Nope, no string...but without a lot of stuff in the pockets they don't budge on me at all. BTW, if you can get a hold of those racer-back tanks they carry at Target (online they call them "long and lean") grab as many as you can. I have 6 in different colors (I have the coffee colored one on in my avatar) and a lot of the gals around here are hooked on them, too. $15 full price, $10 when they are on sale. They are form-fitting without being tight. Not compression, but clingy. They don't have any sort of built-in bra, which is perfect for my needs, since none of those cute tops with built-in bras offer enough support. Modified 'cause I changed my avatar, but you can see the same tank in my profile pic.

Amphipod makes some nifty belt thingies that one can attach various little pouches to. If I don't wear my bottle belt I'd think about something like this. I'd need one big enough to hold a few gels and my inhaler.

Thats what I'll probably go with, I already have a race bib belt from when I did tris so I can get the pouch that adds on. The problem I have with race readys is finding some long enough. I cant wear short shorts. Or even medium shorts. I like lonnnnng shorts.