People go running in all sorts of inappropriate things. Take, for example, the c. 1985 Champion sweatpants and the treadless Converse high-tops of the guy that passed me during the Charlottesville 10-Miler a few weeks ago. The unconventional gear, obviously, didn’t slow him down any. But a skirt? That’s not the article of clothing that screams “Just Do It” to me.
 Do you run faster when you feel cuter? We spotted this skirt at Charlottesville Running Company. |
And yet, Nike now markets a skirt for running, as do all the other usual running-clothes makers, including Brooks and Sugoi. Plus, specialty athletic-skirt makers such as SkirtSports (founded by professional triathlete Nicole DeBoom) and RunningSkirts.com have cropped up. All of the brands are made of high-performance, lightweight, moisture-wicking fabrics and come equipped with attached compression shorts or briefs to prevent the “I see London” problem.
I was skeptical of the trend until I tried on a few at Charlottesville’s Ragged Mountain Running Shop and found them to be comfortable (nothing to bunch between the legs!) and, dare I say it, cute. The clerk told me the shop started stocking the skirts—which range in price from $40 to $70—last year and that they’ve been very popular. Here’s what else I realized: For preventing a view of your backside jiggling in spandex, a running skirt is way better than tying a sweatshirt around your waist.
