Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 125, December 2019 | Page 32

In many Asian and Middle Eastern countries, water is
supplied in smaller 125ml to 200ml bottles at races,
which is far more appropriate for road running, and
certainly more effective and efficient in both hydration
and use of water. The screw cap remains a problem,
but that can be solved with some form of light film
over the bottle mouth that can be pierced with a finger
to open. Such small bottles then open the opportunity
for logical and practical ‘carry your own’ solutions,
where a bottle is held in each hand between stations
and replaced when required. At 120 to 200 grams
in weight, this could actually improve many runners’
hand and running style. Indeed, this is another benefit
of the sachet, which tends to be around 100-150ml
and is easily held and run with, because running with
cold water in the palm of your hands also tricks the
brain into thinking it’s cooler than it is.
• The non-degradable plastic material of the
sachet pollutes the environment.
• Some sachets are produced using non-
recyclable material.
• Many sachets remain in the environment due
to runners discarding them irresponsibly, where
clean-up crews cannot retrieve them.
• Many runners tear a corner off the sachet
and spit it out. These corners are the most
damaging, as they are extremely hard to collect
and find their way through storm-water drains to
rivers and seas, and hence into fish and animals.
• When sachets are left on the road, they create
a potentially dangerous slippery surface, which
can cause injury.
As a result, based on trail running experience, many
runners today promote the concept of ‘carry your
own.’ Although not my preference in athletics, I have
experience of running trail events for over 30 years,
including many long distance events where seconding
Scourge of Single-use Plastic
Single-use plastic (SUP) has become a focal point in
global environmental concerns, and is definitely not
restricted to road running, or South Africa, for that
matter. The Indian Prime Minister recently announced
that all single-use plastic will be banned in the next
few years, and other countries have tried to reduce
this use in recent years by applying a charge. This
has gained variable success in different cultures,
often due to many users having grown up knowing no
alternatives for some of the SUP uses.
In SA road running terms, the sachet has become the
primary target of criticism for a number of reasons:
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ISSUE 125 DECEMBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
every 3km was impractical or impossible. I may well
have one of the most diverse ranges of ‘carry your
own’ products, as I have tried many over these three-
plus decades. These include:
• Waist tubes that hold around 1 litre – an extra
1kg around your waist! – which require the
runner to stop and take it off to drink.
• Backpacks/camelbaks holding anything from
one to two litres, but changing one’s centre of
gravity and running style.
• Hand-held bottles, which are probably the most
practical if held in pairs, but have an impractical
weight limit when above 250ml (250grams) in
each hand.
In 1988, Gordon Tripp even designed a front and back
‘tripper’ bladder system, which maintained the natural
centre of gravity and held 500ml each side. This
was one of the best solutions, but suffers from two
failings in terms of road running. Firstly, the additional
weight effectively reduces performance – for example,
As indicated above, the most inefficient way to get
water into road runners’ stomachs is to use a cup,
whereas sachets are the most efficient use of water;
but the latter are single-use and environmentally
detrimental (discussed below). In most countries,
water at road races is dispensed in bottles with screw
tops. In many cases, these are 300ml or even 500ml
bottles. The tops are often discarded on the ground
and become both an environmental and injury danger,
and all too often the bottle is discarded after only
150ml or 200ml have been taken from it. The wastage
of water is mammoth in such events!