You have taken the decision to enter your first race. Naturally, your thoughts are concentrated on your performance: How can you make sure that you finish? What time should you aim at? What is the course like? What will the weather be like?

Amongst all the nerves and excitement it is easy to forget something that you may need. Here is a list of suggested items for your sports’ bag or holdall:

• Your RACE SHOES;
• Shower gel/shampoo & towel;
• Change of clothes for after the race;
• Spare socks;
• Fruit, snacks & drink for before & after the race;
• Thermal top, hat, buff, gloves & waterproofs for warm up & cool down (if the weather is bad);
• Cap, sweat band & sun glasses (if the weather is hot &/or sunny);
• Pins for your race number (keep pins in a plastic container or bag so that they are found more easily);
• Vaseline, cream or lube stick;
• Spare coins (for car parking or emergency);
• Pen or pencil;
• Plastic bag;
• Strapping;
• Ice pack (in case you get an injury);
• Waist pack or bum bag with drinks holder;
• Bin bag or old T shirt, if you will be waiting at the start for a long time. These items will help to keep you warm and can be discarded at the start of the race.

Before you set off from home make sure that you know the exact location of the registration and start of the race – they are not always in the same place. Take the information with you.

Give yourself plenty of time to travel to the race. Parking at a race that attracts a large entry can be difficult and time-consuming. After all the preparation and training that you have done for a race, you do not want to arrive at the start line in a panic, worse still miss the race, because you could not find a parking space.