Sporting the Style

Running through Parcul Carol, Bucharest

One of my mentors in the fitness community is fond of saying, "Remember, Taylor, sport is not about whether you win or lose - it's about how you look." This sentence speaks volumes about his athletic ambitions for me. But let's be honest - no matter how not-superficial we like to think we are, there's definitely a special sporty style that surrounds the active community. You don't just throw on that cute pair of yoga pants and dark purple halter top that shows off your sculpted shoulders. This and other such outfits require forethought, planning, and, in some cases, as many dollars as nicer wear.

It's kind of funny to think that, just a little over thirty years ago, this whole sport-fashion industry didn't exist. There was barely such thing as a running shoe, there was no such thing as a woman's running shoe, and there was even no such thing as women sporting attire. Research shows that sport-brand clothing is the fastest-growing line of clothing in the US, and a significant percentage of its purchasers are women. Companies like Prana, Lululemon, Title 9, and a significant number of others are specifically geared towards women, and if you go to the REI Flagship store in Denver it's interesting to note that women get their own floor for clothes.

Take a walk outside the US and the world's wealthier countries, however, and this story changes. On the streets of Bucharest, for example, many runners hit the road in cutoff jeans and no-support Keds. Long-sleved warmup uniforms with full-length pants can be seen at all times of the year and in all temperatures of the day. In other places, the effort to appear in athletic attire is so overdone as to make one shudder. Sparkles and glitter shine from some shirts to such an extent as to blind the runner that is running their way. And the shoes . . . oh, don't get me started on the shoes. High-tops that go up to mid-calf with elevating bottoms. Point being, while sport is a style in this part of the world, it's still one that's inaccessible to most people and misunderstood by the rest.

The talk of clothes makes me feel so much like a girl, so I don't like to dwell on it too long. The point of this whole conversation is to say that, in each chapter of Running The World from Blaze Travel Guides, we talk about running attire. In some places we talk about it in the interest of safety - both physical (if it's really cold or hot) and cultural (if women should have their arms covered). But we also talk about it because its interesting. The assumptions we make about the most basic of things - like running shorts - are all overturned once we hit the road and head overseas. And that's what makes travel so amazing.