Wearing the race day t-shirt at the race... Cool or uncool?
mistyh10
Posts: 42 Member
What's your opinion?
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Replies
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I don't, mainly because it's a new shirt, and even if it's from a proven brand, I only wear stuff I've worn on training runs already.4
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I've seen people wearing the race shirt on race day, after the race, as a clean dry shirt to change into. I only see new runners wearing the race shirt in the actual race. It's kind of traditional around here to wear the race shirt from the previous weekend to a Tuesday evening group run or practice.
It's also a cliche that anyone wearing the race shirt in the actual race is a newbie runner. I've done it . . . but not since the first year I was running.1 -
I don't wear them during races but I saw a post just now where alot of people were wearing them for a local race so I was just curious what the general consensus was and if I was being a snob by not wearing it. Glad I am not alone in my thinking
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Don't wear it until you earned it. 8
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Indeed. You haven't completed the race until after you've crossed the line, so not really the done thing. That said, all the races I do the shirts are at the finish line with the bling.0
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The only race I've worn the shirt for is this one - because how can you not dress like Santa for the St. Nick Shuffle (I'm right behind the girl in plaid)
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Only after I've finished. As a clean dry shirt to change into after the race, that's fine. I'd grant an exception to the Santa Shirt. ;-)1
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I've not done a race that's given you the t-shirt before, so no0
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I run for a club so I wear my club colours. The one exception where I live is the Chariots of Fire beach race where everyone dresses in white like in the movie. You can pre-order a special charity 'chariots' white t-shirt to do it in if you want.0
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To those that say they have never gotten a shirt before a race.... Out of curiosity where do you live? I have raced 5K, 10K (and now half marathon recently) in Alaska and Virginia in the US and have always gotten a shirt before the race when I picked up my race bib. I'm just curious if it's a regional thing.0
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Locally, I wear my team/club shirt (although sometimes I do my own thing). Bigger, destination races I am know what I will be wearing before I leave my house (and with a backup if the weather takes a total dive in the other direction). I love to wear my freebie shirt the following week. I see lots of people wearing the race shirts in some races and would never judge. As long as it is weather appropriate, feel free to wear it!0
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To those that say they have never gotten a shirt before a race.... Out of curiosity where do you live? I have raced 5K, 10K (and now half marathon recently) in Alaska and Virginia in the US and have always gotten a shirt before the race when I picked up my race bib. I'm just curious if it's a regional thing.
In the UK if races have a finisher t-shirt you get it after you cross the finish line. Many races don't have a shirt at all (which I prefer because they are usually giant-sized, even the 'small' ones). But races are generally a fair bit cheaper than in the US.
ETA: for races (usually big, more 'corporate' mass-participation ones) where the shirt is optional if you pay extra, you usually get those in advance and they fit better because they are more expensive and you can pre-order the right size. I've never bought one.0 -
I ran a few 5Ks and 2 half marathons. I think it may depend on the cause. There was one race that I saw 95% of participants wore either the race shirts of the year or the previous years. I think it was a way to show support. For 5Ks, there are definitely more people wearing the race shirts. And for HM (or longer distance, I suppose), there are very few people wear the race shirts because, I think, the "nothing new on race day" teaching is magnified by the distance. If you don't feel comfortable in the shirt, it is a lot more bearable for 5k than 21k.0
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No, although that's mostly because they're usually a standard cotton t-shirt, and I never run in a standard cotton t-shirt.1
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mom3over40 wrote: »... or the previous years.
I don't see an issue with last years, as it's clear that it's been completed. That said the one I'm sitting in my hotel room in this evening is cotton and I wouldn't run in it, but the two years I've run the same event since I've got tech tees.
Practical issue is that when I'm in a race I've generally got a race vest on, so tend not to wear tees with print overlay as it'll aggravate.
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I often take the massive finisher's tech tees to races to warm up in; that way if I dump my t-shirt in a tree or under the car while I'm doing the race, I don't mind too much if I can't find it later.0
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Here are the rules* for race t-shirt etiquette:
http://www.psychowyco.com/id74.html
* - it's all in good fun, obviously there are no rules. Wear whatever you'd like, when you like.
