With as many accessories as there are for runners, most people find it difficult to choose the ones they will use day in and day out. Things get even crazier when you are testing gear and gadgets for a blog, but Meagan and I have one accessory that has made an appearance in all of our races and roughly 80% of our training runs–the SPIbelt. Although it is nothing more than a belt with a pocket, the SPIbelt serves a purpose that all runners can utilize: storage. Whether it be for a phone, keys, credit cards, a wallet, or some sort of treat/candy the SPIbelt can store it for you while your feet do the real work. For those who have been following our site for a while, you might recall the first time we mentioned the SPIbelt, we called it the “fanny-pack for runners“. This was in regard to the original models we bought when we first started running, which, by the way, are still going strong almost 2 years later. A couple of months ago, though, we got our hands on the SPIbelt Endurance Series belts, and because they are designed specifically with runners in mind, they are an even more useful accessory for us!
The SPIbelt Endurance Series belt has a few features that make it better than the original model for runners, including:
- A water-resistant lined pocket
- A wider elastic belt
- Holsters for energy gels
- Adjustable race bib toggles
The water-resistant lined pocket is great for both sweat resistance, and if you are caught in the rain, which, if you’ve opted to use it as a holster for your phone, could save you quite a bit of grief (and money). The wider elastic belt keeps the pocket in place when it is filled to capacity, and is also a great feature for those who have decided to use the SPIbelt to holster a phone, because heavier objects, like phones, were often enough weight-wise to make the original SPIbelt start to most and twist around as you ran. This is rarely (if ever) an issue with the Endurance Series belt. The holsters for energy gels are fantastic for people who are want to avoid using a hydration belt (I found that the Endurance Series SPIbelt paired extremely well with a handheld water bottle). Finally, there are the adjustable race bib toggles. Not only do the toggles allow you to skip out on putting safety pin holes in your nice running gear, but you also don’t have to worry about forgetting your safety pins (and then frantically searching for them at the starting line). For our half marathon a couple of weeks ago, it was really nice to be able to put the bib in place the night before, and go to bed knowing all of my gear was ready to go.
If you are looking for an arm band for your phone, or if you’re considering a hydration belt, I would highly suggest checking out a SPIbelt Endurance Series belt. Despite its seemingly simplistic nature, this fanny-pack for runners is full of little features that are useful for training and racing. You can pick up the Endurance Series SPIbelt on SPIbelt’s website at SPIbelt.com in any of the above colors (blue on black, black on black, anthracite on black, or red on black) for $34.99.
Steve is an Executive Recruiter at Robert Half Executive Search in Madison, WI with a business degree in Information Systems and E-Commerce from the University of Toledo. Steve loves spending his time away from work; running, gaming, watching movies, checking out new social networking tools/sites/start-ups and blogging.