the evenings I also had a Weezle Extreme diving undersuit on. These are like a onsie made of sleeping bag material . They are quick to put on and instantly warm. I found one on Amazon made by Typhoon here.

Backpack for Out on the Lake

Your running bag is essential to get right. The ABSOLUTE NO BRAINER multi day running bag is the Ultimate Direction Fastpack 25 if you haven’t bought one already.

I’ve done a more in depth review of this bag here.

Lee-Stuart Evans Ultimate Direction Fastpack 25 .  The prototype I tested prior to the main product launch .

As well as being more comfortable when mounted on front bottle holders on your bag and against your body out on the ice these types of bottles can be blown up with air at night to become a pillow or to put under your legs or ankles to elevate your legs at night when sleeping . Wrap your spare socks round them for even more comfort at night. There are plenty of places to get water on the ice from your support crew so I’d advise not carrying more than 500ml, on top of that you could invest in a decent small 500ml thermos flask to take hot drinks with you after each CP.

I would also consider using a strong metal vacuum container 500ml bottle that can help keep your water ‘warm’ and not freeze solid on the ice.

Hats

I opt for a thinsulate beanie that you can roll down over your eyes when sleeping, as well as using my fleece hoody and hood on my jacket.

You may also be able to buy one of the Mongolian Fox fur hats for about $40 when you arrive at camp. These are AMAZING and will be all you will need on your head out on the ice. Jim wore one the whole time he skated across the ice. Fur is a necessity out there, so any issues you may have with fur in the UK should really be checked at the door. You can always leave the hat back with the locals afterwards if you don’t want to take it home. 

Gloves

Like your body you want to opt for a layering system here. Start with a pair of silk liner gloves for a tenner (silk is warm , breathable and the added property of being flame retardent).  Two of us managed to put our hands on the hot metal chimney stack coming off the wood burning stove in the Gers. When I did this my outer glove vapourised and melted but my silk inner liner kept my hands from being burnt. 

I then opted for a standard running glove over the top of my silk gloves. And that was it for me for almost all parts of the day.

If you are more likely to feel the cold you can then opt for a cheap pair of thinsulate ski gloves ( one size bigger so they fit over your under gloves ) and if you really want to push the boat out look for a pair of ski mittens too.

You can spend up to £200 on mittens…. which in my mind is overkill for anyone other than the coldest person. Remember if your hands get cold then tuck them inside the sleeves of your coat when not using trekking poles. 

top tip …we all lost gloves. You take them off on the ice to eat etc so buy some thin 2mm bungee on ebay for the length of your hand to hand plus 3 inches and run the bungee through your arms of your jacket and put small karabiner clips on the ends. clip your gloves to this bungee. Thank me later.

You’ll want 3 or 4 buffs out on the ice running in a cycle. If you are breathing through them they freeze solid after a few hours so you’ll need to keep changing them over. Hang them up high in the Gers at night to dry out and thaw.

top tip –  I used a pure beeswax lipbalm to protect my face from windburn and the cold. Smothering all the potentially exposed skin a few times a day and kept the balm warm inside my jacket. 

Fleece Hood / Snood

This fleece hood was perfect underneath my hood of my jacket and worn over the top of my beanie hat during the coldest parts of the day. Best value piece of kit I bought for Khovsghol at less than £10.

Lee-Stuart Evans wearing Naked Runner sunglasses on a run in Egypt

The Naked Runner Sunglasses are superb value for money at around £35 for frames and lenses, come in a huge choice of lense and frame colour options and most importantly you can change the lenses by hand without tools easily, this means if you scratch a lense it costs LESS THAN £20 to replace them ! It also means you can easily switch between yellow lenses for cloudy days to smoke lenses for bright sunny days.  They are the perfect combination of value for money, ease of replacement and covering all conditions. I always run with these sunglasses and have both the yellow, grey and mirror amber lenses to clip in according to the weather.

Trekking Poles

Trekking poles are very useful on multi day races, they help to take the strain off your legs when climbing steep hills or mountains and also give you more stability on uneven ground.  I’m assuming you will want a pair to see you long past the Mongol 100 and through other races as well.

Although a lot of the lake is flat at the southern end there are huge uneven sections of broken ice at the northern end that are harder to traverse. Even the runners are usually forced to walk here and poles do help.

The  trekking poles you are looking for z folding so they can pack up easily and be stowed within reach on your pack without having to take it off. The Black Diamond Carbon Z poles are my poles of choice and are bombproof . Do not opt for telescopic poles as they will get jammed with dirt and mud and wont work.

Finally change the rubber tips for carbide ice tips . This should cost about £5 and gives you loads of grip and stability on the ice.

Black Diamond Carbon Z folding poles

Sleeping Bag

Size or weight isn’t an issue here . I’d suggest if you already have a decent 4 season sleeping bag then bring it . If you want to pimp it then bring two and put one inside of the other. I brought a 4 season army issue ‘bouncing bomb’ and its perfect for this trip. Not only is it warm but it has inside mesh pouches to store wet wipes, contact lense fluid, chargers , and water in to stay liquid overnight.  Its bulk and weight weren’t my problem as my kit was moved for me each day. 

Top Tip. – bring a cheap water bottle for sleeping at night. Get it filled with hot water 20 mins before you plan to turn in. Also buy a huge pack of chemical hand warmers. put some in your sleeping bag at night, leave one in a pocket in your jacket during the day and store your batteries, camera and phone in the same pocket.

When sleeping wear everything you have other than the gear you have hung up to dry and thaw out.

When on the camps out on the ice you will be sleeping on a mattress on the bare snowy ground. I suggest bringing a thermarest to insulate you better from the creeping cold of the ground. Use the Yak Deels on top of you to keep warm. Try and sleep as close as possible to the wood burning heater in the centre of the Ger and finally pack yourselves in as much as possible for mutual body heat .

Top tip for a good nights sleep.  have a wide mouthed bottle available to pee into at night to save you going outside.  DO NOT CONFUSE WITH YOUR DRINKING BOTTLES 🙂

Torch

Everyone has a head torch . You wont be running at night so it really doesnt matter what you bring. when not in use keep the torch and batteries in a jacket pocket with a hand warmer in along with your phone , charger pack and camera etc to keep them from freezing.

Charger Pack

I like the superb Pebble explorer charger pack which is good for at least 3 phone charges and is small and good value for money. Keep it in a well insulated pocket all day in your support gear pack in the vans and make sure you have a hand warmer or two in the pocket too to stop it from freezing.

Snacks and Food

I’ve also become a huge fan of the new Pulsin and Beond Porridge Oatmeal bars . In particular the choc orange one. They were a great source of energy on the ice and still chewable at low temperatures.

Roundup

Lee-Stuart Evans at the finish of the Rat Race Mongol 100