Make It Count: Tester
Four hydration systems

By Sherry Stripling
Seattle Times staff reporter

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My old sports editor used the adage, "Horses sweat, men perspire, women merely glow."

I glowed through a few marathons in the 1980s, but in those days, by cracky, we didn't carry water with us when we trained.

The current running boom is different. Many of the roughly 10,000 runners training for the Nov. 28 Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon tote their own. So do the growing number of people who run trails in the Northwest.

I asked other runners and a sports-medicine doc for thoughts on how technology has kept up with greater understanding of the need to keep hydrated. Then I tested four popular styles of hydration systems — the hand-held, single-bottle waist belt, multiple-bottle waist belt and backpack reservoir — to compare comfort and cost. Different companies make versions of the styles below, so shop around for prices that work for you once you decide on a style.

Basically, people need to go with what's comfortable for them, says Ty Whitten of runners store Super Jock 'n Jill, and for most people that means it's flush against the back and has wide straps for the least amount of bounce.

Each of the systems below has its oddities and fans. But it took me no time to appreciate having water along. First, some facts about the need to drink water.

Why water? The message that we need to drink more water during exercise has led to a new problem — overhydrating. The initial signs of dehydration, or not drinking enough, are fatigue, nausea, decreased sweating (hot, dry skin) and thirst. Significant dehydration results in further rising of core temperature and change in mental status. But people can also suffer hyponatremia, which is drinking too much water over many hours and essentially diluting blood sodium content by not replacing electrolytes and minerals. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends people exercising longer than an hour add carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks such as Gatorade to their fluid replacement. "Dehydration and heat stroke are potentially fatal, but recently we've become aware that overhydration is also dangerous," says Dr. John O'Kane of the University of Washington. Signs of overhydration include swelling fingers, headache, nausea and disorientation. Sherry Stripling, Seattle Times staff reporter

For years, sports-medicine associations said people needed to replace 16 to 20 ounces of fluid for every hour they exercise. That's still considered a reasonable amount, but experts are backing away from such rules of thumb because everyone sweats (or glows) differently, and heat and other factors contribute.

A better way to determine fluid requirement is to weigh yourself with no clothing on. Then, get dressed and go exercise. When you get back, weigh yourself again with no clothing. Every pound lost translates into a pint of lost fluid.

"You want to make sure you regain that fluid before you run again and you want to try to replace half of what you're losing while you're running," says John O'Kane, University of Washington orthopedics and sports-medicine doctor.

If you're training less than an hour, electrolyte replacement is not essential, he says. If you're training more, it's important to get sodium and potassium, too. Old football coaches used to give their athletes pickle juice, Kane says. Today we prefer sports drinks or supplement gels that should be washed down with water for better digestion.

In the 1980s, most people who did marathons finished under four hours, says Scott Jurek, a Seattle physical therapist and running coach who's a six-time winner of the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run held in California in June.

Now more people walk/run marathons and might take seven or eight hours. Their hydration needs are greater. It's good that so many people are out there, Jurek says, but they need to be particularly careful about finding the right balance of food and drink.

Jurek carries a water filtration device for when he can stop at streams to fill his hand-held water bottles during his extreme workouts. Otherwise, he carries a back hydration pack or, in races, uses the aid stations.

Many city runners still prefer to plan their routes around drinking fountains, and there will be water stops every two miles in the Seattle Marathon.

But studies show athletic performance suffers with even mild levels of dehydration. Runners do themselves a disservice, both for health, performance and recovery, if they don't drink and eat as they train, Jurek says.

What style of "hydration system" is not going to alter your mechanics, he asks? What kind is going to remind you to drink?

"It all comes down to what's easier on your body and what's most efficient."

Hit the road

The hand-held bottle

I first tested a hand-held bottle, secured tight by a neoprene strap. I tried the Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus ($12), but other companies, including Brooks and Amphipod, also make models.

This one scored high on ease of use. It was empty at the end of 7-1/2 miles. But hauling 20 ounces changed my running style. While my free arm swung as usual, my water arm was tucked into my side as if I were protecting a football.

Some people complain that hand-helds make their arms tired, but Jurek says most people adapt pretty easily to the bottle and it can even improve the swing of your arm. Just remember to switch hands regularly.

Single-bottle waist belt

There are many variations of this style. Some bottles are horizontal, which are supposed to make them easier to pull out from either side. Some are angled, which makes them easier to reach from one side. (Runners have complained that the bottles can fall out of the angled holders.)

I tried the traditional vertical bottle in the middle of my back but had to stop and twist the belt to free the bottle.

The Outdoor Products waist belt ($18) has two good features: It's wide, which is good for stability of the bottle, and it has an extra elastic band to snug up the top of the bottle so it doesn't bounce in the pouch.

But I still had to tighten the belt so much to decrease the bouncing of the pouch itself, my breathing grew labored and that worried my dog.

Multiple-bottle waist belt

Here was my clear winner. The Amphipod RunLite SnapFlask3 belt ($35) has three 8-ounce yellow bottles (more can be added) and a small pouch that evenly dispersed the weight on an elastic waistband. The bottles are light, and the wide belt didn't bounce.

My elbows grazed across the top of the bottles occasionally, but otherwise I forgot I was wearing the belt, which is soft and did not impair my breathing. Another benefit of this kind of system is that you can put sports drink, water or a sports gel in different bottles, says Seattle marathoner Ben Steele, who wears a popular brand called "Fuel Belt," even in races.

Backpack hydration system

I don't run long enough anymore to benefit from a backpack reservoir, or "bladder system," but I was surprised at the comfort of carrying five pounds of water in a big pouch on my back. The hose up front for sucking out a drink was a good reminder to imbibe often (which had the double benefit of lightening the pouch).

At least one runner I talked to complained that carrying a reservoir over 20 miles gave her road rash under the shoulder straps and that eventually the water tasted like a "stale washcloth." But others swear by them and say the backpack style fits better for people who put supplies in the lower-back pockets of their vests or jackets.

Seattle Running Co., on Capitol Hill, which has ultramarathon runners on its staff, sells a backpack version. The staff at Super Jock 'n Jill has found the reservoir system worn like a fanny pack to be more popular.

I tried a CamelBak Classic ($40). The weight of the water combined with a sternum strap that clasps across the front kept the pack from flopping around. I felt more like a pack horse than a gazelle, but at least I didn't have to stop at the trough.

Sherry Stripling: sstripling@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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