Around here most races which include shirts give them out during packet pickup. They are participation shirts, not finisher shirts, so wear them whenever you want. I have two shirts for races I never ran in (DNS) which I still wear. One was for a 25k trail race, the other for a 5k road race. In both cases injury prevented me from running. I paid for the races and I like the shirts so I'm going to wear them.
Generally I don't wear the shirts the day of the race because I've already picked out my clothes and set them aside before I get the shirt. If it's a race I've run before, I'd wear the previous years shirt as long as it fits and feels good. For my last 5k I did this even though the shirt was all cotton.
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I'll admit I've done it once. Got stuck in traffic, didn't get checked in till 2 minutes before the gun. Threw the shirt on, lined up, finished 2nd in my AG. Won some socks 2
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scorpio516 wrote: »I'll admit I've done it once. Got stuck in traffic, didn't get checked in till 2 minutes before the gun. Threw the shirt on, lined up, finished 2nd in my AG. Won some socks
If only you'd had the socks in advance, you could have worn them too.
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If it is a charity race than yes otherwise no. I prefer to wear something that I am used to and with new shirts you never know.2
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Mostly, no. I agree that if it's a charity/cause race (e.g., ovarian cancer), I have worn it. Although I get the thing about not having earned it, it usually has more to do with it not being washed nor trained in.2
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What are some of you people talking about?
I have never not gotten the T-shirt in the race packet I have picked up BEFORE the race.
Somebody said they get cotton shirts? I cannot remember ever getting a cotton shirt. They are always the wicking nylon, or whatever it is.
All that said: Yeah, it is DORKY!
People around here (Northern California) tend to wear the shirts. I would guess half of the people in every race with a shirt wear that shirt in the race. But, c'mon people! I paid for the race. Why do I have to be a billboard too? You want advertising, pay me.
This is a holdover of the feelings I have for all logo shirts. Nike, for example, charges me a premium for their shirts; why then should I have to wear one that tries to make their huge logo a status symbol? I don't like it. Seems they are making me a chump.
Course, after a race, if the shirt is a good one and it fits well, I will wear it. Sometimes that prompts a connection with someone you run into, and leads to a conversation, and that is okay.0 -
@GiddyupTim some of us are in the UK, where I think many races are a LOT cheaper to enter than in the US. Most races I do don't have t-shirts or medals at all!2
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I don't care if it's a participation shirt, or finishers. I won't wear the shirt until post race. If it's a participation I'll wear it regardless of outcome (except DNS) if it's a finishers, I won't wear it unless I finish.0
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General consensus around here is that you don't wear the race shirt during the race unless you are a newbie. Also, they seldom fit well!0
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I don't wear it til I've earned it. Also, I don't want to run in a shirt I haven't trained in.0
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I saw quite a few wearing the shirt in the HM/marathon here over the weekend. I was surprised how many. I think one reason was that it was a long sleeved tech shirt and the weather was kind of chilly to start, so maybe people decided to just put on the race shirt.0
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I see more than half of the people wearing the race shirts up here in most races. I don't think they could all be newbies.
The majority of the races I participate in are inexpensive and don't give any shirt or bling (but we do get bananas, Nuun, coffee, and Kind bars at the finish), but for the ones that do, they've always been given out at the expo or package pick-up beforehand. I've only received a medal at the finish line.
When I started, I always wore the gear given before the race until I read in Runner's World that this was a newbie move. Before this, I actually thought you were supposed to wear the item, as a way for officials to identify that you were allowed to race lol 0 -
I don't/won't wear a race shirt until I have earned it and tried it walking around the yard/house and on small runs.
I once had an Long Sleeve event shirt which had these Fluorescent in-lays across the back of the shoulders ( Y shaped ), on the arms and down the side of the body. It seemed like a great idea for night time visibility.
It was a horrible shirt as the extra seams just aggravated the body. You might have noticed I said " It was " - that shirt ended up in the trash. I couldn't even give it to charity in good conscious. Any of the participants who put that shirt on for the event had a Pained expression on their faces by the 2 km mark.0 -
To those that say they have never gotten a shirt before a race.... Out of curiosity where do you live? I have raced 5K, 10K (and now half marathon recently) in Alaska and Virginia in the US and have always gotten a shirt before the race when I picked up my race bib. I'm just curious if it's a regional thing.
I'm in MD, and the larger races nearly always have shirts, but smaller ones don't always. I ran a 10K not too long ago and no shirt was given... though we did get race medals. 0
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