Athlete Who Hates Water Stays Hydrated With Coffee and Beer

Experienced competitive athlete Lori Cheek, 52, has led a storied career which has seen her complete a triathlon, an Ironman relay, two duathlons, and two half marathons. And she did it all while barely drinking a drop of water.

“I just don't like the taste of water. It tastes metallic and it's like liquid metal to me,” Cheek told People. “I drink other things. I don't know why everybody thinks it's so nuts. So many people think I'm a freak because I don't drink it.”

Cheek initially went viral for a video in which she railed against water, explaining why it simply was not to her taste. “The next morning, I woke up and I had hate messages [from] all over the place,” she admitted. Many commenters took umbrage with an anecdote Cheek shared about ending up in the emergency room due to dehydration. However, that was 15 years ago and has not happened since. “I was at the gym and I just hadn't had any water,” she said. “And I think I overdid it.”

Conversely, Cheek has gotten some support from people who agree with her water assessment. “On the other side, I had so many people reach out to me about them hating water. There's tons of people out there that hate it, too. I'm not the only person,” she recalled.

So what does Cheek drink to stay hydrated? The answer may surprise you. “I am obsessed with snacking on Pedialyte popsicles, which are ultra hydrating,” she explained. “Occasionally in the middle of a workout, I might sip my coffee, but I always take coffee to the gym. My main thing is just drinking other things. I know coffee can sometimes dehydrate you, but still it's got water in it.”

Surprisingly, Cheek added that one particular alcoholic beverage gives her a fair amount of hydration, as well. “I drink beer. That's my cocktail of choice. It's made with water,” she reasoned.

Cheek has tried to make the switch to straight water, but it’s just not an appealing beverage. “I feel like I've had almost every flat bottled water out there that's available in the U.S.,” she said. “I don't like it. I don't like it from our water filter. I just always have to put something in it.” Often, she’ll add flavored packets like Crystal Light or Liquid IV to her water to give them a pop.

“If I'm in a race and there's water, I'll drink it,” she added begrudgingly. “But that's just like my last resort.”