Today’s advice is around keeping hydrated
It is super important to be and stay hydrated for the Surf Coast Trek. About 60% of your body is made up of water – so you need to maintain that level.
Water is the best drink. The event organisers tell us we need to have minimum 1L of water with us, in a NOT single-use bottle, which can be refilled at the rest stops. A hydration pack can be useful, but depending on the kind of pack you have you might find it easier to refill a bottle at the rest stops.
There’s a raft of conflicting advice regarding how much water our bodies need and how much water we should drink day to day, but as a guide, one source suggests 0.033ml/kg for an everyday sedentary individual. So, for example, if you weigh 70kg, that equals 2.31 litres of water a day when it’s a normal temperature and you’re not doing any activity. During exercise you are also drinking to replace what you have sweated and urinated. This could be between 400-800mL per hour.
What about electrolytes?
Electrolyte balance is important too. If you are sweating a lot, and only replacing with plain water (or no water at all!) you might find your blood’s sodium levels decrease. You can add electrolyte tablets like hydralyte to your water bottle to address this. These are available at supermarkets and pharmacies.
If you’re worried about being unable to drink because of the lack of toilet stops – don’t be. Here is a list of all the toilets along the route…
Toilet Stops (and official rest stops)
- Rest Stop 1. Start (Aireys Inlet Reserve)
Facilities: toilets, water. - Rest Stop 2. Urquharts Bluff Car Park (6.8km)
Facilities: toilets, fruit and snacks, water, first aid - Additional Toilets – Point Roadknight (11.4km)
- Rest Stop 3. Anglesea Information Centre Car Park (14.4km)
Facilities: toilets, fruit and snacks, water, first aid - Rest Stop 4. Point Addis (23.3km)
Facilities: toilets, fruit and snacks, water, first aid - Rest Stop 5. South Side (31.3km)
Facilities: toilets, fruit and snacks, water, first aid - Additional toilets – Bells Beach (32.4km)
- Additional toilets – Bird Rock (35.2km)
- Additional toilets – Jan Juc (36.2km)
- Additional toilets – Back Beach (38.9km)
- Additional toilets – Cosy Corner
- Additional toilets – Front Beach
- Final Stop 6. Finish Torquay (40km)
Facilities: toilets, playground, parking, cafes, shops, water, snack, first aid and BBQOver the next few weeks try upping your water intake so you are better prepared to manage it.
