THE sight of runners clutching bottles of water as they pound the streets may soon be a lot less common.

Two Glasgow-based entrepreneurs have designed and launched what is believed to be the world's first hydration armband for runners, freeing athletes from the burden of carrying cumbersome bottles.

Belinda Goldsmith and Christine Manson hatched the idea for Fitsip while working out with Kelvin Runners, an amateur club based in the city's west end.

The pair had been looking for a new venture when their connection to Simply Organic, the soup company they created and ran for a decade before selling to Serious Food Group, ended around four years ago.

With Ms Goldsmith living "within a stone's throw" from Glasgow University, they approached its School of Engineering for technical help and support.

The institution provided a grant of £5000 from its First Step Award programme, which supports partnerships between academics and business people, to meet the initial research costs.

Further grants came from the Sporting Chance Initiative, which helps small businesses in Scotland develop sports products, Scottish Enterprise Innovation Support and Starter for Six, an enterprise programme.

Ms Goldsmith and Ms Manson have also committed "significant" personal funds to the project, but declined to say what the total investment has been to date.

Ms Goldsmith said: "It's taken three years and quite a lot of time and money has been put in. It is not always that easy to find out about sources of funding, that is the only thing I would say.

"There is some small funding available but you also have to put your own neck on the line as well."

Fitsip has three main components: an armband made of breathable fabric, a refillable water pod contained within the armband that can hold just over 200ml, and a silicone, one-way bite valve that releases the water.

Dr Ian Watson from the university's engineering school worked with the entrepreneurs on a range of prototypes. Many failed to get off the ground because the water pod leaked due to the force of the running action. The final design includes a special cap that prevents the problem.

Dr Watson said Fitsip's commercial prospects made it an attractive project to work on.

He said: "It was a novel idea and I felt there was a market need there [for the product]. It was just good to work on a product where there was market potential and a clear path to market."

Fitsip has been available to buy online for the past four weeks, priced £23.99, and the owners ultimately hope to have it listed in the UK's 200 specialist running shops, including Achilles Heel in Glasgow's west end.

Their immediate goal is to spread the word about Fitsip within the running community.

Fitsips will be offered as prizes this Sunday at the Glenlivet 10k, which takes place in the Cairngorm National Park, and will also be marketed to runners over the course of the racing season.

The entrepreneurs are already looking at possible extensions to the Fitsip brand for the running market.