The Equipment

I prefer the kind of sports, that don't come with a lot of equipment. Simpler is better. Running fits the bill - you need very little. Doesn't mean, of course, that sports equipment companies don't try to sell you a load of things they want you to need.

Footwear and Clothing

I'd actually prefer to run barefeet, but for practical purposes that is probably not going to happen. First, even though most of the route is going to be forest trails, some parts are still going to be either paved roads or gravel, both of which make barefeet running difficult. Second, since I will run throughout the night, even forest trails can have sharp stones or branches, so footwear will be needed. I have a pair of Nike Flex Running shoes that are super light and have only a single layer of textile on top with almost no hard nose part. I enjoy them a lot but they might not last until summer, so I can hopefully track down another pair or something similar (I bought these a while back). 

I've no idea about socks as of yet - is a single pair going to last the whole Run? I will aim to keep a tempo, where perspiration will be minimal, but my feet generally do perspire no matter how easy I go, so I might need to carry an extra pair of socks.

The Run has to take place in summer due to light conditions. Estonia has only 6 hours of daylight in winter, but in the middle of summer we get a few weeks of white nights, when the sun almost does not set. Summers are warmish, but we never get the kind of hot nights here up north that you have closer to the equator. An average summer daily temperature might be 23 degrees C, dropping to around 16 degrees C in the night. Clothing has to account for that, so even though I'd love to do the Run in shorts and a T-shirt, I'm probably going to need something long-sleeved to pull over the T-shirt for the nighttime.

Accessories

 I have to have some way of getting in touch with people that will be on stand by for support, should I need it. Also, it would be cool to have some kind of track record of the Run. I'm guessing my 4G Samsung smartwatch can do both things - act as a phone for emergencies and do the GPS tracking. Phone coverage will not be an issue, but under the foliage GPS connection will probably be quite sketchy. I'm less sure, that battery will last the whole 48 hours with GPS tracking constantly switched on. I'll have to test this.

What's more, I don't know the route. I've only plotted it on the map. I will be running through some of it in spring to familiarise myself, but it's only going to be some segments. So I'll need something to find my way. It will have to paper maps or a dedicated GPS-tracker. Problem with paper is, I need to stop to consult the map. Problem with GPS-tracker is, it's heavy and I don't want to carry anything I don't specifically have to. An unsolved problem for now.

As for light conditions, the white nights will help, but it also means, that I will have a two week time window for the Run. Juggling jobs, kids and the climate, that's not a very big window. If I fall outside of the window, the Run is still possible, but I will have to carry some type of headlight to see, where I'm stepping. I'll have to find out about the head-mounted LEDs and I'll need someplace to store the headgear during the day. Meeting someone at a pre-agreed point to give it to me when it gets dark and handing it back when it gets light again is a better option, perhaps.

What if it rains? Everything that gets wet, will get back dry again. I won't carry anything waterproof. I will try to time the Run so that I will not be running in constant rain. If a rain shower comes along, so be it.

There will be a separate post about food and drink, those areas are still very shady for me at this time.