As my first marathon approaches (31 days if you’re keeping track) I’m testing out products and outfits to figure out what to do on race day. In terms of products, I’ve been told you don’t need to wear a fuel belt because there is water all along the course, but I do think I’ll run with my cell phone (so my family can find me and maybe I can snap some pics along the route) and I need a place to store all those Gu’s I’ll be eating along the way (they are provided at points along the course but I have certain flavors I like so I can’t depend on the freebies). It’s also nice to know that I have what I need on me and won’t have to wait for fuel stations.
I first tested out R2Outdoor by FuelBelt. It holds two water bottles, has two zipper pockets and a bungee cord. This is great for long runs- you can carry all you need (especially if there aren’t water fountains on you route). Unfortunately I felt that this belt really weighed me down. It doesn’t bounce that much and is pretty supportive but not something I want to have to burden myself with on race day. For this product I say use it for training, skip it for racing.
Because I felt weighed down by the belt and didn’t think it was necessary for anything less than 15 miles, I tried out the Nathan QuickDraw hand-held water bottle. This holds 22 oz of water and has a zipper for your iPhone and ID. It also comes with an ID card you can fill out which I like for safety reasons. Sadly, I was not a fan of this water bottle. I used it on a 10-mile run and because you are holding 22oz of water in one hand I felt uneven in my run. My arm felt heavy and all I could think about was the water. Of course as I sipped the water the weight lessened but I still couldn’t stop thinking about how annoying the bottle was. I also put cold water in the bottle and my hand was freezing for about 5 miles. I’ve heard of people liking this bottle but it wasn’t for me.
And lastly, for my half marathon this past weekend I tried an expandable gear belt by Hippie Runner (I got the black one but had the chevron been available obviously I would have gotten it) which doesn’t include water holders but is an extremely light weight belt that has pockets that expand and can hold whatever you might need on your run. I was weary of trying this for the first time during a race (I bought it at the expo) but I’m happy to report that I loved it. I wore it low on my waist (at about my shorts band) and stored my cell phone, ID, some money, a bag of Chomps (which I never ate) and a Gu and didn’t feel the belt at all during my run. There are also little side loops to put Gu’s and other training foods in. I was amazed that the belt stayed in place, didn’t bounce and I didn’t feel any weight of the contents in the belt. I also liked that this brand has two separate zippered pockets so I can separate the contents- one pocket is for items I might need during the run (gu, chomps) and the other I won’t need to be opened at all (keys, ID) so I won’t be worried about my gear falling out mid-race.
After testing out all these products I’ve decided to go with the Hippie Runner expandable gear belt for the marathon. I’ll have to hit up the water stations along the route but I love that I barely feel this belt and won’t be thinking about it during the race. Next up I need to decide what to wear!
