Navigating Hydration and Energy Gels for Wheelchair Users on Event Day

Try out different ways of carrying water and nutrition during training so, come Event Day, you’ve got a game plan and avoid last-minute problems.

How to navigate the Drinks Stations on the course

One option is to use the Drinks Stations for all of your event hydration. The stations are accessible for wheelchair users and volunteers will hand you water, and they can also open the bottle for you.

Generally, it’s advised that you should drink to thirst during your event. If you’ve got water left and want to carry the bottle instead of dropping it in a recycling zone on the course, it’s important to consider how you’ll carry it. One option is a bottle holder for your chair, allowing you to drink to thirst and save the rest for later.

Using a hydration pack or soft bottle

Carrying water saves you waiting at the Drinks Stations and means you can stay hydrated throughout the event.

A popular choice is a hydration backpack, which you can attach to the back of your chair - freeing up your shoulders - or wear on your back. If you want to attach the backpack to your wheelchair, make sure you’ve tested a few to find one that works best for your chair. The other benefit of a backpack is you have space for items such as a puncture repair kit - hopefully you’ll never need to use it!

Alternatively, you could use smaller soft flask bottles and attach them to a waistband or the frame of your wheelchair.

Don’t forget your fuelling strategy 

If you’re using energy gels, you’ll need to think about where to put them so you can access them easily during the event. You could use a running pouch or a backpack, whereas other participants attach the gels directly to the frame of their wheelchair for easy access.