By Steph Lamont, Podiatrist and Director at Gen Health and Active Feet Hamilton
Are you planning on doing the Serra Terror event? Here are some tips that will help you feel your best during the event.
Socks
A breathable material is best for socks; wool or cotton or a specific coolmax engineered sock. Natural fibres such as wool, are able to wick moisture away from skin, into the sock. The thickness of a sock you need is more down to personal preference, but ensure you get your shoes fitted, with the socks you plan to wear with them.
How many pairs do I need?
Minimum of 3 pairs of socks for each day (6 in total).
Should I wear two pairs of socks at once?
Our advice is no. If it’s something you have tried and tested, and feel most comfortable with, then go for it. We recommend having just one pair of good quality socks on at once.
Change your socks often during the event!
Aim to change your socks at each checkpoint, this will help ensure your feet stay dry and fresh, and reduce the occurrence of blisters and friction. If it’s wet weather, you may find you need to change them more frequently in line with the conditions. If your socks get wet – change them as soon as possible.
Shoes
We recommend changing shoes at each checkpoint. This allows the cushioning to replenish and any moisture from sweat or rain/puddles can dry out.
We recommend you have two pairs of shoes that you have trained in, for use for the Serra Terror. This might be a trail shoe and a runner (in good condition). You can map your shoes to the conditions – e.g. in lower lying wetter areas, ensure you have your trail shoes on, runners can be utilised for the more built up dry tracks.
Lock lacing keeps shoes fitting securely and avoids the movement component of blistering.
Wear-in your chosen walking shoes with shorter walks, especially when brand new. If you identify any ‘hot spots’, these spots will need preventive treatment before a long walk with second-skin taping (Hypafix/Mefix).
Images: With thanks to Georgina Morrison Photography (@_georginamorrison on Instagram)
