Hare Scramble what do I need

[SEalpinestar05]

iam Doint my frist hare scramble next mouth i was woundering what do i need for protection and for my bike iam running a 05 rmz250 the race is 2 hours long throw some tight woods i was woundering what kinda tires should i run should i run strong hand guards should i get a ASV lever what else should i do

[dirtsquirt101]

Barkbusters, Skidplate, Radiator Guards.

[don87xr600]

and a camelbak.

[crfahaulic]

Remember you need to have your body fine tuned like your 05 rm 250.Start training big time.Drink lots of water every day.I can guaranty better results if your in great shape.No falls,no stalls.good luck

[Roostn450]

good pair of probend bark busters and i run the michilen intermediate tires get the biggest rear tire for yuor rim also buy good knee protection like astric kneee braces due too hitting trees and don't try and win on the first lap it is two hrs long stay steady and let everyone else get wore out

[602]

I have advice that is contrary to some of what has been said already.

Your bike needs nothing for the hare scramble that it would not need for motocross. I race hare scrambles and I do not have hand or radiator guards. Nor do I have ASV levers. If your bike already has them or you would like to put them on there then do so. But these items are in no way a necessity in my opinion. You need to bring atleast one other person with you for a pit crew. You should stop for gas somewhere around the halfway mark. If you are friends with someone who is experienced in hare scrambles, you should discuss ideas of pit strategy. Bring multiple pairs of goggles with multiple tear offs on each one. You should also bring a camel back. I do not thing that you need much more than 20 ounces of water in it though. When I am doing hare scrambles, I usually only sip the water 3 to 4 times a race. I ony get enough to wet my tongue.

To prepare yourself for the race, you should start running. I would suggest running somewhere around 2 miles a day several times a week. If you think that a motocross race is physically tough, you (As I was) are in for a nice surprise.

For the race itself, I am not sure how much you have raced in the past so if some of this is contrary to what you do then disregard. Make sure you eat something for breakfast that morning, even if it is only a small bowl of cerial. Breakfast usually makes me sick, but I always eat something small of race days. If the event has a practice session, be sure to take advantage of that. I usually only go out for one lap for practice and spend the rest of my spare time focussing on the race. I recommend getting to the starting line about 1/2 an hour before the race even starts. this will help ensure that you get a good pick on where you start. I do not know about other places, but here in Colorado they do not draw numbers for starting spot. It is first come, first served. When the green flag is waved, GO!!!! Do not go slow and try to "set a pace" or get comfortable. You need to fight as hard as you can right now. The more people that you get in front of early in the race is the less that you must pass later. My body usually gets beat by the middle of the second lap. During the time that you are beat tired, talk to yourself. I always tell myself: "Your mind is weak" or something similar so that you realize this fatigue will go away as soon as you finish the race. The faster you go, the sooner you finish. And the sooner that you finish, the sooner that it will go away. You will wreck a LOT in these races. That is ok. Unlike motocross, you have more than enough time to get back on the bike and go back at it. You will notice that there will be a point in the race that you do not think that you can get any more tired. You whole body will be completly exhausted, including your mind. Do not worry, this will subside after an hour if you are in good shape. Or atleast it does for me.

If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a pm and I am more than happy to share the limited knowledge that I do have.

Also... As long as you ? hard and finish, you completed a good accomplishment, since this is your first hare scramble. People who have done hare scrambles or other long distance races in the past know the feeling that I am talking about... The one you get after you just laid it out on the line for the past two hours.

[dcmetro1]

I can’t believe nobody told you to add spellcheck yet...

[CBus660R]

602, it must be quit a bit different out in Colorado than it is here in the east, 'cause I'd never run a harescramble w/o barkbusters. Also, you might want to eat a little more for breakfast and drink some more outta the Camelback to avoid this "You whole body will be completly exhausted, including your mind. Do not worry, this will subside after an hour if you are in good shape." Once I got better at eating a good breakfast and drinking out of my Camelback, finishing the 2 hour morning race at a GNCC got a lot easier. I also like to buy some bananas and eat 1 2 days before the race, 2 on the day before and 1 with breakfast the day of along with lots of water in the 2 days prior to the race.

[06yz]

I have advice that is contrary to some of what has been said already.

Your bike needs nothing for the hare scramble that it would not need for motocross. I race hare scrambles and I do not have hand or radiator guards.

I stopped reading at this point, very bad advice. Bark busters are a must if you want to be competitive. Pay attention to the lack of bark on the trees in the tight areas on your second lap, think your knuckles hurt trees, HELL NO!

[Sub]

I agree, you can ride without bark busters, but it isn't fun. i also disagree with the hydration... drink as much as you can during the race, it will pay off in the end. You also don't have to win your first time out, ride your pace and use the first race to learn. You won't need to ask these questions anymore once your done.

