Hydration Running Belt Review - Unbranded Cheapo
This weekend I'll be running the Sultan Azlan Shah Run in Kuala Kangsar. Can't wait to test myself to run the 15km distance. It'll be the longest distance that I'll be running up to this moment. That will be before the BSN Night Run that will be in October that I'll be running 21km. Huhuhuh.....
Finally after all this while I managed to get my hand on a hydration running belt. But it is an unbranded cheap running belt though. A branded hydration running belt such as Nathan, Fuel Belt, or Amphitoid with the 2 drink bottles usually will cost you around RM150 and above. I managed to get mine for RM70 plus delivery. Don't really care since I didn't have to burn a whole in my pocket.
I was struggling to find the running belt in shops around Johor recently. Even Iqbal found difficulty to find one nearby his house in KL. Even browsing through the net will only get me to the branded running belt. After a while, I found out that I had googled wrongly. I always put 'hydration running belt' which is the term that runners use. But it seems that putting a plainer term will have better result. The term? Just a plain 'water bottle waist belt' should do it.
Cheapo hydration running belt at lelong link.
Since yesterday would be the last weekend before the run, naturally I was quite excited to try out the belt.
Basically the belt have x2 - 175L plastic bottles. These two bottles doesn't seem very big actually to carry your drinks, but I found out later that this size is quite OK for the job. It have a pouch that we can put mp3 player in the middle, which I'll be utilizing. And lastly it have these rings that will hold x2 of your energy gel.
I found out early during the testing is never to fill in your water bottles too early especially if your filling it with 100plus such in my case. Since the sport drinks are carbonated, some of it will try to force itself out from the bottle. It is a gas drink after all. I found it later on after filling it before my drive to the Padang Merdeka. When I arrived, some of the drinks managed to spills from the bottles. Fill it just before you put on the belt.
When I started to run, I already felt the added weight of the drinks that I strapped around my belt. Even though both of the bottles only carry around 300L of water now since some of it already being wasted, surprisingly it have some significant impact to your run. I think the bottles capacity of 175L each is perfect for me. In the market you can find that some of the running belts came with 300L and even 400L water bottles.
It need some time to get used to the belt actually. I found that the belt is somehow tilted to the right and always sliding to the right. After correcting it several times, I finally managed to get it right halfway through my 7km run that morning.
I also found out that I need to tightened my shorts during the run. Usually I just let the strap loose just for comfort. But the belt kept pulling my short down. But it doesn't seem to be interrupting my run further once I strapped my shorts properly.
Since I have 2 bottles, I popped up the first bottle once I hit 3.5km. The soft bottle helps to squirt the drinks quickly during the run. In my opinion for usual users, maybe they didn't have to stop much if they want to have their drinks. Since I strapped the bottle to the back, I had to slide the bottles to front to reach it. Maybe I will find the optimum way after using it for a while.
Drinking 150L of drink didn't seem much for a drink stop. That is what I found out after finished my 7km run. I also found that there is some plasticky flavor to the drink. Maybe it is because the bottles are still new there is still some residue. Is the bottles BPA free? I doubt it.
Regardless, this is the first time that I run 7km at Padang Merdeka that I didn't have to pay the toll for the whole day. I was completely hydrated by the end of the run. Usually I have to rest the whole day especially with the heat nowadays.
So it turns out that by using the hydration running belt I have to compromise my speed. But since the size of the water bottles is small, I may be able to offset the impact.
Now to have rest as much as possible for the Sultan Azlan Shah Run. May The 4th be with you.
Finally after all this while I managed to get my hand on a hydration running belt. But it is an unbranded cheap running belt though. A branded hydration running belt such as Nathan, Fuel Belt, or Amphitoid with the 2 drink bottles usually will cost you around RM150 and above. I managed to get mine for RM70 plus delivery. Don't really care since I didn't have to burn a whole in my pocket.
I was struggling to find the running belt in shops around Johor recently. Even Iqbal found difficulty to find one nearby his house in KL. Even browsing through the net will only get me to the branded running belt. After a while, I found out that I had googled wrongly. I always put 'hydration running belt' which is the term that runners use. But it seems that putting a plainer term will have better result. The term? Just a plain 'water bottle waist belt' should do it.
Cheapo hydration running belt at lelong link.
Since yesterday would be the last weekend before the run, naturally I was quite excited to try out the belt.
Basically the belt have x2 - 175L plastic bottles. These two bottles doesn't seem very big actually to carry your drinks, but I found out later that this size is quite OK for the job. It have a pouch that we can put mp3 player in the middle, which I'll be utilizing. And lastly it have these rings that will hold x2 of your energy gel.
 |
| Extra compartment. |
I found out early during the testing is never to fill in your water bottles too early especially if your filling it with 100plus such in my case. Since the sport drinks are carbonated, some of it will try to force itself out from the bottle. It is a gas drink after all. I found it later on after filling it before my drive to the Padang Merdeka. When I arrived, some of the drinks managed to spills from the bottles. Fill it just before you put on the belt.
When I started to run, I already felt the added weight of the drinks that I strapped around my belt. Even though both of the bottles only carry around 300L of water now since some of it already being wasted, surprisingly it have some significant impact to your run. I think the bottles capacity of 175L each is perfect for me. In the market you can find that some of the running belts came with 300L and even 400L water bottles.
It need some time to get used to the belt actually. I found that the belt is somehow tilted to the right and always sliding to the right. After correcting it several times, I finally managed to get it right halfway through my 7km run that morning.
I also found out that I need to tightened my shorts during the run. Usually I just let the strap loose just for comfort. But the belt kept pulling my short down. But it doesn't seem to be interrupting my run further once I strapped my shorts properly.
Since I have 2 bottles, I popped up the first bottle once I hit 3.5km. The soft bottle helps to squirt the drinks quickly during the run. In my opinion for usual users, maybe they didn't have to stop much if they want to have their drinks. Since I strapped the bottle to the back, I had to slide the bottles to front to reach it. Maybe I will find the optimum way after using it for a while.
 |
| Two 175L water bottles. |
Drinking 150L of drink didn't seem much for a drink stop. That is what I found out after finished my 7km run. I also found that there is some plasticky flavor to the drink. Maybe it is because the bottles are still new there is still some residue. Is the bottles BPA free? I doubt it.
Regardless, this is the first time that I run 7km at Padang Merdeka that I didn't have to pay the toll for the whole day. I was completely hydrated by the end of the run. Usually I have to rest the whole day especially with the heat nowadays.
So it turns out that by using the hydration running belt I have to compromise my speed. But since the size of the water bottles is small, I may be able to offset the impact.
 |
| Value for money. |
Now to have rest as much as possible for the Sultan Azlan Shah Run. May The 4th be with you.
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