The one thing that hasn’t changed in the three relays I’ve run is the Sparkle Athletic running skirts. While they may seem like just another crazy relay costume, there are many practical reasons why they make THE BEST relay running outfits:
They are lightweight and comfortable. So comfortable, you might actually forget you’re wearing it until you walk into a WalMart in the middle of the night to buy a replacement breast pump for your teammate and everyone stares at you.
They are bright and sparkly. So bright and sparkly, you can see your runner coming from a mile away making transitions uber-smooth. At least the ones when you make it there in time to meet your runner.
They are highly reflective. So reflective, it’ll outshine your trusty reflective vest in the middle of the night. Safety first people!
They are memorable: One of the great parts of a relay race is the interaction between teams. While faces are hard to remember, no one every forgets a sparkly skirt….or having to chase one.
To go with our Sparkle Athletic running skirts, each runner received a custom technical tank and team jersey. I love how a “uniform” can make a team feel more like a team.
The icing on our Ragnar fashion cake were custom tech jackets. These came in super handy as we tried to regulate our core body temp as the sun went down. As hot as it was during the day, it still got cold at night and we were soaked in our own sweat. Note to self: bring more changes of sports bras because two is not enough when you run six times. Duh.
Through 6 runs totaling 30 miles in less than 28 hours, my legs did not feel nearly as tired as they should have. That’s because Skins compression tights were a welcome addition to the team “uniform”. I had never experienced the magic of compression tights but by the end of the race I was sold. I wore them after every run in hopes their recovery claims were true and I even wore them during 2 of my cooler runs to stay warm. Their performance did not let me down.
You can’t talk about Ragnar fashion without mentioning the chic safety vest all runners are required to wear from 6pm to 6am. We tried to get away with sharing 2 vests between the 6 of us but we quickly realized putting on a cold vest dripping with another runner’s sweat is not very fun. Luckily we were delirious enough in the moment as to not get too grossed out. Next year we will definitely spring for six vests. It will be totally worth it.
Follow the entire adventure:
Team Sparkle Runs So Cal Ragnar
or
Read about past relay adventures here:
Hood to Coast Relay
The Relay
{ 2 comments }
The sparkly skirts are really neat!
Twitter: runsassy
August 2, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Love the outfits! I so agree that being memorable is a selling point. I was on an all-women’s relay team last year that wore tutus, and we found that other teams would tell us, “I spotted the tutu – she’s a mile out!” Plus people tended to cheer you on more.
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