What should you take on running race day?
Short answer: 22 items, from anti-chafe cream (nipples and inner thighs) through to water bottle or hydration vest. The complete Running Race Day checklist is written out below — and the exact same 22 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Running Race Day checklist — all 22 items
- Anti-chafe cream (nipples and inner thighs)
- Cap or visor
- Cash or card for after-race coffee
- Change of undies and socks for after
- Electrolyte tablets
- Energy gels
- GPS watch, charged the night before
- Headphones
- Moisture-wicking socks
- Plasters for blister-prone spots
- Post-race dry clothes
- Race bib and safety pins
- Race day outfit laid out the night before
- Race entry confirmation or QR code
- Running shoes (worn-in, not new)
- Safety pins spare (bib pins go missing)
- Sunblock
- Sunglasses
- Throwaway old jumper for the start line
- Timing chip
- Vaseline for the toes
- Water bottle or hydration vest
You trained twelve weeks for this morning, and the race can still be lost at the kitchen bench: timing chip on the bench, gels in the other jacket, the toilet queue eating the warm-up, nothing warm for the shivering wait in the start pen. Race day punishes improvisation in direct proportion to the training it wastes.
This checklist is the athlete's morning: bib and chip attached the night before, tested race kit and shoes (nothing new on race day, ever), fuel and hydration timed, throwaway warm layer for the pen, and the drop-bag with dry clothes for the finish line. Tick it before bed; race morning is for racing.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "race bib" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you take on running race day?
You need 22 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from anti-chafe cream (nipples and inner thighs) through to water bottle or hydration vest — and the same 22 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=running%20race%20day opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Running Race Day list (22 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.