Feet first
There's no better place to start than your feet. They're going to take the biggest pounding, and are the equipment failure most likely to end your race.

"You're on your feet for the whole race," says Karen Lundgren, who raced on Team Hi-Tec in the 1999 and 2000 Eco-Challenge and in the on-going Hi-Tec Adventure Series. "One little blister can ruin your whole race."

Many racers start by coating their feet with a lubricant to shed water and bacteria and to keep the grit that gets into your shoes from "sandpapering" off skin. Louise Cooper, a long-time Ironman participant, ultramarathoner, and adventure racer, swears by Sport Slick. She likes it because in addition to lubricants, it has aloe, vitamins and other soothing ingredients. An 8-ounce tube is $8 at HiTek Racing, a runner's supplier store.