Why would you need them if winning a marathon, you get elite bottle treatment.

Why don’t people wear them? Because there are better less restrictive ways of getting race nutrition and because you look like the running version of a fred.

I probably tried the wrong kind. Could never get it to fit right. Felt like I was running around with a gun belt and six shooter bouncing around. I can stuff enough gels on my race bib belt and grab waters/Gatorade at the stations. One less variable to worry with on race day and when packing.

I use Fuel Belt. Actually it’s a brand name for the belt that holds the bib. Haha

Like a lot of things, they were a fad. You would even see folks showing up to 5Ks with them.

Some pros used them so they could have their preferred/sponsored nutrition, and not be photographed using a competitor’s product. Lots of people used them because they saw the pros doing it.

Now the pros have a special table at aid stations for their preferred nutrition/hydration, so no need for the belt.

I had/have one for long runs, but never liked the bouncing. Ended up getting tri shorts with back pockets that could hold the bottles and using those for long runs.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

this marathon you did have 20 participants ? wonder also if its rule violation ditching that belt on course

tri is nothing if not faddish.

remember when everything had to have dimples on it? and when everyone gave up on tri frames and started riding on UCI legal frames (because it worked for deboom/smyers/reid, and 'what if i go to worlds?') and when everyone wore compression? and when arm coolers used to be called arm warmers?

it's silly. fuel belts can be a great idea. wear 'em if they work for you.

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

It certainly would be in an Ironman...

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

Really? Could you dump the belt in a bin in front of your family and let them do a dumpster dive to recover the belt?

On the trainer right now and don't want to find the full rule but theres something in there about if anyone provided assistance to only you that wasn't available to everyone or something like that. A family member can't hand you sunscreen mid race, nor can they leave it in an inconspicuous location for you to find. But I think if they offered literally every competitor in the race the same thing you'd be in the clear? At least that's what I recall but don't quote me on it.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

You're absolutely correct.

Under rule violations (can only find the 2018 version):

Accepting assistance from anyone other than Race Referees, Race Officials or other Race participants in accordance with the Competition Rules.

If it is possible to amend and return to the
original situation then a 30 or 60 Second Time
Penalty (as applicable) Time Penalty will be
assessed, If not: DSQ

They have special stations in kona, but do they have them in any other Ironmans? If they do, then I can see why no one would use one

I like using a fuel belt for my infinit concentrate. That plus on course water and I’m good to go.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

I use one.

With my gels mixed with a bit of water otherwise you do not get the gel out.
Every 15 minutes a gel together with water from the aid station.
Normally take 14 gels in an Ironman for which 4 flasks are needed.
In the Americas where you do not need your bibnumber on the bike I fix my number on the fuel belt.

Provides for a stress-free marathon without worries which gel they have at aid stations and if there are gels at all.

I think I have one collecting dust in my closet. Junk.

For races they are completely unnecessary unless the RD is incompetent at providing proper aid stations.
For training, there are a thousand better options, mostly running vests.
My Salomon Adv Skin 5 can carry more liquid and feels far more comfortable than a crappy fuel belt.
I suppose if you REALLY needed to carry your own nutrition in a long race, a vest would be the best option.

You use 14 gels in an Ironman marathon??? How long are you out there? You must have a cast iron stomach!!!

He said 1 gel in 15 minutes. Times 14 gels = 3.5 hours :)

For me, a fuel belt is not doint the trick. I prefer my backpockets en start with holding 2 gels (en 5 in pockets or something). After I finish those, I switch to whatever is on course.

For (long, 25+km) training runs I prefer a flipbelt over a fuel belt, but might be to much fidling for a race.

The bouncing, extra weight, and hip restriction is why I stopped using them.

same here. I never wore them in races but did in training but after awhile it was just annoying. I just plan my running routes so I can get water within 45min to an hour

Oddly enough, I don't use them in racing...

But I found the SiS gels were great for long runs. Stick a few in a pocket and they provide a few calories, kinda of thirst quenching, and go down easy without water. At least make it so I'm not gagging on a gel until I can find a drinking fountain.

I can’t imagine much worse than wearing a vest in Texas heat. I don’t experience any bouncing with my Nathan belt so I can’t speak to the issues others have with them. I rarely use mine these days, but when I do, the Nathan belt is great.

LS wears a belt

😀

Personally, I also hate aid stations and generally try to avoid them if possible. They don’t have exactly what I want for fuel. You maybe get half of the liquid in a cup into your mouth unless you slow down significantly. And if it isn’t water the other half is going all over you hands or suit or whatever and making a sticky mess.

If you have to carry a litre or more of water, a vest is your best bet regardless of the heat.
Slab Sense 2 is very minimalist racing vest with mesh sides.

Lately I have seen hydration vests popping up very frequently. I see people doing their training runs with them.
Something like that:
https://ultimatedirection.com/race-vest-4-0/
Was thinking of getting one for my long training runs where there are no aid stations.
Anybody having experience with one of those or other brands? Better than Fuelbelts?

Mick

Yeah because belts are such a fad and ugly. Vests are totally different and look much cooler.

