Let me tell you the speedfil hydration system was a COMPLETE SUCCESS. I
loved it, When I was practicing I was a bit leary about having cut the straw
too short, but after a couple of training sessions I loved it.
During the race, I had the speedfil and two bottles on the back, at mile
27 I flatted for the second time and couple of miles after that I hit a big
bump that dropped both of my back bottles, and my trip computer to the
floor, but THANK GOD I HAD THE SPEEDFIL SYSTEM, which had 2 bottles in it,
so it allowed me to make it to the next aid station 20 miles, without a
problem or concern. Once on the aid station I grabed couple of waters and
placed them on the back of the water holders, at mile 70 my speedfil system
had finished, and was right in time for me to pick up my special needs bag,
which I had 2 more water bottles with Carbo Pro on them, and I was able to
quickly dump both of them into the quick fill part while riding I just
placed the bottle and let it drain while I kept riding (it took a bit of
practice, since when I try to place the bottle, sometimes the cap pushes
back and closes the bottle, so I had to do it maybe 3 times before it
worked) once I dumped both bottles I was reassured that I would make it to
the finish without concern of loosing the bottles and dehydrating. Let me
tell you it was a very comfortable feeling to be able to say that I had an
indestructible system, reliable and safe from dropping.
Also, once the climbing got though, I was in no position to access my
back bottles, so all it took was a bit of sipping here and there and presto,
and not to mention the downhills, I was going 26-30 MPH and tried to grab a
back bottle which had water to drink a bit of different stuff, and a sharp
right turn came upon me, I had to toss the bottle away because I had no time
to place it back to the holder. The same thing happened to me while I was
zipping on the speedfil system, and all I had to do was spit out the straw
and hang on tight, and then resume drinking.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME PARTICIPATE IN YOUR PROTOTYPE SYSTEM, I
love the Hydration system, and if you are looking for more feedback or
volunteers, the guys in the club loved it as well, and are eager to
try it.
Thanks a lot
Jean-Claude Constandse
Men's 30-35 Age Group
2008 Ironman France