Obstacle race checklist - What to bring?

I've been getting a lot of questions on this, so I thought I'd sum up what has and hasn't worked for me.
The items have culminated from running the several Spartan Races, Tough Mudder, Rugged Maniac, Warrior Dash, Devil Dash and many other OCR type races. This should serve well in just about any obstacle race, mud run, etc.

So what should you bring to your next obstacle race?

Printable checklist HERE!

Full size PDF at the link above.

1. Lightweight, non cotton shorts (or pants). I prefer the something with pockets myself, but pretty much any running shorts (or compression pants if it's cold) will do.
2. Trail running shoes. I ran my first 2 races in trainers and it was OK, but something with some knobby bottoms helps a lot, there's a ton of options out there. Some people rock the Vibram 5 Fingers type shoes, but they are not for me.
3. Running shirt. Make it a synthetic or tech tee type. Cotton shirts will bog you down. There are a lot of abandoned, mud caked cotton shirts out on the courses. Alternatively, consider running without a shirt, or for you ladies in a sports bra.
4. Your picture ID. I saw some people get turned away at the Spartan trying to get on to the military base without IDs.
5. Full change of clothes. Socks, underwear, shorts, shirt or whatever you normally wear.
6. Clean shoes, sandals or flip-flops. Some races have flip-flops if you donate your shoes, but most don't. Bring something to wear after you get out of those nasty running shoes.
7. Trash bags. I bring 2, since inevitably someone else forgets one. Good for stashing you muddy duds, post race.
8. Towel. Self explanatory, right?
9. 2 gallons of water. The showers at these events can be inadequate, freezing cold, or out of order. Unless you run the 1st heat, expect long lines. I prefer to head back to the car and wash up with the bottled water, towel off, change clothes and head back to the fairgrounds. Pro tip: Let the water sit in the sun on your dashboard.
10. Sunscreen. I've seen my share of lobsters wander off the course.
11. Marker. Some races, require you to write various numbers on your body. Also handy for signing the race wall. Pro tip: use the marker before the sunscreen.
12. Electrolytes or drinking water. To help replenish post race.
13. 1st Aid. A couple ibuprofen (or the like) right after will help with soreness and/or inflammation. Also, we had a racer with a deep barb wire gash and the 1st aid station didn't have band-aids! Be prepared to aid yourself.
14. Cash. For parking, food, beer, swag or whatever. Don't count on credit card machines or ATMs.
15. Misc. protective gear. I wear a slip on knee support sleeve for my bad knee and started wearing one for my other knee just for padding. I've seen elbow pads on folks too, but I don't think I'd go that far. I also started wearing over the calf socks at the more intense races. I tried gloves once and they were more hinderance than help, but some folks like them.
16. Drinking water. Sometimes I like to have water on the course with me. I find the small 8oz. water bottles work well, as you can slip them in your pocket to climb obstacles. For longer races, I'll carry a small water bladder. Most races have a few water stations, but some don't, or there will be long lines.
17. Blanket and/or large towel. This is especially helpful if you plan to wash up and change at your car. At best the parking lot will be be dirty, at worst it will be lava hot asphalt. A cheap army surplus wool blanket works well to stand on as it won't soak up the water you're rinsing off with. Use the large towel to cover your nakedness while changing clothes.

So how do I put this all together?  I put the drinking water and anything else I want to keep cool (fruit, protein drink, whatever you're into) in a small cooler in the trunk of the car. I put the water water jugs on the dash in the sun, so they will be warm when I need to wash off after the race. Be careful though, the direct sun in Vegas made the water scalding hot! Use your best judgement.

Keep your ID and on course drinking water handy (you did fill out your race waiver right? No? Don't worry they have tons of them at check in), jam everything else in a brightly colored gym bag and take it to the bag check. A bright bag comes in handy here because amongst the 11ty million black gym bags checked in, it's easier to spot yours after the race. I also zip tie my checked bags closed for good measure. 

If parking is close, I usually just stash it in all in the car and use a lock box to put my keys in that I attach to my car frame/bumper. I like to lock up my phone, wallet, watch, jewelry, what have you, in my glove box, but I've also checked all this stuff with my gym bag without issue. Racers are generally good people.

On more than one occasion I've gone with ID and waiver to check-in, then back to the car to stash my ID and whatever. The buses run fast early in the day, but expect long lines in afternoon at the bigger events. If parking is within walking distance, then all the better.