wine and dine questions!

[i.love.stitch]

Hi!

this is my first race, and i have a few questions:

1. What can i bring with me during the wine and dine half marathon? I want to bring a camera/video camera and a couple of cliff bars and stuff like that...

2. And what do i bring it in? i thought i read somewhere that disney provides us with a clear drawsting bag, is this what we put our stuff into during the race?

3. Do I need to bring a water bottle; i know that there will be stations during the race, but will that be enough?

thats all the questions i have for now! Thank you so much!

 

[jmasgat]

1. You can bring anything that you want and can hold---although I'm sure they would frown on knives, ninja stars. chainsaws, etc! Ok, so anything RELEVANT to helping you get through the race. So fuel (gels, bars, whatever you use), camera are probably the most common. Other things that you may need after the race--car keys, phone, room key, change of clothes, etc--can go in the check bag that they will provide you at packet pick-up.

Just remember that you will be carrying around that extra weight, so keep it light and definitely do a test training run to see how carrying it around feels.

2. You will need your own pack for the race. The clear drawstring bag is to hold things for post-race. You will check that bag in prior to the race start and pick it up after. So you need sometihing to race with. The major brands for hydration/packs are Nathan, FuelBelt, Amphipod, SpiBelt, Camelbak. They come in various shapes, sizes, capacities. Go to a running store or sporting goods store and try various kinds on. You need to find one that works for you. This is tied into your 3rd question....

3.This is, again, a personal matter based on your needs and training routine. There will be water/Powerade stops--generally every couple of miles (quick check of course map looks like miles 1,3,5,7,9,11,12,12.5 with a food stop at 9) The course map will show them. For some people, this is sufficient. For others, not so much. And weather can also play in factor in this decision. As an example, I always carry water for any race of 1/2 marathon or longer (sometimes even 10k depending if it's hot/humid). That's because I train/race by drinking a sip of water every mile on the mile. That's just me. Figure out (through trial during training) what works best for you.

So that factors into what kind of gear belt you may want. You can buy belts with just pockets (I have one for short races), belts with bottles, hand held bottles. My go-to belt is a Nathan 2 bottle. It can hold 20 oz of water and a few gels, plus ID.

And you didn't mention if you were a runner or walker, so the fit of a belt or whatever you get is defintely something you want to make sure you're comfortable with. Some people can't stand them. I'm a runner and don't mind. Heck, I have a Camelbak for longer training runs in warm weather. It doesn't bother me.

Hope this helps.

Maura

 

[cewait]

Just to add, you would carry anything you want to carry on the run in a fanny pack or other device like that. The clear plastic bag is for checking stuff you would want to have at the finish line. You hand that bag to a volunteer in the starting area and retrieve it post race. Do not place anything of value in the checked bag.

 

[ChloroFiend]

Just so this is pretty explicitly clear, you'll want to trial-run your race day load. Don't go off and run the race with a camelbak or waist belt having never worn one before. Adjusting straps, distributing load, etc...that's stuff you want to do in advance.

I'm currently planning on wearing a Camelbak Octane LR pack; down here in TX, carrying water is essential to counteract the heat. I also tend to do better with hydrating more than a lot of other people may need....I take a small sip at least every 5 minutes. In that pack (race day) I'll have my wallet, a couple packs of Clif Blocks, my Droid (for camera, music, and RunKeeper), and that's about it (save for 70oz of water, of course). I'd recommend going as minimalist as possible as everything you bring is just going to be added weight your legs will have to propel those 13.1 miles.