Something has bugged me about this show and how the contestants have to carry their water bottles while they do running or fast walking exercise. How come they don't have fanny packs for them to carry their water so they don't have to hold the bottle? That would irritate me and slow me down if I had to worry about walking/jogging/running with a water bottle in my hand the whole time. I don't know about anyone else but that would cause me to lose my momentum.

Anyone else find this strange?

I carry a water bottle in my hand while walking. Doesn't bother me. Perhaps they only do it when they are on camera.

It might be product placement. Each season it the in-show advertising gets a little worse and worse. Still you think they'd wear CamelBaks or something.

To be completely honest, many of those waistpacks even at "one size fits all" would be too small for those contestants. Even at 193 lbs, there isn't THAT much wiggle room for the one i tried on at REI that was thinking of purchasing for Half Marathon training starting this summer. (Maybe a couple inches extra)

A lot of people prefer the handheld models of those products anyway.

I agree with the advertising.

But from my experience, I used to carry a water bottle when I first started running. Now, I am able to leave it in my car and I chug water once I am finished.

Aren't their water bottles glass? I wouldn't want to carry around a glass water bottle and accidentally drip it.

I don't think they're glass. I don't pay attention to what they carry but most waterbottles are plastic or aluminium. I have always carried a waterbottle while walking, and it doesn't bug me. I don't like to carry it while running though. For now, since I do short runs, I just drink at the end. But when I get to longer runs I want one of those belts

edit- I googled and found out they use Nalgene water bottles, definitely plastic.

That's exactly what I was thinking, that there are no fanny packs that fit TBL contestants. Perhaps Melissa would be able to squeeze herself into one, but barely.

I was under the understanding based on an interview with Alison Sweeney that they used the Brita water bottles with the built in filters.

Also, for me, a fanny pack would run against me while running, causing blisters and it would be annoying, hitting me during the run. I don't know that I could carry a water bottle either though. I usually just drink before and after.