Earlier this week, Morgan posted about the lack of women's race shirts provided as race swag. I've had many a conversation on this very topic with some of my running friends but Morgan is calling for change! If race directors are going to charge anywhere from $50-$226 to run a race, the least you can do is provide shirts that fit! After all, my love of racing leaves me with dwindling funds for buying race gear and it would be nice if for every race I ran, I got a new shirt...that I could actually run in.
So let's look at some of the best and worst shirts in my race shirt collection:
*Please excuse the poor photography...I'm not that great at setting up self-portraits.*
The Worst
Philadelphia Half-Marathon 2011
Long sleeve? I dig it. Black? Even better. Awesome slogan? Perfect! But look at those sleeves! I was SWIMMING in this shirt. I haven't thrown it away because well...I've never thrown any of my race shirts away but I PRd in this race...I ran a GREAT race and I want something to show for it aside from the medal that hangs on my wall! But noooo...Philly can't spring for the women's size shirts. Rude.
BAA 5k 2011
This shirt is a joke. You pay $50 to run the BAA 5k just so you can run across the Boston Finish Line. Sure, you get a medal and a tech tee which is more than most 5ks but you pay $50 for it! This isn't the best photo because, as I stated above, I'm not that great at taking self-portraits but this shirt goes down tothe middle of my thighs. The sleeves? Just above my elbows. Are you kidding me? I think if I gained 50 lbs, this shirt would still be big on me. The worst part about it? It's the worst "dry-fit" material I've ever seen. I tried running in it once...holy goodness...moisture-wicking? The shirt clung to me like saran wrap! Again, I don't know why I haven't tossed this shirt...but it needs to go.
The Meh-This One's Not So Bad
Philadelphia Marathon 2010
My Philly Marathon shirt from 2010 wasn't terrible. It's on the bigger side but I'm not swimming in it and I've worn it once or twice on a long run in the winter. But again with the sleeves! If they're all bunched up from my elbow down...the shirt is too big!
The Best
NYRR Dash to the Finish 5k 2011
Here we go with another $50 5k. This one did not give out medals but it gave away some pretty sweet shirts and you know what? I'll take it! A women's sized, long sleeve shirt that fits right, breathes right and moves right! The only downside is the color...why I love the white with teal lettering...white is not conducive to sweat. I'm actually not a very sweaty girl...my friends like to make fun of me because I'm actually more salty than sweaty...I know, I'm kind of weird...but even I am starting to notice faint sweat stains on this shirt.
Cowtown Half-Marathon 2012
THIS IS THE BEST SHIRT EVER! Seriously, everyone should run this race next year just for the shirts. Yes, I said shirtS. Because they gave you TWO dri-fit t-shirts.
I don't have a picture of me wearing the white one because it was dirty but you get the idea...they're the same shirt. They come in women's sizes, they're V-NECK and I love the color! They're great moisture-wicking shirts and the material is thin and comfortable so the shirt isn't too heavy. The sleeves are nice and wide so that you can get a nice range of motion when moving your arms without having to worry about chafing but they aren't so wide that your arms feel like they're drowning in the shirt. I can't stop wearing this shirt. I love everything about it and you better believe I'll be back at Cowtown next year for 2 more shirts!
So there you have it, the good, the not-so-good and the awful of race shirts! Want to show off your race shirts? Check out Morgan's blog for details and if you tweet, use the hash tags #onesiedoesnotfitall or #sizematters.
So let's look at some of the best and worst shirts in my race shirt collection:
*Please excuse the poor photography...I'm not that great at setting up self-portraits.*
The Worst
Philadelphia Half-Marathon 2011
Long sleeve? I dig it. Black? Even better. Awesome slogan? Perfect! But look at those sleeves! I was SWIMMING in this shirt. I haven't thrown it away because well...I've never thrown any of my race shirts away but I PRd in this race...I ran a GREAT race and I want something to show for it aside from the medal that hangs on my wall! But noooo...Philly can't spring for the women's size shirts. Rude.
BAA 5k 2011
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The Meh-This One's Not So Bad
Philadelphia Marathon 2010
My Philly Marathon shirt from 2010 wasn't terrible. It's on the bigger side but I'm not swimming in it and I've worn it once or twice on a long run in the winter. But again with the sleeves! If they're all bunched up from my elbow down...the shirt is too big!
The Best
NYRR Dash to the Finish 5k 2011
Here we go with another $50 5k. This one did not give out medals but it gave away some pretty sweet shirts and you know what? I'll take it! A women's sized, long sleeve shirt that fits right, breathes right and moves right! The only downside is the color...why I love the white with teal lettering...white is not conducive to sweat. I'm actually not a very sweaty girl...my friends like to make fun of me because I'm actually more salty than sweaty...I know, I'm kind of weird...but even I am starting to notice faint sweat stains on this shirt.
Cowtown Half-Marathon 2012
THIS IS THE BEST SHIRT EVER! Seriously, everyone should run this race next year just for the shirts. Yes, I said shirtS. Because they gave you TWO dri-fit t-shirts.
I don't have a picture of me wearing the white one because it was dirty but you get the idea...they're the same shirt. They come in women's sizes, they're V-NECK and I love the color! They're great moisture-wicking shirts and the material is thin and comfortable so the shirt isn't too heavy. The sleeves are nice and wide so that you can get a nice range of motion when moving your arms without having to worry about chafing but they aren't so wide that your arms feel like they're drowning in the shirt. I can't stop wearing this shirt. I love everything about it and you better believe I'll be back at Cowtown next year for 2 more shirts!
So there you have it, the good, the not-so-good and the awful of race shirts! Want to show off your race shirts? Check out Morgan's blog for details and if you tweet, use the hash tags #onesiedoesnotfitall or #sizematters.
Have a FANTASTIC weekend!
The past Country Music 1/2 shirts I've gotten were Brooks tech tees that were HUGE. I got extra smalls and looked like I was swimming in them! At least they worked as good top layers for frigid NYC runs, though...but hopefully they'll have something better by now. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm also not a fan of cheap short-sleeved race shirts (ahem, NYRR summer races). I have way too many of them and it's too hot to ever run in them here.
I think my favorite race shirt is my 2010 NYC Marathon one. It's dark grey, so it goes with any shorts and fits true to size. My 2011 one is a little short on me. :(
The worse shirt for me was MCM. It was large, brown, turtle neck and HUGE. Being it my first marathon I was hoping to wear it, but never actually did :(
ReplyDeleteI HATE it when race shirts don't fit! I've been trying to order smalls to avoid this, but sometimes, they are too small. The only place where I've seen the race directors actually make you try them on first was at the Hot Chocolate expo!
ReplyDeletelove love love the cowtown shirts!!
ReplyDeleteHa, so funny that you to great Cowtown shirts. My finisher short was a huge MAN shirt - so disappointing! But yes, yours is way cute and it fits well!
ReplyDelete