[arel451]

I rode a hare scramble for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and rest assured the next time I ride one there will be bark busters on my bike. Hydration is key, and don't try to go all out on your first lap or you'll burn out.

[NKTM]

I have hit trees with my handguards hard enough to make my shoulders tingle. They are a must-have.

Hydration has been covered. But, consider mixing powerade/gatorade with water in your Camelbak. I use a 2:1 water to powerade ratio, and it is a noticeable improvement (for me anyway) over water or powerade alone.

One thing you don't hear about much is food. In my experience as a newbie harescrambler, pasta with red sauce the night before the race will help a lot. Those carbs will give you energy.

Also, eat breakfast! And depending on when the race starts, lunch. I was so nervous before a noon-start once that I didn't want to eat anything. At the end of the first (7-mile) lap, I could barely stand. I ended up quitting.

[paulsen]

wow there is some awsome advice here! i cant wait to do my first hare scramble!

[MrSmooth]

I'm sure that Hare Scrambles vary from area to area. In the East bark busters are a must. I find hydrating up to the race more important as I have a hard time getting the drinking tube in my mouth during a race. Have a friend is a good idea even if you don't need a pit stop. We have Grand Prix type starts, that's where you stand about 6 ft in front of your bike and when the horn sounds you run to the bike, jump on, start it and take off, so it helps to have someone hold your bike up and if you have to kick the bike, they can hold your kickstarter out also.

[lost coyote]

I have advice that is contrary to some of what has been said already.

Your bike needs nothing for the hare scramble that it would not need for motocross. I race hare scrambles and I do not have hand or radiator guards. Nor do I have ASV levers. If your bike already has them or you would like to put them on there then do so. But these items are in no way a necessity in my opinion. You need to bring atleast one other person with you for a pit crew. You should stop for gas somewhere around the halfway mark. If you are friends with someone who is experienced in hare scrambles, you should discuss ideas of pit strategy. Bring multiple pairs of goggles with multiple tear offs on each one. You should also bring a camel back. I do not thing that you need much more than 20 ounces of water in it though. When I am doing hare scrambles, I usually only sip the water 3 to 4 times a race. I ony get enough to wet my tongue.

To prepare yourself for the race, you should start running. I would suggest running somewhere around 2 miles a day several times a week. If you think that a motocross race is physically tough, you (As I was) are in for a nice surprise.

For the race itself, I am not sure how much you have raced in the past so if some of this is contrary to what you do then disregard. Make sure you eat something for breakfast that morning, even if it is only a small bowl of cerial. Breakfast usually makes me sick, but I always eat something small of race days. If the event has a practice session, be sure to take advantage of that. I usually only go out for one lap for practice and spend the rest of my spare time focussing on the race. I recommend getting to the starting line about 1/2 an hour before the race even starts. this will help ensure that you get a good pick on where you start. I do not know about other places, but here in Colorado they do not draw numbers for starting spot. It is first come, first served. When the green flag is waved, GO!!!! Do not go slow and try to "set a pace" or get comfortable. You need to fight as hard as you can right now. The more people that you get in front of early in the race is the less that you must pass later. My body usually gets beat by the middle of the second lap. During the time that you are beat tired, talk to yourself. I always tell myself: "Your mind is weak" or something similar so that you realize this fatigue will go away as soon as you finish the race. The faster you go, the sooner you finish. And the sooner that you finish, the sooner that it will go away. You will wreck a LOT in these races. That is ok. Unlike motocross, you have more than enough time to get back on the bike and go back at it. You will notice that there will be a point in the race that you do not think that you can get any more tired. You whole body will be completly exhausted, including your mind. Do not worry, this will subside after an hour if you are in good shape. Or atleast it does for me.

If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a pm and I am more than happy to share the limited knowledge that I do have.

Also... As long as you ? hard and finish, you completed a good accomplishment, since this is your first hare scramble. People who have done hare scrambles or other long distance races in the past know the feeling that I am talking about... The one you get after you just laid it out on the line for the past two hours.

I completely agree with most of what 602 has said, but I swear by a steering stabilizer, skid plate, and some sort of handguards with an aluminum backbone.

[roggiedog]

I say you need to check to make sure your gas cap is tight, then pick up a hooked on phonics CD.

[602]

As some of the people have said here, bark busters might be a must. All of the hare scrambles that I have done here do not have a large amount of tight trees. I do recreational trail riding where there is a decent amount of opportunities to hit the trees. But I tried bark busters for a couple of months and hated them, so this is why I have the opinion that I do.

I do not drink much during the race because of the reaosn that was pointed out after my post. It is sometimes too hard to insert the mouth peice into your helmet when you are racing. It requires too much time to slow down. Atleast for my likes anyway.

Who ever suggested bannanas was correct. Bannanas are one of the best fruits that you can eat for riding because of the potasium.