Thursday, November 28, 2013

Rethinking the drinking #2 - Why not BYOH? ...

...as in Bring Your Own Hydration.

Disclaimer: I have no experience organizing a road race. Specifically, I have no idea how many of gallons of sports drink mix, water and cups to order for a race that has up to 1,000 entrants.  However, volunteering at today's Turkey Chase 8K made me wonder if too much was ordered.

I was at the first hydration station the course map gives you a rough idea where it was.  I can tell you that it was 10 feet from the lakefront.  Today was in the high 20's, and there was a westward wind which could have blown a lot of used cups in the water.  Fortunately, my fellow volunteers and I were diligent, and made sure this didn't happen. 
See photo:


The race started at 9:00 AM CST, and by 9:07 the fast runners, i.e. the ones doing 5-7 minutes splits had zipped by us as if we weren't there.  By 9:15, we were all handing out cups of water and Gatorade, but we were in no danger of running out. (Hey, we even offered drinks to non big-wearing passers-by.) 

In the end, we ended up throwing out stuff in cups. Couldn't drink it all.  Couldn't give stuff away. The unused bottles Gatorade concentrate and and unopened water jugs were set aside for another race.  The experience left me wondering if I had to be there.

To review: this was a very cold Thanksgiving day 8K.  A high of 20 degrees F.  But even if the morning had been in the 40s, did a race that only goes slightly under 5 miles need two hydration stations?  How about one near the turnaround point North of Cermack road, and then all the other liquids near the finish line?

I would not be wondering about this if this was a Summertime 8K. I wouldn't be wondering about this, if it was a springtime race in the South.  Heck, I've done early morning runs in Austin, Texas on Easter weekends.  70 degrees  at 6 in the morning?!? Every one's hydration demands are going to change when the mornings are in the 60's & the 70's.

But I'm in the Midwest.  Even if we didn't have this unusually  cold November weather, no one's going to collapse from dehydration when it's 40 degrees outside, unless they're really careless.  It seems that during October, Midwestern race organizers could "green" up their races a little more.  

In other words:  less hydration stations,  which would mean less paper cups, and thus less mess to clean up.  Encourage people to bring their own water bottles and hydration belts.

Perhaps the waiver could be changed to include a phrase saying: "Although the organizers will provide a limited amount of water and sports drink on the course, you the entrant will be assumed to be responsible for knowing you hydration needs.  You are encouraged to wear a hydration belt or to bring your own water bottle."



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