Pointers on Cold Weather racing:

Having never raced in freezing temperatures before I clued in to a few “issues” that I have never dealt with during the Hellgate 100k. Hopefully this will serve as a resource of things to consider when cold weather racing.
1) At one point I had to chew on my hydration tube to break up the ice. I finally fed the hose down my shirt to keep it warm. Then the little bit that leaked onto my outer layer froze. Consider a pack designed with insulation for colder weather. The Nathan Blizzard would have been perfect!
2) I had put brand new batteries in my Petzl Tikka Plus before the race and they began dimming a couple hours into the race; the cold will do that. Carry extra batteries or find a way to keep your battery pack warm.
3) The layers of clothing were much more than I normally train in. Fortunately I picked a system of clothing that functioned perfect for me. Be sure to know your apparel and its strengths in varying situations.
4) My Clif Shot and Shot Bloks took on a different consistency; I had to put them in my glove to warm them up before consuming.
5) Creek Crossings: This was not an issue for me, but before the start a couple of people had me worried as they had DNF'ed in years past due to wet, freezing feet. To prevent this one guy wrapped his feet (up to the knee) in saran wrap. A couple of others carried heavy duty plastic garbage bags to put over their feet when they reached the water crossings. I wore my standard, good socks (Smartwool) and trail shoes (Montrail). Within minutes of running after the creek crossing my feet warmed up.
6) The scariest of all was my loss of vision. At the finish line I found out I was not the only one with this problem, in fact the top two males had similar issues. Consider glasses to protect your eyes. My race report on Hellgate goes into detail about the experience.

GEAR:
Clothing layers:
Patagonia thermal (similar to R.5 material) sport bra/tank
Patagonia long sleeve lightweight capiliene
Patagonia short sleeve airius t
Patagonia Axuwool hoodie
Patagonia Houdini jacket (carried with me just in case)
Black Diamond ski gloves
Patagonia Axuwool tights
Smartwool Adrenaline socks ¾ length
Montrail Hardrocks

At mile 42 I changed:
Left tights, put on Patagonia Desert Duster shorts
Left ski gloves, put on Smartwool lightweight gloves
Left the Axuwool hoodie and put on the Houdini

Hydration:
Nathan Intensity vest with bladder first - 42 miles
2 Nathan Thermal Quickdraws – remaining miles

Nutrition:
Mostly Clif shot & Shot blocks
I ate 1 Clif bar, 2 First Endurance Bars, lots of soup, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and some fruit