Boston: Professional Bottle Drop

After our shoe and uniform checks, Jen and I headed to the pro bottle collection area. We could place up to 8 bottles on the course, at 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k, 25k, 30k, 35k, and 40k - practice your metric system math there! I've had elite bottles before but this was a more technical experience. We were given 8 stickers to place on bottles, and we had to return the stickers for any bottles we didn't want to use so they could put those in the bottle bins, as an extra assurance that everyone's bottles were accounted for. In addition, we filled out a form indicating which bottles we were using and what the contents were. When we turned it all in, they marked down on a master form which bottle stops each of us were and were not using.

VIP pro bottle drop

Jen and I definitely enjoyed the bottle prep experience more than anyone else! I'd packed hot pink duct tape, which was brighter and larger than any tape available there, so our bottles were very visible. We sat down and prepared out bottles while watching other athletes come and go. Molly Seidel walked in with her bottles in an Easter basket that included a stuffed rabbit - I loved that! I wanted to take millions of photos and videos of everything pro that we did and of all of the other athletes, but I kept it to a minimum so I didn't get kicked out or something.

Bottle prep

I placed 4 bottles, at the 5k, 15k, 25k, and 30k since I take gels around 5, 10, 15, and 20 miles. I just put water in my bottles; mostly the bottle serves as a vehicle for my gels so I don't have to carry 4. I knew I could grab water cups from other aid stations as needed and additional Maurten gels from the 3 gel stations on the course in case of an emergency.

Aren't they pretty?

The story continues here.