Fashion Police: A Triathlete at the Marathon
OK, boys and girls.... I have a fashion dilemma.
I did my HIM race a few days ago, and shortly enough I am running a marathon. A guy (or gal) has to decide what's just too geeky out of place to wear. If you're not going to have an ideal race, you might as well look good doing it. :-)
Marathoners don't shave, but my time gap means that it's shaved or stubble. We're going shaved. Stubbled is more awkward than being one of the few shaved guys.
I find tri shorts very comfortable to run in and they don't rub. While running shorts are great, they do tend to rub the thighs a bit more for very long runs. But tri shorts would be VERY geeky on the marathon course. I'm leaning to running shorts, unless matched with a tri top, but that's the next paragraph:
On top, there's the Technical T vs Tri top thing. Again, marathoners all wear technical T's. But a guy wants to represent, and this guy only has tri tops that have team stuff on them. And then, if you go incognito (in a technical T), there's the other choice: plain shirt or one from some race? If a race, do we go with (a) some cool triathlon like an IM shirt or 70.3 worlds [high 'I'm a geek risk"]; (b) some obscure local tri; or (c) some obscure road race [e.g., shirt from the Ft Dodge IA half marathon]? I don't have a short sleeve shirt from a marathon.
Weigh in!
Comments
When I ran a cold marathon, I wore my tri shorts under some thin shorts.
During my wife's last ultra, saw a couple guys wearing complete tri kits. And a couple other guys wearing bike jerseys. Sigh.
If you're gonna go tri dork then you gotta go all in: VERY short tri shorts, singlet, IM visor, compression socks, arm coolers, FuelBelt (IM branded), Newton's, mirrored Oakley's or Rudy's, 910 on left wrist and no fewer than 3x assorted bracelets (RoadID, Livestrong + other) on your right.
Most importantly, you must bust ^that^ early, wearing it to registration / at the expo and to dinner the night before the race. But you need to be a place that takes reservations (ie, most people have put some thought into their civilian clothes) and eat in your kit with your sunglasses and visor on.
Joanne did the SG marathon in 2011. One thing that really stood out was how normal people were at the registration expo: wearing non technical clothes...even real clothes, dare I say it. The handful of triathletes in the race really stood out, beginning in the expo
First, I'm all about comfort; I could care less the impression I make. But at my age, I'm supposed to look out of place anyway.
Second, I'll be wearing compression calf sleeves (if they arrive in time ... On back order) or socks, as I recently found that long runs, over two hours, feel MUCH better with them.
As to shorts, I always wear a jammer type thigh length swimsuit, same thing I do all my run training in. Dolphin Chloroban, black. Form fitting nylon with a pouch in Front for the parts.
Now, the top will depend on the temp. Either way it will be EN: tech T (if in the 40s) or Tri top. With a red IM Wisconsin visor. I've read that athletes who compete in red do better. (As to the low temp possibility, the start is at 0600, and its @ 3200')
Which reminds me of representing. At my last marathon, Boston 06, I wore a red "Wesleyan" shirt, my alma mater. I went there 66-70, the same time Ambi Burfoot, Jeff Galloway, and Bill Rodgers were all there.
I guess you can guess my attitude about dressing for a running race. Below the waist, go for comfort. Above, wear red, allowing for sufficient ventilation.
As to the kind of tee... Most likely something comfortable and neutral, ideally with club logo and not much else.
If you decide to go as tri dork, don't forget to wear your race bib on a race belt!