Empty Your Pack: Liz "Mercury" Anjos
Inside the pack of a record-holding Appalachian Trail speed hiker.
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Liz “Mercury” Anjos began running at age 14. It wasn’t long before she completed a 10k in 36:44, a half marathon in 1:22:43 and a full marathon in 2:51:34. In 2020, she set her sights on a number of Fastest Known Times. She quickly claimed the 60-mile Wildwood Trail’s female unsupported record, the 67.5 Forest Park Nasties trail’s overall unsupported record and finally the Appalachian Trail’s women’s overall supported record, which she did travelling northbound. The following gear accompanied Anjos on her record-breaking Appalachian Trail hike.
Total Weight: ~3 lbs.
Favorite Piece of Gear
Flashlight: Fenix PD35 V2.0
“Sometimes, depending on what I hoped to do that day, I would start at 2 a.m. I’d have several hours before the sun came up. And I gave myself a cutoff of midnight every night, so I’d hike for a few hours in the night too. I wore a headlamp and always carried a flashlight with me. [The flashlight] ended up helping a lot. I used it in my first ultra-marathon last year (Hellgate 100k). It’s super powerful and the batteries last for a long time.”
Headlamp: Petzl Tikkina
Piece of Gear that Saved Liz
Trash Bag
I was just crossing over the Delaware River when this crazy tropical storm hit. I had this fancy waterproof jacket and it soaked through immediately. [Warren Doyle, an AT legend who supported Anjos’s effort] got me a trash bag and ripped arm holes in it. I put it underneath my clothes and tucked it into my shorts. Every piece of clothing I had soaked through and if it wasn’t for that trash bag I probably would have gotten hypothermia.
Phone: iPhone XS
Socks: Stance Run Crew ST
Hydration Vest: Nathan Vaporhowe 2.0 4 Liter, Nathan Vaporhowe 2.0 12 Liter (I used this one in the White Mountains)
Shorts: Tracksmith Lane 5 Tights
My legs are one place where I chafe. And [the Tracksmith Lane 5 Tights] were long enough to prevent chafing. But they also had awesome pockets. They were a great multi-purpose short.
GPS Tracker: Garmin inReach Mini
“I kept the Garmin inReach Mini in the side pocket of my shorts. And that’s just where it lived. I was always nervous about putting it in a pack and then handing it off to warren and not having it anymore. So that played into having these side short pockets.”
Shoes Liz started with
Nike Terra Kiger (too fitted)
Pegasus Trail (not enough to protection for Pennsylvania rocks)
Shoes Liz switched to