A chronicle of how the complimentary t-shirt from the runner's expo can ruin an entire race.

Equip Yourself with a Technical Running T-shirt

In this post, I'm going to tell you the story of how the t-shirt given away when signing up for a race completely messed up a friend when we ran the Valencia Half Marathon.

How cool, they gave us a t-shirt!

The day before the race, the group of friends who had gathered to run went to pick up our race bibs and runner's bags.

It was late October and quite hot, so I decided to wear the complimentary t-shirt for lunch since I was wearing long sleeves and was sweltering. As soon as I put it on, I found it uncomfortable, with a rather peculiar fabric. Good thing I wasn't going to wear it again.

I'm one of those people who likes to be well-dressed, coordinated (you know me, I like to show off) and use appropriate gear.

Because ultimately, health and physical well-being are what matter. I don't mind spending a little more on shoes or socks, because in the long run, you'll feel the difference (knees, feet...). And you'll avoid discomfort in training and races, and save money on physiotherapists and podiatrists.

The trend of running races in complimentary t-shirts

Race day arrived, and to my surprise, I saw my friend wearing the t-shirt we had been given. I knew he liked taking risks, but not to that extent.

One of the tips given by those who know the most in this world is that, to run a race, especially a longer distance one, you should wear a technical t-shirt and not wear it for the first time on race day.

Well, it seems my friend didn't know this, even though a few days before the half marathon, I had given him some advice (I'm not an expert, but I had read advice from professionals and had run long distances before).

The race started, the weather was cooperating, it was cloudy and not too hot. However, from kilometer 4 or 5, my friend started to feel the fantastic texture of the t-shirt on his nipples. The Nike Dri Fit Miller is a good technical running t-shirt for men at a very affordable price.

A good t-shirt minimizes chafing on the skin

He hadn't even passed kilometer 8 when he couldn't take it anymore and took off his t-shirt, and with it, a weight off his shoulders; his nipples were raw. He ran the next 13 kilometers happily, no longer remembering that it was his first half marathon, and to lift his spirits even more, a kid about 10 years old, seeing him run shirtless, told him: "You're awesome!"

At that moment, all his spirits were fully lifted, and he finished the race proudly, with his head held high.

As soon as he finished the race, my friend told me: "I have two clear things for the next race; I need to buy a jar of petroleum jelly and a technical t-shirt."

Complimentary vs. purchased t-shirt

Although the t-shirts you receive as gifts can be "technical," they will rarely have the quality of one you buy in a running or sports store. There you will find much better and more suitable garments for training and competing.

The quality of the polyester determines the difference in performance between a complimentary t-shirt and one from a consolidated sports brand. There are races that do offer suitable t-shirts for running 10 km, but they are the minority.

It is important to say that a good t-shirt isn't that expensive either. The Nike Dri Fit Miller is a good technical running t-shirt for men at a very affordable price.

With all this, I'm not saying you can't run in the t-shirts given with the race bib, but for me, it's not very advisable. Now, everyone can do what they want, and if they are comfortable with them, then go ahead.

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