I use a Salomon Adv Skin 5. I rarely put more than two water flasks and a couple shot blocks in it, but I can drop in a 1.5L reservoir, jacket, gloves, extra food, etc if needed.
It's also flat enough I can get it under my nordic ski jacket for winter use.

Any of the major brands like UD or Nathan make decent products.

Taking the water off my waist and moving it to my upper body was a revelation in comfort.

This x2

Also chafing and a subtle change to my gait that the fuelbelt brings.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Whatever dude.

I just stop at a Gas Station or something on long runs and buy a water/gatorade
I can take my credit card out of my phone arm band to pay in like 5 seconds and the entire time in the gas station is barely a minute
Jells I just stick in my pocket

People make everything way too complicated

My 2c

They move about too much, it’s a pet hate of mine, and there isn’t enough capacity. It’s barely enough water for 90min.

Long runs I prefer a rucksack with a drinking bladder.

Well, you need a gas station nearby. My long runs are all in the woods here, not gas stations there :)

I still use my for long runs. I have a 3 bottle version. If using all 3 bottles the belt tends to rotate unit one bottle is mid back and the rest are along my side. Once in that position it sits pretty comfortably. Never used in a race. There is usually enough on course aid stations where it's not needed.

I find hand held bottles to be a better option for me. Usually just one 20oz bottle but I'll carry one in each hand if I need it but that's extremely rare.

I tried a Fuel Belt years ago but the bouncing, chafing and the difficult-to-refill bottles to made it very forgettable.

I've tried a vest also, again, the bouncing and chafing were a deal breaker. Not to mention wearing the extra layer in the summer just makes me hot and uncomfortable.

I do almost all of my long runs on trails. There are no gas stations.
I would never have to structure a run around gas stations either.
Running vests are awesome... but yes, they can be a bit warm in hot climates.

In 35 years of running I don’t think I’ve ever passed a gas station or store on any runs.

My n=1 experience with ANY elasticized waistband. Unless it's wrapped under me somehow (eg like underpants), it will skoot its way up to the narrowest part of my torso and then be very loose and annoying. I can't even stand a number belt on its own sitting at that spot, let alone anything with real bounce to it.

But I get that they work for some people, but not for this short chick with hips.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

I have a hand held bottle and like that (Nathan something-or-other). When I run with my pup, I've been using a Nathan belt with a single water bottle in the middle of the back and angled for easy removal. That works well for short runs, but I do get chafed for longer runs (but summer heat + black dog = short runs). The utility is that I can run hands-free, holding only her lead. The alternative is the waist lead and that works pretty well, too, with the hand held bottle.

I’m not here as a huge advocate of waist-based belts, but I generally have the same experience as you and, yet, I have had no issues with the Nathan belt-in my experience, it’s more secure than fuel belt brand. But again, even if I need water, I often just utilize the Nathan or fuel belt bottles in the pockets of Tri shorts. But, if for some reason, I want more than 20 total ounces, I consider the Nathan belt to be an excellent option.

I have the 4-bottle Nathan belt model, and the bouncing of the two rear bottles was annoying and chafing. That said, the two bottles in front were never a problem, so sometimes I used it with just the two bottles.

+1 about not wanting to wear a vest in the heat, here in the Gulf South.

Recently, I moved from the burbs to the city, so there are stores around where there are water fountains and (yay!) public bathrooms. And I can buy a drink if I need one, and so I find I don't need to carry water, even in summer. I just plan my route conscious of hydration points, and run more freely.

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<The Dew Abides>

Damon I am looking to do the same with my infinte. Do you have a belt you recommend?

Because they bounce around on my hips cause crazy chafing and annoy me. Lol.

I do still have one in my closet but I prefer a handheld or a hydration vest.

I have a fuel belt that I never wore because I hated it. I bought a Hydraquiver, and I love it. It's small, light, doesn't move, no chafing. I actually have a 32oz bottle in mine, and I have no issues with it. I prefer it over my camelback vest/backpack.

deevo439 wrote:

Damon I am looking to do the same with my infinte. Do you have a belt you recommend?

ive tried quite a few and this by far fits the best. hardly any bounce and i love the flasks that come with the belt.

https://ultraspire.com/products/synaptic-2-0-waist-pack/

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

I use a hand bottle for every 70.3 I do.

I feel kind of dorky using it, but being able to sip water (or calories) and have gels at my disposal is really helpful for me.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Holy turds! $85!

Same here- had a hot 70.3 and it was fantastic to sip when I want instead of down a mouthful of water/air every mile from a paper cup.

A 12 oz handheld doesn’t seem to slow me down either.

I have an Amphipod hand held with strap but I don't like carrying something in my hands when I run.

You and I are similar.

I have a solid hand bottle which I hand carry and a soft one which is attached to my race belt and sits in a back pocket. I use this setup for 50k trail runs.

With aid stations sometimes 7 miles apart this is the minimum I have to carry to avoid dehydration.

I have tried a lot of different solutions, but keep coming back to this.

For my Mount Washington hike I will probably use a hydration vest as hiking doesn't bounce as much and I will be wearing a daypack anyway for clothing and food.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

I just bought a Naked running belt. Extremely good, no chafing and stores a lot.

Had a Nathan previously and the new phones safe too big for it.

3X Ironman World Champion former record holder.