Product Review: iFitness Belt

Throughout my training, you could typically find me with several items. This ranged from my phone to fuel and everything in between. With the exception of one small pocket that one pair of shorts had, all these items were held in my hand.

Something had to change. There was no way I could run a half marathon with all I had in my hands.

I had been mentally drooling over the iFitness belts for a while. I first heard about them through runDisney, since they are a sponsor. But that was not my reason for wanting one. It was simply the first time I had been introduced to the concept of a running belt. Yes, I was a newbie runner. Everything was a new concept to me. I mean, I honestly didn't know there was something, aside from pockets, that I could hold everything in.

After checking out the different types of running belts available and reading different reviews, I decided that iFitness was the way I was going to go. I hadn't really read any bad reviews about them, plus I really liked the sleek design. After hemming and hawing over which belt and color to go with, I finally chose the Neoprene Double Pouch. I used a coupon code given to the Wine & Dine Half Marathon registrants, which saved me 15%.

I love this belt. Now, admittedly, I never did a training run with it. I never really recommend trying anything new on the day of a race. But since I had been carrying everything in my hand anyway, I didn't see much of a difference. The one thing I did do with it was a jumping jack test. It passed. No bouncing, riding up, or anything.

I am particularly fond of a few things...

On either side of the pouches, there is a little grey tab. They don't look like much at first glance. But take a picture with flash, or run in the dark while light is shining on you... suddenly you have two reflectors on you.

Another feature I loved was that one of the pouches had two slots for credit cards, IDs, hotel room keys, or whatever else you need. I put in my ID, my resort room key, and a bit of cash. I felt this added a bit more security instead of just having it sit freely within the pouch, risking them falling out if I tried to pull something else out from the pouch.

And what I loved most...

The stretchability. In the above picture, you can how nicely one of the pouches stretched out. That is with only some of my fuel. I had more on race night. The other side held my phone and camera. The great thing about it stretching so well is that it holds the items snugly. Nothing bounces around. And the pouches retain their shape once everything is removed.

I had considered getting a hydration belt from iFitness, but I knew there would be plenty of drink stations (as well as medical tents that would also have water if needed), so I didn't feel the need to carry extra with me. I felt this was just perfect for me. And it proved to be exactly what I needed when it came to the half marathon.

Looking back now, I have no idea how I managed to do my training runs with everything in my hands. What a pain!

*Disclaimer - I was in no way compensated for this post. I am simply sharing race gear that works for me.