The Running Mike

Review: Nathan Running Belts

It’s over 90 degrees today with high humidity.  I know everyone loves to run inside a convection oven – but it isn’t always good   In addition to trying to run early in the morning or in the evening, I take water with me on almost every run. 

I’m always surprised by the runners that won’t take water on 5 mile runs.  They just figure they’ll get to it when then get back to the house…  Don’t be that guy.  Heat stroke isn’t fun for anyone. 

A couple years ago, I replaced my CamelBak water backpack with a gray Nathan Speed 4 Running Belt. There are a lot of choices with hydration systems so I wanted to share some of my reasoning. 

1. Single large bottle (20+ ounce) seem better for walking.  When you see people run with these, they bounce a lot. 
2. Multi-bottles distributes weight. I also liked the idea of having the ability to carry a lot of water  for long runs and only a couple bottles for short runs.
3. The biggest reason I chose this belt is the pocket size.  I have a large smart phone, my house keys, and a few bucks – plus the occasional gel. 

I have a few tricks for making it work well (which I’ll share below ) I eventually also purchased the 2 bottle version (the Nathan Speed 2 – the blue one) which I use on days where I run less than 6 miles.

Yes, the pockets are basically the same size in the 2 and 4 bottle versions and the bottles are interchangeable.  I’d say to think about this when you

1. You can buy extra bottles   not a bad thing if a friend can hand you some fresh cold bottles during a long run.
2. The first month I thought the bottles were leaky.  When filling bottles, I had to be dilligent about tightening the cap and then opening and closing the yellow nozzle.  The bottles will be firm and not drip on you during the run.
3. Bottles are dishwasher safe.  This isn’t on the packaging anywhere, but I experimented with few and it works great.
4. The belt is made of a wicking material.  I’d suggest using a ziplock on anything you put in the pocket.   It’ll keep it dry when you sweat and also when caught in a rainstorm.