nerd belts Our Story

Our story

Australia’s #1 hydration belt was created by pro athlete Steve McKenna out of pure necessity. He set out to change the perception of hydration belts by designing a product that allows runners to carry 400–600ml of fluid, plus a phone, gels, and bars, at any pace with zero bounce.

nerd belts founder and pro athlete, Steve McKenna, also 2023 IRONMAN Australia and 2024 IRONMAN New Zealand Champion. Steven comes from a running background but found swimming and cycling through a leg injury playing Aussie rules football when he was 22 years old.

Steven went pro less than 12 months after his first ever triathlon at IRONMAN 70.3 Ballarat , where he won his age group race in 4:02 on debut. Now a multiple-time IRONMAN 70.3 and IRONMAN champion and a dad to 2 young daughters.

“I started off just developing one nerd belt for myself, selfishly, because I saw the value in creating a truly good run belt.

And then I had non-stop messages with people asking if they could purchase one too. I only intended to make one for me, but I ended up making 500 of them which officially started nerd belts.

I ran nerd belts a one-man show for about a year until I eventually looked for help. Fast forward to 2025 and we have a dedicated team who share the same ideas and goals as I do. We want to reach as many runners as we can, who also value their hydration and fuelling during their runs…oh and want to look ridiculous doing it.”

Steve McKenna

Australia’s #1 hydration belt was created by pro athlete Steve McKenna out of pure necessity. He set out to change the perception of hydration belts by designing a product that allows runners to carry 400–600ml of fluid, plus a phone, gels, and bars, at any pace with zero bounce.

nerd belts founder and pro athlete, Steve McKenna, also 2023 IRONMAN Australia and 2024 IRONMAN New Zealand Champion. Steven comes from a running background but found swimming and cycling through a leg injury playing Aussie rules football when he was 22 years old.

Steven went pro less than 12 months after his first ever triathlon at IRONMAN 70.3 Ballarat , where he won his age group race in 4:02 on debut. Now a multiple-time IRONMAN 70.3 and IRONMAN champion.

“I started off just developing one nerd belt for myself, selfishly,
because I saw the value in creating a truly good run belt.

And then I had non-stop messages with people asking if they
could purchase one too. I only intended to make one for me,
but I ended up making 500 of them which officially started nerd belts.

I ran nerd belts a one-man show for about a year until I eventually
looked for help. Fast forward to 2025 and we have a dedicated team
who share the same ideas and goals as I do. We want to reach
as many runners as we can, who also value their hydration and
fuelling during their runs…oh and want to look ridiculous doing it.”

Steve McKenna