Let’s Talk Tee’s
I ran the “Winter Warm Up” at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines early last month. It was a new race that was well-organized, but had a small turnout of around 70 runners and walkers. Given that early March is hard to predict for weather and that the St. Paddy’s races a few weeks later are popular with area runners, It’s hard to say if this race will catch on or not. Overall, I was pleased with the event, appreciating the opportunity to compete in a 10K six weeks before the Drake Half Marathon. But I do have a bone to pick. The t-shirt that came with registration was a thin, cheap cotton material - short sleeves which make no much sense in early March in Iowa - and the image of a snowman saying “Some Things Are Worth Melting For.” Huh? No mention of the race at all. Just a snowman with a clear death wish. Who was it that thought that t-shirt was a good idea?
Giving it to my wife who will find good uses for it, I put myself into the shoes of a race director and started thinking about the t-shirts and racing tops filling up my closet and storage boxes. I know each race presents its own challenges and everyone’s tastes can differ, but how difficult can it be to come up with a good t-shirt (or top) that promotes your event?
Pouring myself a pleasant glass of Pinot Noir from Van Duzer, a winery about twenty miles from my alma mater, I indulged my inner organizer by coming up with what I will call “Six Simple Guidelines for Racing T-Shirts.”
1. Start With the Basics. The first considerations should be a t-shirt with decent material. It doesn’t have to be tech. A nice cotton blend will do – particularly on warmer days. But the material shouldn’t be so thin that you see my ribs through it in the dark. It should also be able to withstand multiple washings. While I’ll touch on style later, the color scheme should be easy on the eyes and appropriate to the race. (Cancel the order for all those red, white and blue sleeveless shirts for the Christmas Day Race!) And, thinking back to the “Winter Warm Up,” absent strongly compelling reasons otherwise, the name of the race really should be included somewhere.
2. Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken. I’m a firm believer in not fixing what isn’t broken. Applying that to racing t-shirts, it means if there’s a great design or logo already in place, for heaven’s sake, leave it alone! Feel free to tweak the colors here and there. But that’s it! Case in point, the t-shirt I’m wearing for the picture in this blog comes from the Pear Blossom Run, a 10 mile race I used to do in Oregon. I always liked the design and wanted to kick myself for getting rid of those t-shirts years ago. Fast forward to last year when the pandemic forced this race into becoming virtual. I signed up primarily to right the wrong of my sins for not keeping at least one of those wonderful t-shirts. But instead of that classic logo, they’ve gone to changing the design each year with last year’s version winning the award for being cluttered, confusing and confounding – and all on a drab gray shirt with cheap material. (You really, really can never go home again.) As penance for my past sins, it was off to eBay to purchase this piece of my past.
3. If There Isn’t a Design or Theme, Get One! Check out the designs for the Capital Pursuit. Very cool! If I were in charge of t-shirts for a race and they didn’t have a design, then priority one would be finding someone to come up with one. Like the one below, keep it simple, sharp and something that can be maintained over the years with a few color revisions.
4. Seasons Change. Here in Iowa, we have three distinct seasons. (No, we do not have a Spring. We have a few unseasonably warm days take place in the latter months of a very long winter. But that is not and never should be called “Spring.”) That means temperatures here can be either damned hot or damned cold. If a race offers a short-sleeved t-shirt in December, it could be months before a person can wear it outside. On the flipside, that nice hoodie that comes with a July race won’t see the light of day for ages. Mental note: if I’m a race director for a late August race, I’ll probably hold off on including knit caps and gloves as part of the swag.
5. Do. Not. Be. Silly! Look at the image on the right. The cute little bunny for the Hop Hop? That was the image on a t-shirt I received from a virtual 10K last April. You can count on no fingers how times I ever wore that t-shirt. Not exactly an image I’m wanting to share with the general public. Or another t-shirt with cartoon face of a hillbilly on it. Great race! Well organized by wonderful people. But that t-shirt design…damn. If I were a race director, I would both consider my audience and hope to grow that audience.
One of the best means to do that by promoting your race each time someone wears on of its t-shirts. And the odds of that lessen if that t-shirt is too cute or too silly.
6. Make The Top Worth the Additional Cost. If I’m a race director and have the budget for it, I would be tempted to go beyond t-shirts and look for a nice pullover of some kind. But if I did, it would only be if I maintained everything I’ve already talked about. No cute possums or eye-scorching color schemes. And pay attention to details. The image below comes from a hoodie from the Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon back in 2019. Love the design and was thrilled to have it on a hoodie for the upcoming winter. Only…this hoodie was sized large enough that draped to my knees with a thick, heavy material
that could qualify as body armor. End result is one of my favorite hoodies that I never wear.
Of course beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. What I find appealing may be too rigid or plain or unimaginative. Let me know your thoughts and I’d love to see other t-shirt designs that you truly like or dislike.
And to shift gears from the material to the musical, let me offer let me share three recent releases that have found a home on my iPad and serve as company on my workouts.
Spoon - Lucifier on the Sofa. Although there’s not been a bad release in the near thirty years that this Austin band has been together, the wonderfully engaging alternative rock from their ‘22 release stands out as one of their best. Standout tracks include “The Hardest Cut” and “The Devil and Mister Jones.”
Yumi Zouma - Present Tense. This New Zealand band’s provided songs on a number of racing playlists over the past few years. The delicious synth-pop of this new album will certainly continue that trend. Check out “Astral Projection” to see what I mean.
Bodega - Broken Equipment. There are simply times that we need music to shake us up to get us going. Here to provide that are the punk sounds of this NYC band. Throw “Doers” onto a playlist and you’re guaranteed to pick up your pace.
Feel free to share any recommendations you have for music. Now for a second glass of that wine!
The Hop Hop bunny logo would go over very well in Japan.