I put coffee in my hamster's bottle last night.

I don't want him falling asleep at the wheel.

I spent yesterday going through essential kit for the big day on Thursday (and bigger days on Friday to Sunday inclusive; if I make Monday, it's only a marathon...)

So what will I be taking? I'm always intrigued by what the good ultra-runners carry (generally 250ml of water, 3 fig rolls and a stone once trodden on by Joss Naylor) but as a slow, fat former triathlete, I have a love of a good gadget. Hence:

my IPlod, so I may listen to rock in a hard place;
a brand-spanking new Garmin 310XT, which has a reputed 20 hours battery life; the desire to know how far I've come is completely overwhelming;
some nice, isotonic gels, which don't make me throw up; at the risk of re-using an old gag, the hills will not be alive with the sound of Drew sick;
some water; lions drink it, but they're rubbish at ultra-running;
a good, honest cheese butty; apparently, real ultra-runners eat proper food, but I hate fig rolls;
lots of toilet paper; sometimes, I get to make like a bear;
Ute the lucky cow; everyone needs a little help from the random forces of good fortune;
all the compulsory stuff, such as a machete for the long grass, a folding bike for if it gets 'a bit difficult', a small box of live woodlice (purpose delightfully obscure), the usual nonsense;
and a small blue box, stuffed with salt pills and caffeine tablets;

I don't want to fall asleep at the wheel, after all.