Feedback - Water Stations During a Run

‘Are the water stations positioned along the route of an organised run enough to stay hydrated?’

This is an interesting question, because i have taken part in events with and without a hydration pack. and sometimes cant make my mind up!

For me it would only come into play for 1/2 marathin or longer. 10ks are so fast (!) that even with no fluid intake, you're not running for long enough to suffer too much. Often 10ks have water stations in anycase, so you do have the chance to take some on.

For 1/2 marathons and longer though, i think you need to consider it. Water stops maybe every few miles after the first 5 or so. If i was using a hydration waist pack i would be sipping right from the outset. So those first 5 miles while everyone else is loosing fluids, i a sipping away every few minutes.

The draw back is the lumpy pack for a 'relatively' short distance. Personally it doesnt both me, and i certainly would prefer to have my own choice of fluids on tap that risk only being able to get a sweet drink i dont much like from a drink station.

That said, i may still go for some water from a station, even if i have a pack on. The running waist packs only hold around a litre at most, and on a warm day, over a couple of hours you could be losing 3-5 litres.

So in answer, its personal choice, but i would say if its a warm day and you're likely to be loosing quite a bit of fluids, take a hydration waist pack, and perhaps a few glugs from the stations. If its a cold day, and fluid loss likely to be less... well your choice on the day.