I’ve been loving your work! This thought piece takes the cake.
I date one of those nerdy runners who rocks an old race shirt & has an OG Garmin tucked away in the closest. It’s a little brick on your wrist.
We talk a lot about running culture across the world & in Chicago. We have a love hate relationship for the growth it’s had. I am excited and nosey to see how it continues, or doesn’t, in the future! And to keep reading your thoughts on it.
Love this piece, Lee! You are capturing such an interesting and compelling part of the running community and I find myself fascinated by the trends! Also, as a Native person, it’s been really interesting to see how many Native folks have been able to adapt more traditional clothing (like ribbon skirts) into active skirts, hand-made custom for NYC marathon weekend. Native Women Running’s team started this as a group in 2023 (it’s possible others have done it before) and it’s a cool expression of something that has cultural/spiritual significance on the course. Lots of Native designers/artists have done one-off things like this – another example is the ROCKDEEP x FIFTH Trail Moccasin Shoe, which is a Native-designed running shoe that is a riff on Navajo moccasins. I wore them while announcing at NYC and it’s been awesome to see Native fashion pushing forward too.
I need to cover this! Thank you for pointing it out. I loved seeing the women of the Rarámuri do Speed Project in their skirts – makes you reframe "performance" and how it's a very specific approach.
Neon can be cool as long as it's not being delivered in the nylon they used in the early 2000s! I have so many old pieces that literally are disintegrating as a result.
This was such a fun write up! It reminded me of the running story Phil Knight tells in Shoe Dog — runners were freaks and no one was really marketing to them or promoting the sport. Nike did some work to elevate the sport and make it monetizable. It seems like there’s levels to it because when I was on HS track we were very much of the “our sport is your sports punishment” vibe but now running is chic!
I think it goes in waves. I also think that there’s a little bit of a different experience for folks who grew up in the sport and all its “grit” and folks who came to it later in life. Neither is better, but shapes your perspective a little bit. Fun to see the sport be more relevant in the wider zeitgeist!
I’m a born and raised NYer and only made it to the NYC Marathon experience for the first time this weekend. I’m back home in Indianapolis where I now live and had so much FOMO for all the pop-ups I couldn’t get to because NYC is a complicated place to navigate even without extra 10s of thousands of people rushing around. So this recap is just what needed to read on this Monday Morning. I’m loving your writing more than ever, Lee and thought of you as I passed the Sporty and Rich shop in lower Manhattan!
It was SO much fun. And because I hope to run it next year, I’m clear that it was better to do all the running around this year! I find all of this so fascinating especially because I feel Indianapolis is still stuck in the before times. There’s a lot of Tracksmith around but you go into any running store and its al legacy brands with a bit of Lululemon and Vuori thrown in. I go to NYC or Chicago and feel like I’m stepping into a different running universe regarding fashion.
It’s like this newsletter was specifically designed to cover everything I am interested in about running. I love it.
That means a lot! Thank you
I’ve been loving your work! This thought piece takes the cake.
I date one of those nerdy runners who rocks an old race shirt & has an OG Garmin tucked away in the closest. It’s a little brick on your wrist.
We talk a lot about running culture across the world & in Chicago. We have a love hate relationship for the growth it’s had. I am excited and nosey to see how it continues, or doesn’t, in the future! And to keep reading your thoughts on it.
Thanks, Rebecca! Love the old school runners rocking their cotton and Cassio watches. Good news is – plenty of room on the road for all comers.
Love this piece, Lee! You are capturing such an interesting and compelling part of the running community and I find myself fascinated by the trends! Also, as a Native person, it’s been really interesting to see how many Native folks have been able to adapt more traditional clothing (like ribbon skirts) into active skirts, hand-made custom for NYC marathon weekend. Native Women Running’s team started this as a group in 2023 (it’s possible others have done it before) and it’s a cool expression of something that has cultural/spiritual significance on the course. Lots of Native designers/artists have done one-off things like this – another example is the ROCKDEEP x FIFTH Trail Moccasin Shoe, which is a Native-designed running shoe that is a riff on Navajo moccasins. I wore them while announcing at NYC and it’s been awesome to see Native fashion pushing forward too.
I need to cover this! Thank you for pointing it out. I loved seeing the women of the Rarámuri do Speed Project in their skirts – makes you reframe "performance" and how it's a very specific approach.
Running's fashion renaissance blends performance with style—sleek designs, bold colors, and innovative materials make athletic wear fashionable, turning sneakers and leggings into everyday streetwear staples. pantofisexy.ro
Fantastic write up, had the fun wit of Nellie Bowles TGIF column, really enjoyed it.
Purist vs Tourist. Also thanks for sharing the event roundup!
Purist vs tourist - good dichotomy! (Without judgement for tourists, we’ve all been one.)
For all my hobbies 😂
Usually see these kinds of article just before an old derided trend reemerges. Neon, it is!
Neon can be cool as long as it's not being delivered in the nylon they used in the early 2000s! I have so many old pieces that literally are disintegrating as a result.
That just says an extra layer of Vintage Cool to me
This was such a fun write up! It reminded me of the running story Phil Knight tells in Shoe Dog — runners were freaks and no one was really marketing to them or promoting the sport. Nike did some work to elevate the sport and make it monetizable. It seems like there’s levels to it because when I was on HS track we were very much of the “our sport is your sports punishment” vibe but now running is chic!
I think it goes in waves. I also think that there’s a little bit of a different experience for folks who grew up in the sport and all its “grit” and folks who came to it later in life. Neither is better, but shapes your perspective a little bit. Fun to see the sport be more relevant in the wider zeitgeist!
I’m a born and raised NYer and only made it to the NYC Marathon experience for the first time this weekend. I’m back home in Indianapolis where I now live and had so much FOMO for all the pop-ups I couldn’t get to because NYC is a complicated place to navigate even without extra 10s of thousands of people rushing around. So this recap is just what needed to read on this Monday Morning. I’m loving your writing more than ever, Lee and thought of you as I passed the Sporty and Rich shop in lower Manhattan!
I hope you had so much fun! I suppose I should have mentioned as a runner it is gratifying to see our sport growing and celebrated this way!
It was SO much fun. And because I hope to run it next year, I’m clear that it was better to do all the running around this year! I find all of this so fascinating especially because I feel Indianapolis is still stuck in the before times. There’s a lot of Tracksmith around but you go into any running store and its al legacy brands with a bit of Lululemon and Vuori thrown in. I go to NYC or Chicago and feel like I’m stepping into a different running universe regarding fashion.
Such good insight! I do think this trend has yet to saturate every market. Lots of room for growth.
Neon must die.
I‘m so thankful to have options beyond the boring old performance running gear at the local running store.