Forums >Racing>No water bottles provided?
run, rest & read
I'm doing a trail race this Sunday and was just informed today that I need to bring a water bottle belt or hydration pack as they will only have boxes of water at the checkpoints. They will not have bottles for you. I'm only doing a 9k but there is 600m vertical gain, so I'd like to think I can rinse my mouth out at the one checkpoint. I'm not going to buy a hydration system for just one race. Is this normal?
BTW, here in Taiwan it is still low 90s with 60-80% humidity, so no fall cooling for us.
Fanilow
I have heard of races that do this to cut down on waste. I chew gum if I am going to run hard. It keeps my mouth from drying out. If you don't want to carry anything or chew gum, maybe you could just cup your hands at the water stop to get water, if you just want to rinse.
2014 goals
Well, there's always next year.
Many ultras and trail races I have run have unmanned aid stations with a requirement that you bring bottles so you can fill up as you need to.
Damaris
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Break on through
Yes. It reduces litter on the trail. You don't need to buy a fancy hydration system. Just carry an empty (or full, if you want) bottle with you.
"Not to touch the Earth, not to see the Sun, nothing left to do but run, run, run..."
Feeling the growl again
Based on your log, you can cover 9K at a normal training pace in less than an hour...perhaps less than 50 minutes in a race. Knock back a bottle of water before you toe the line. Or carry a small handheld bottle with you. Even in the weather conditions you describe, if you start the race fully hydrated you have no need for a "hydration system" during that race.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I'm completely fine with less litter. Last year I picked up 4 or 5 bottles on the trail while I was running. What I'm not all that happy with is telling me two days before the race that I need to bring one. If it had been on the signup page, no problem. Last year someone was hospitalized for severe dehydration during the race, so I'd think they would have planned this part better.
Probably just going with gum (thanks for the suggestion) because 9k isn't so far that I need water.
You could always try to find a collapsible cup to throw in your pocket if you're worried about it.
Something like this
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
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It is kind of an interesting question how much responsibility falls on the shoulders of the race infrastructure for hydrating you, versus how much falls on your shoulders.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
No offense, but are you saying it will take you more than two days to find a water bottle? Is that the problem?
For a 9K, I agree you don't even need water, even if it's 90. However, if you want it, you can use a normal, regular water bottle. No special "running bottle" or "hydration system" needed. Buy a 20ounce/0.5L water at the store. Drink half. Carry the rest with you. Recycle when done.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
No offense, but are you saying it will take you more than two days to find a water bottle? Is that the problem? For a 9K, I agree you don't even need water, even if it's 90. However, if you want it, you can use a normal, regular water bottle. No special "running bottle" or "hydration system" needed. Buy a 20ounce/0.5L water at the store. Drink half. Carry the rest with you. Recycle when done.
No offense taken, and it's not that I can't find one. It's that they tell you by email 2 days before the race, and no mention was made at the race packet pick up either. The email got routed to my spam folder for some reason as well, so I'm sure the same thing happened to others. Will they be as anal as me and check that folder daily?
For the 9k, it's no big deal. What about the 20K, though? The winner last year took close to two hours, and that's long enough to maybe need water. The start/finish line is at a temple on a mountainside without any stores nearby, so what should people who didn't get the message do?
Not trying to whinge too much, but I think the organizers missed something here.
Complaining about it on this forum (predominantly USA-based) isn't going to get you much sympathy. In the US I've raced hundreds of races and it is a VERY rare race that provides water bottles on course. I'm pretty sure the expectation in the US is that no water bottles will be provided on course. If you want or need one then you bring it. Maybe in Taiwan it's different.
BTW, is this the Otterbox Action Asian X-Trail Taiwan?
"Drinks: Water and aminoMax sport drink at checkpoints and finish."
They have one checkpoint for the 9K and two for the 17K. Seems eminently reasonable to me ... I'd just relax and have fun at the race. Good luck!
Most races I still do, provide cups of h20 on course, but I think this is a waste.
I agree that it should have been clearly stated at entry time - I have raced a few that state this and its not an issue, but you need to know. If I did not own a solution to no cup problem, I would be pissed finding out 2 days before.
Complaining about it on this forum (predominantly USA-based) isn't going to get you much sympathy. In the US I've raced hundreds of races and it is a VERY rare race that provides water bottles on course. I'm pretty sure the expectation in the US is that no water bottles will be provided on course. If you want or need one then you bring it. Maybe in Taiwan it's different. BTW, is this the Otterbox Action Asian X-Trail Taiwan? "Drinks: Water and aminoMax sport drink at checkpoints and finish." They have one checkpoint for the 9K and two for the 17K. Seems eminently reasonable to me ... I'd just relax and have fun at the race. Good luck!
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Really? I haven't ever run a trail or road race that didn't offer water in cups or bottles along the way. I know of a few green races that tell you to bring your own bottle, and I think that's great, but it isn't the norm. In fact, I see lots of complaining if the race doesn't provide GUs or whatever energy thing they want in addition to water and gatorade in bottles or cups.
What are boxes of water?
Runners run
Sort of like boxes of wine but much less fun.