This might be a silly idea, but how about one of these around a water bottle for when it is dark. Of course I do not know how long they last, nor do I know how early you have to drop your bottle.
http://glowproducts.com/glownecklaces/glowandlednecklaces/And do not be afraid to laugh at me on this one !
Not a bad idea, Scott. The one problem may be that the bottle drop off is at 5pm the day before the race and the glow effect may not last long enough to make a difference.
I agree with the prior comments about the first table of bottles being dark, messy and overcrowded. Last year I stopped, in a sort of nervous effort to find my bottle. My advice is to use the elite bottle option, but don't count on it for all of your hydration needs and don't spend any extra effort on finding your bottle. If you are using the elite tables, then chances are you're far enough ahead of the pack that the normal water/gatorade stations will have plenty of volunteers to help you and you won't have to slow down a bit to get a drink or two.
Having said that, it's nice to have the bottles so you can carry something for a hundred meters or so and get all you need to drink. Also,if you have a special performance potion that you can't race without, i.e., 50% Base Water, 25% Mango flavored Cytomax , 10% Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, 10%, flat Coca Cola, 5% No-Doz, then the bottles will come in handy.
