A water stop is a break and a place to break for drinking

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

events (

sports competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

s or training) for some types of sports, such as various long distance types of

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

(e.g.,

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, etc. Similarly, a water break is a break to drink water in some sports events held in one place. Water stops and breaks have become obligatory relatively recently. Before the 1950s, there had been a practice to eliminate water breaks in order "to toughen up boys" (see "

Junction Boys The Junction Boys were the "survivors" of Texas A&M Aggies football coach Bear Bryant's 10-day summer camp in Junction, Texas, beginning September 1, 1954. The ordeal became the subject of a 2001 book by Jim Dent, ''The Junction Boys'',

" for an example). Water stops are used to combat interrelated dangers:

hyperthermia Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme ...

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

and

hyponatremia Hyponatremia or hyponatraemia is a low concentration of sodium in the blood. It is generally defined as a sodium concentration of less than 135 mmol/L (135 mEq/L), with severe hyponatremia being below 120 mEq/L. Symptoms can be abs ...

(low blood level of sodium). Drinking water combats dehydration, while intake of

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dis ...

solutions (often provided by various

sports drink Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help Sportsperson, athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and especially after training or competition. There are many ...

s) combats hyponatremia and its severe form,

water intoxication Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe lim ...

. Water stops during a marathon are generally spaced between 2 miles and 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) apart, resulting in 8-12 stops. Stopping for 10 seconds per station results in 1-2 minutes of added time, but the loss of stamina due to dehydration would add much more. Compared to dehydration, hyponatremia is a relatively recently recognized danger, and there are different opinions about how much water to drink at each water stop. Some texts say that

thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

is not a reliable indicator of the need in water, while other say that obligatory drinking at every opportunity without real need increases the danger of hyponatremia. "If you hear sloshing in your stomach... you can by-pass that water stop". (

Jeff Galloway Jeff Galloway (born July 12, 1945 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American Olympian and the author of ''Galloway's Book on Running.'' A lifetime runner, Galloway was an All-American collegiate athlete and a member of the 1972 US Olympic Team i ...

) In

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

, if a bout goes for many minutes the referee may call a break traditionally called ''mizu-iri'' or "water break".

Temporary introduction of water breaks during COVID pandemic

Many team sports, such as association football, gaelic sports and rugby union,{{Cite web , url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/new-english-premiership-rugby-water-18760458, title=New English Premiership rugby water break rules brought in, first=Katie, last=Sands, date=August 14, 2020, website=

Walesonline Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fo ...

introduced water breaks into games as part of measures to tackle the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Allowing players to drink from their own bottle at regular intervals during games, as opposed to the nearest bottle during incidental stoppages, prevented the spread of the virus.

References

Sports science Water