Here’s a little insight into how I work. I do this fun thing of brainstorming a list of multiple ideas of things to write about. I start from a central concept, observation or opinion and work my way out from there. Some of these ideas are good enough to bulk out into 500 words. A few are deleted because, upon second look, I wonder what the hell I was thinking. Others get half-approved and sit in my drafts for almost two years.
Enter: “running co opting yoga blandness” from 28 October 2024.
The easiest (safest) way to look chic is to just wear plain black clothes. It requires zero imagination (see: Zuck) and maybe zero skill: a tuxedo to a formal event; an LBD to a cocktail party; a plain black t-shirt on a night out with pals. When first impressions count, sending your curated personality into the eyes of a potential friend can be a risky thing. Personalities inspire opinions – often unwanted ones. Curating nothingness is a safe option.
The current yoga darlings making plays for a slice of the run world billions are Lululemon and ALO (who recently got shivved for their entry into trail), but the plain fits they’re known for are not how yoga used to be known.
In the 1990s, yoga was seen as a counter-cultural New Age pursuit with associated stereotypes of tie-dye and incense. It was an ancient holistic discipline that was quickly Westernized, commodified, and ‘Power’-ized by celebrity endorsements and the promise of great potential profits. The number of Americans practicing yoga over time tells a lot of the story:
2000: 6 million
2008: 16 million
2016: 36 million
Not to blame them completely for the flattening of yoga’s visual culture, but Lululemon’s membership program alone has 28 million members.
Up until a decade ago, you could reasonably assume one piece of my running gear would be neon, for instance, and I never tried calling it ‘chartreuse’ or ‘tangerine’ to appear cooler. Technical apparel was utility first and foremost, and while bright colors helped drivers to see me when I was crossing a road, what was left in the clearance section dictated my style.
When I saw the first headlines about running being the new skateboarding, during the covid running boom, my first thought was that it was going to be difficult for runners to run in jeans like skaters do. If we want multi-functional technical apparel so we can go to work or socialize before or after a run, it would likely be plain, tonal colors rather than a pair of jeans. Runners are pretty committed to polyester, so it would likely be bland yoga-style fits that are adopted, and that somewhat came to pass with the highly visible armies of black-clad city runners from the last few years.
The good news is that the flattening of style appears to be ebbing somewhat. We can see a bit more personality coming back into the sport recently with new brands like Unna, Alex Zono and retro race shirt capsules, and the likes of Satisfy (like it or not) has always led the way on providing something truly different to wear. Even Lululemon has made a rugby shirt for running in, and is generally using brighter colors than their usual muted palette.
It’s true that birds of a feather flock together, and how can you truly find your people if you hide who you are? So get weird and wear the neon. Hell. If you love it, wear the tortoises-print shorts. Clothing is the easiest way to tell people who you are, so take a risk.
Personalities can inspire opinions, but sometimes they’re good ones. Maybe you’ll make a friend just like you.
Last week on Running Sucks
My third brand profile in this mini-series was about Miler Running, a brand out of New York City that is committed to manufacturing their clothes in New York City.
I think that’s a pretty cool stance to take in a world of drop-shippers and overseas manufacturing. If you’re one of the few people who remembers/cares about bigger brands using sweatshops and child labor, this one’s for you.
Equating Miler to Champagne is a bold take, I know, but it’s a fun game. Is Bandit the most popular natural wine? So, Nike is Budweiser maybe, and Minor Planet is small-batch kombucha gone wild? Let’s see who we can offend in the comments.
A weekend of track
On Saturday, I went to Sound Running’s L.A. Track Fest and saw Josh Kerr coming in second in the 800m on his way to targeting Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record in London in July, which I hope to attend.
I also saw Parker Valby’s debut pro race as she won the 5,000m at a canter. After 19 months of injury, the 23-year-old American star – who famously only runs three times a week – ripped a 14:49.41 5K PR, finishing 50m ahead of the next runner. It was outrageous to see IRL. I recommend it.
Over the 3hr session, I watched 19 events including the pole vault, which was happening directly in front of me. I joked on IG that if you ever see me in this position, I’ve fallen out of a plane. I simply cannot fathom launching myself 4.5m / 15 ft into the air.
Also taking place this past weekend was the Enhanced Games – the event where athletes are encouraged to take performance enhancing drugs with the sole aim of being faster, stronger, etc etc. It’s a spectacle using human guinea pigs, and many people want to see it. I wrote about it a couple of years ago, here.
Maybe it’s because they failed to attract the best athletes around, but absolutely nothing spectacular happened at the Enhanced Games, so maybe it’s not a spectacle after all.
The last two Gravel Tour dates
I’m in Columbus and Denver this week for the last couple of dates on the Salomon Off Track Gravel tour, so if you’re in either of those cities, please stop by for a run on Tuesday evening at Olentangy River Brewing in Columbus or on Saturday morning at Runner’s Roost Lakewood. It’ll be great to see you!
This Thursday, I’ll be publishing an extended interview that was featured in my book. It’ll be in your inbox!
Thanks for reading,
Raz x
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