Top products from r/AdventureRacing

1. If you are planning on buying one specifically for the event, a generic mil-surp ruck will handle your first few challenges. I would avoid frame packs, as challenges can be pretty awkward if you can trying to wrestle around a metal frame during PT.
   Another option is to ask around inside of the Facebook group for your event. There might be an alumni willing to loan you a spare ruck.
   
   
2. Your ruck and bricks are usually the least unpleasant aspect of what you'll be carrying around. I'd focus on getting as strong as possible at your current bodyweight, instead of cutting weight (and strength, and endurance) to be allowed to carry fewer bricks. If keeping the 5 pounds makes you more capable of lugging around a water can, log, chunk of sidewalk, buddy, etc... that's the way to go.
   
   
3. Regular old Mechanix gloves have served me very well, and are pretty cheap. If I know the area is really sandy (and likely to work its way in to the velcro and open up the glove), I've been known to throw a strip of electrical tape around my wrist to just strap the things on for the challenge.
   http://www.amazon.com/Mechanix-Wear-MG-55-009-Original-Covert/dp/B0001VNZUA/
   
   
4. The dedicated training plans on the site are quite good (so is Military Athlete, though not free - http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=54), but just following as much of http://training.goruck.com as possible is my recommendation. A lot of effort goes in to their programming.
   A 40# sandbag can function as half the gear you need for a basic fitness program at home.

I've done races from 3hrs to 72hrs and here's my simple advice:

1. Do shorter races, until the navigation, gear and hydration are second nature. Many long races will have a shorter sprint format (3hrs-5hrs) that brings the difficulty down a bit.
   
   
2. Find a local Orienteering club and practice your navigation without the stress of multi-discipline sporting.
   
   
3. Buy The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors, Second Edition.
   
   
4. Set a timer for hydration...don't ever get thirsty.
   
   
5. Hydrate with water or zero calorie electrolyte tablet only. Don't drink calories.
   
   
6. Eat the same food when training that you'll eat in the race.
   
   
7. Do multi-discipline training sessions and simulate transitions.
   
   
8. Train outside only, in the woods, on dirt, in the heat.
   
   
9. Don't consume caffeine while racing.

I've seen these recommended a lot. I use my cross trainers, but will probably be picking up a pair or trail runners in a couple of weeks.

Tough Mudder vet here my recommendation from me personally and others I have ran with is to use mad grips gloves if you dont believe me just check the reviews. For the shorts or any thing else you are wearing I recommend nothing with cotton and something that will dry very fast if not you will stay very cold after the water obstacles. Also do wear anything your not prepared to lose.

I think it really depends on the gloves.

Most of the gloves I see people wearing are wrestling gloves, carpentry gloves, etc. I even saw some soccer goalie gloves on the course today. And most of these gloves look like they'd immediately become more trouble than they're worth.

I'm no expert, but I think these MadGrip gloves are excellent. Cheap, sheds water really quickly through the mesh, and not hot or bulky enough to require taking them off between obstacles. I've worn them in 5-6 races. The grip tread does start wearing off after a few races but hey, they're cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Grip-Knuckler-Glove-Medium/dp/B0040GJ7UY/

Do you need gloves? Not really. But with gloves I'm a lot more likely to blindly put my hands into muddy streams, crawl faster over gravel, etc.