runners death patagonia,

Apart from the obvious I don't know enough about the mechanics of these events to comment much..... except. Aside from the seeming lack of warm clothing the recommendation of a "survival blanket" seems a bit amateur for such a high risk event. In this day and age of extremely light survival bags why would you specify a blanket that has to be unfurled and wrapped around you when you can climb into a weatherproof bag and get some protection?

survival blankets are a go to for running events, usually at the end of the race. It's more practical for cold runners to wrap themselves and most will still be mobile so a bag isn't what they want. Someone has translated that use for the bag to use it in the event, even though its far worse at keeping you warm as it doesnt seal out the wind as completey as a survival bag can. that list looks like a pretty generic list. Patagonia has a reputation for severe weather. i'd be taking more than that list if there was a hint of bad weather.

Ahh I see! So the idea is to use them while you keep moving? It's all very minimalist and risky given the location as you say. They could always cut leg holes in a survival bag :) That would be a sight Add a little Monty Python to the event to keep everyone's spirits up

As a trail runner myself, I can say that many runners don't like having to take even that much compulsory gear and treat the requirement as the limit. As Strider said, it is all very minimalist - every gram counts. Some runners will do their own analysis and work out what they might need in a worst case scenario but a lot don't. I think sometimes there is a mentality that because it is a race it must be safe and there will always be help nearby. This is particularly noticeable in those who have come from a road running background where help is only a few minutes away. Those from tramping / outdoor backgrounds tend to take more emergency gear. Personally, even when trail running in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges I always take a first aid kit & survival blanket, and in cooler months or bad weather a raincoa, thermal top, hat & gloves as well. For races I treat the compulsory gear as a starting point for deciding what I might need in an emergency. Also, when you are pushing yourself that hard and getting tired during a long race you don't tend to notice that you are gradually getting cold, it comes on you suddenly and likely you will be tired and have no reserve energy. Survival blanket vs bag - well, the idea is probably that it is for short-term emergency until help can get to you (rather than to keep you alive overnight on the side of a mountain). The gear list is comparable to that for most ultra marathons - the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc is pretty much the same but with the inclusion of rain pants http://ultratrailmb.com/en/page/143/Obligatory%20equipment.html

i was reading about one chap's account of running the hillary trail mid winter, both ways. 160km with a lot of hills and mud, and bad weather.. when he got to the end his body metabolism shut down on him and he was pretty non functional and it was debateable if he could help himself. It can be a fine line where you are functioning and then you aren't part of me likes the concept of going as light as possible, but experience tells me , it just needs one incident when things go wrong enough to end up with serious consequences.

Maybe race organisers should put like survival kits every km or two along the course. Just a bright orange box with a survival blanket/bag, sugary drink and some high carb/protein bars. Chuck a plb in every ten km or so. If the budget allows?

@Gaiters That isn't really practical, except for events which have easy access to several points along the course and then it wouldn't be as necessary. There has to be some personal responsibility from runners. @Waynowski I Guess that would be this account http://runningbeast.tumblr.com/post/6896236166/full-report-and-photos-of-my-hillary-trail-double When you are trying to push your limits there is always a risk that you will step over them.

@briar, given your comment about seeing compulsory gear merely as a starting point, do you hold any opinion about the responsibility of race organisers to set requirements and conditions that are demonstrably safe? There must be a lot of pressure for people to take certain risks in some of these events, especially when their competitors stick to the minimum. To me it seems that if those requirements aren't reasonably safe in the circumstances then the race organisers need to take some responsibility.

most runners in events especially front runners just take the bare minimum they are allowed to. It's interesting that mountain sport competitions have minimum gear lists and in some races like on the Kepler challenge your gear is inspected before and during the event. they can often stipulate you have a "seam sealed waterproof jacket" going as far as demanding a seam sealed garment and in some cases what the waterproof membrane is made of. That tells me there will have been issues in the past of people not taking adequate gear, I doubt Robin Judkins early races would have stipulated much in the way of gear. people were completing the coast to coast on the bike legs in kayaking helmets. i'm not sure thats allowed now, everyone seems to be wearing bike helmets.