Water shortages in race

[Freefall]

Amazed to see the Sheffield Half Marathon cancelled because of lack of water - the bowsers didn't turn up. Is water so critical over a race of this distance, especially this time of year? I have often been out in the woods for at least 90 minutes and though I might have been a tad thirsty at the end it's not that bad.

[AndyC]

This is the man who had me manning a waterpoint at the Northern Champs at Ray Demense and was worried that I wasn't there because I was still cutting fences half an hour before the first start?

[roadrunner]

I think the rules say you're supposed to provide water every 3 miles. But I rarely manage more than a few sips anyway, it's so hard to drink from plastic cups when running.

[Freefall]

Andy C is quite correct but we were of course looking after some special customers that day!

[andy]

very little to do with safety, I'd imagine mostly a pen pushing exercise that they didn't want to turn around and bite them later.

[Kitch]

short answer, no.
I saw a piece recently about a proper blind tril on the effects of dehydration on performance, which showed effects to be far lower than generally believed.
Subjects on exercise bikes, hooked up to a drip - some got water, some got sports drinky stuff, some got nothing (throughthe tube). Author looked back through the literature to discover much of the research to be sponsored by drinks companies.
So what started as a marketing exercise has become lore and "Endurade Inc." are making a fortune.
Perhaps explains why the World's best marathon runners get by on a swig or two of water, which they mostly spit out.

[Copepod]

I think it's that if runners expect water every 3 miles, they may not be overhydrated at beginning, not least to avoid needing to pee while running, while is more of a problem when doing a city half marathon than when orienteering. Of course, many road half / marathon runners don't just drink water - many pour water over their heads to cool down.

Interesting to note that water was supplied by many people / organisations on streets of Sheffield, including Sheffield Adventure Film Festival at Showroon near railway station, which involved some SYO people.

[ba-ba]

not for the club runners
But in an event with so many fundraisers/'non' runners you need it to cover your back - as Kitch points out.
There's some statistic about people dying in Half and full marathons - like only 1 has died from dehydration, loads (comparatively) from over-hydration, or something like that.
People think they need to drink (courtesy of bloody advertisers and pseudo science) so they do. Same way Ecstasy kills people.

[JK]

... I have often been out in the woods for at least 90 minutes and though I might have been a tad thirsty at the end it's not that bad.

90 mins Freefall - are you still that fast for the 1/2 M distance?

Sure "the likes of us" can trundle round in the forest for a similar time to our 1/2 M time of 90 (if you say so) to 120 mins without any liquid although I think my performance would decrease gradually but steadily at anything much over 70 without any liquid. I suspect they'd be more worried about the 150 mins and beyond chaps.

I suspect their reasoning was along the lines of a) the rules say we have to have water and we haven't; or b) we said there'd be water [or it was implicit in the rules] so we can't run the event without it (contratual obligations or whatever).

I'd have hoped that with a suitable announcement at the start to everyone (not just the front row) that there was no water and you ran at "your own risk" then they'd have covered their backs ... but I'm not a lawyer !

[ba-ba]

for more information on 'covering your backs' as a RO, see the FRA forum.

best to book a week off to get through it all

[Sunlit Forres]

I'd have hoped that with a suitable announcement at the start to everyone (not just the front row) that there was no water and you ran at "your own risk" then they'd have covered their backs

Has anyone tried making an announcement at the start line of a race? More to the point, has anyone tried to shut everyone up and make them listen? It's hard enough with 100, let alone 6,000 and I've never managed it yet after 15 years of trying.

Not an excuse for what appears to have been an avoidable cock-up, but I'd be intrigued to know how many of the folk slating the organisers on Facebook have ever organised a race (or even helped out at one) themselves.

[graeme]

Ladies and gentlemen, there will be no race. (Just like parkrun). Go.
Results

[DeerTick]

short answer, no.
I saw a piece recently about a proper blind tril on the effects of dehydration on performance, which showed effects to be far lower than generally believed.
Subjects on exercise bikes, hooked up to a drip - some got water, some got sports drinky stuff, some got nothing (throughthe tube). Author looked back through the literature to discover much of the research to be sponsored by drinks companies.
So what started as a marketing exercise has become lore and "Endurade Inc." are making a fortune.
Perhaps explains why the World's best marathon runners get by on a swig or two of water, which they mostly spit out.

Offspring tells me there is evidence that the world's best marathon runners are those who cope best with dehydration (can't find any papers online though; but lots of papers covering the debilitating effects of dehydration). [Disclaimer: don't try marathons in high 30s temperatures - runners do die]

I seem to remember that the fad for carb loading, courtesy of Ron Hill, also loaded a fair amount of H2O - so slowed you down over the first few miles (good) and reduced dehydration (also good). Tried it. Mmm, not sure.

A thick head of hair, well-watered, also seems to be a good idea.

Anecdotal evidence (N=1): no intake, solid or liquid, necessary up to 90 minutes, or even more.

I therefore find it amusing how often I see runners, clearly not going very far, with their obligatory water bottles. Or maybe they're just carrying weights for extra resistance?

AP

[JK]

I'd have hoped that with a suitable announcement at the start to everyone (not just the front row) that there was no water and you ran at "your own risk" then they'd have covered their backs

Has anyone tried making an announcement at the start line of a race? More to the point, has anyone tried to shut everyone up and make them listen? It's hard enough with 100, let alone 6,000 and I've never managed it yet after 15 years of trying.

Not an excuse for what appears to have been an avoidable cock-up, but I'd be intrigued to know how many of the folk slating the organisers on Facebook have ever organised a race (or even helped out at one) themselves.

I suspect most people contributing here have organised plenty of races - but I take your point, an announcement to several hundred might be about doable, but 6,000 would be hard without a megaphone (even for my voice). And blowing a whistle or hooting the megaphone would probably not have the desired affect.

Actually although few are making points pro the organisers, I think "slating" is a bit strong. I believe most are expressing surprise that nothing more could have been done or that they needed water (which they probably do for the rules / race licence and insurance - all of which we are also careful of these days in O ... what do you mean by son is not allowed to cross that road on his own...)

[DeerTick]

Should have added: Jim Alder, one of my heroes, who won the Commonwealth Games marathon in 1966, recommended training in two tracksuits. Tried that too - may even have benefited.

Offspring does heat chambers

AP